I had the same difficulties edging the plywood on this project as on my last one.

Which isn't surprising, as the materials and most of the construction was the same.

I love the look and security of hardwood edging on furniture-grade plywood, but it's a time-consuming task.

Also, without good clamps, you've got the likelihood of gaps between the edging and the plywood. Here's what my setup often looked like:

Speaking of clamps, I just bought a set of lifetime-use ones. They're Jergensen 36-inchers, bought at closeout at Home Depot while visiting our  daughters in Texas. Can't wait to use them.

One lesson I re-learned was the importance of keeping a sharpened chisel. When the chisel is dull, it chops and gouges the edging. When the chisel is sharp, the edging slices easily and cleanly, as it did even through the oak strips I was using.

But this part of the project was a chore. Each piece has four sides, and each side's edging needed to be trimmed. It was  cut to extend about 1/8" above and below the piece, with both extensions needing to be trimmed and sanded.

There's got to be a way to use a router for this job, but right now I don't see it. Not without a real chance of the router cutting where it's not supposed to.

Eventually the edging got done.

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