Introduction

We'll show you how to add solid wood nosing to plywood shelves, bookcases and cabinets to cover up the ugly edge that plywood leaves. Applying the nosing will give your projects an attractive, finished edge. This article covers everything a DIYer needs to know to install the nosing.

Plywood is a great material for building cabinets, bookcases and shelves. But exposed edges usually look unfinished unless they’re covered with a layer of wood.

While wood veneer tape is one easy way to cover edges, it’s better to glue or nail on a strip of solid wood nosing. It’s good-looking and durable, and it protects vulnerable edges from abuse in high-wear areas.

It also stiffens the plywood, an important feature for shelving. If you make it even wider than the plywood, as we show in this article, the extra stiffness will help keep plywood shelves from sagging. And unlike thin veneer edgings, the wood nosing can be routed to create a decorative edge.

Here, we’ll show you how to glue and clamp wood nosing to plywood, and how to sand the top for a perfectly flush surface and nearly invisible joint. Pipe clamps like the ones we’re using are available at home centers, hardware stores and lumberyards. They’re a good investment. They’ll often come in handy for all kinds of gluing projects around the house.

Buy a length of black iron pipe (3/4-in. or 1/2-in., depending on your clamps) that’s threaded on at least one end to complete each clamp (2-ft. and 4-ft. pipes are the most versatile).

You’ll also need a belt sander fitted with a 120-grit belt to sand the edges flush, but 100-grit sandpaper wrapped around a wood or rubber sanding block will also work. It will just take more elbow grease.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p63MoqOyoJGjsbq5wKdlnKedZL2zu8memq1nmKTEbsDOZqCnq6SWua15xJ2eoqaXYrOwvoypo7Kvn6SxcA%3D%3D