Edge Bander Product Guide

Overview

An edge bander applies a band of wood or plastic to the edge of a board. It is used in high volume shops to produce panels with finished edges all around.

Several steps are required to apply the band. First the edgebander applies glue to the edge. Most edgebanders use a type of hot glue that dries rapidly. Next the bander applies the band to the edge. Rollers are used to press the band tightly against the edge. Next the excess band above and below the edge of the panel are trimmed off. A cutoff blade trims the ends of the band flush to the edges of the panel. The result is a prefectly covered edge.

Not all edgebanders complete all of these steps. Some require the operator to manually complete some of the steps. Industrial edgebanders sometimes add a sanding step to the process.

Shopping Guide

Edgebanders are production machines. They have their place in the industrial production of furniture. As such the most important consideration when buying an edgebander is how it fits into your workflow.

1) Process Automation

First the edgebander must complete the operations required by your workflow. If you want perfectly finished panels in a single pass, shop for a tool that is capable of producing these results.

2) Speed

Application speed determines the throughput of the machine. Depending on how much work you want your bander to do, choose a larger or smaller machine.