Tablesaw tips, tricks, and techniques part 1

Tablesaw-trim edge banding.

Don't precariously perch a router on the edge of a plywood shelf to clean up overhanging edges on solid-wood or veneer banding. Instead, make an auxiliary fence 4-6" tall and cut a rabbet into its face at least as wide as the blade's kerf. Mount the auxiliary fence to your rip fence and position it so that its face is flush with the outside edge of the blade. (Test the setup by running scrapwood against the fence: If the blade contacts the scrap, nudge the fence closer to the blade and test it again.) Hold the shelf to be trimmed - banding down, with the excess edging in the rabbet, as shown - and trim it flush. For best results, use an 80-tooth carbide blade and zero-clearance insert.