Bending Laminate Bevel Edge With Heat Gun

Heat and moisture together allow the wood to bend without breaking.

Bending laminate bevel edge with heat gun.

Belt sand the back of the laminate where it will bend around the corners. The exact temperature to which you must heat your laminate depends on the manufacturer and grade. When the tension forces get too high and the wood might break we add compression forces push on the ends to offset the tension forces. Clamp the laminate strips to your table before sanding.

Make sure nothing is under the strip so you re sanding flat. The machine is a bit like a sheet metal brake with a heater bar that heats the laminate at the bend point. There is another way to do the edges of a laminate countertop that i just recently found out about. Ideal for perspex acrylic plexiglass polycarbonate.

However the forming temperature will be approximately 170 c 338 f. A countertop shop will use a postforming machine and post grade laminate to do a bullnose edge. I think it s a great idea and it actually looks easy to do. Preparing hot air gun w.

Keep working down the curve this way heating small sections and then attaching them. Tutorial for how to. The 45 degree angle cut reflects light for a defined border that smartly frames your countertop. When putting edging on use a heat gun to make the strip easier to.

Wilsonart and others make solid surface edges that you can apply to a laminate edge. They sell special pre made edges that you can glue onto your countertops. Keep the gun moving as edgeband softens bend on desired radius keeping it tight to the top with roller or block stick. Heat the laminate with a heat gun.

Make sure when sticking the edge you ve got the thinner section lined up with curve. Laminate edge options decorative edges the difference is in the details. Bending shaping plastic with hot air gun heat gun. Heat only the section you need to bend and keep the heat gun moving over that section without focusing on one spot too long.

We over cut the width by 1 8 of the actual core thickness. Purchase a commercial heat gun for about 100 to 125 we have used bosch for years but there are other good brands on the market and cut some scrap laminate edgebanding to the width that you normally use. The way to bend a 1 1 2 radius is to apply a wax carnauba on the edgeband then file top and bottom face side of edgeband on 45 degree angle to stop cracking and apply heat with heat gun. If you want a fancy ogee bevel or bullnose edge this is something you might want to look into.

The best thing to do is learn about how laminate reacts to heat. Strong crisp angles enhance the solid stone look with a classic look and feel. Run your heat gun or iron over a section of formica that is 2 3 inches 5 1 7 6 cm long.