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I'm building a case with pre-finished maple plywood, and I plan to trim the edges with maple. Should I put a finish on the trim before gluing it on, or after?

Thanks for your help,

Mike

What type of finish? Oil, film ect? If a film, the wood will be protected from and glue that might impregnate untreat wood and can then keep it from taking a stain and or finish. But then you have to keep the glue up side pretty free of finish so the glue can penetrate into the wood. See where I am going? I would wax and tape the glue up edge, and finish the trim first, if going with a film finish, then when time to glue up, use Mineral Spirits, Naphtha or Acetone and clean off the wax, light sand or scrape and then glue up and wipe and excess of the trim.

Mike907 wrote:I'm building a case with pre-finished maple plywood, and I plan to trim the edges with maple. Should I put a finish on the trim before gluing it on, or after?

Thanks for your help,

Mike

I think I would put the finish on before gluing the trim on. Since your Maple plywood is pre-finished there won't be any over application on the plywood. I use painters tape to protect the glue surfaces. Apply the finish, remove the tape and glue.

I've looked at a pre-finished plywood for a project but my thought was to use edge banding, not quite the same thing. In the past I've done the trim then finished but that was because it all needed finishing anyway, again not the same thing.

Looking forward to the answers you receive.

I tend to like to use a router to get the edges flush and even on both sides and that was the thing that bothered me about pre finished panels, how would the router bit like the finish or is that the other way round? I know that plastic laminates work but that again is another animal. I'd like to here some answers on that as well.

Ed

reible wrote:I've looked at a pre-finished plywood for a project but my thought was to use edge banding, not quite the same thing. In the past I've done the trim then finished but that was because it all needed finishing anyway, again not the same thing.

Looking forward to the answers you receive.

I tend to like to use a router to get the edges flush and even on both sides and that was the thing that bothered me about pre finished panels, how would the router bit like the finish or is that the other way round? I know that plastic laminates work but that again is another animal. I'd like to here some answers on that as well.

Ed

I guess we need a better description of the face framing. Is going to be flush with what it is attached to or a face frame like JBs.

The trim will be flush with the plywood. It is essentially a bookcase laid on its side, with the "shelves" vertical. I will also be adding a door to the front. The corners will be solid wood joined to the plywood sides with biscuits.

When I first bought the pre-finished plywood, I thought that it might be a time and energy saver, but now I think that I might have added to the work. This could turn out to be a lesson.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Mike

So from your description it is not a face frame, I may not use the proper term, but you are edging/banding the plywood face of the shelves. Usually if a piece of wood many looks, if banding with a veneer, it is fatter then the ply, or the face wood strip also, then you after the glue up you trim it to the shelf thickness, so if you do that, you cant prefinish.
I have a wood working article in a magazine that shows many different options to add that wood strip to finish it. I have no access to it. Or away to post it for you.