Hey all; what are your preferred methods for applying glue to Dominoes? I find it difficult to get what seems to me to be an adequate amount of glue and yet avoid sqeeze out.  I have been brushing a small amount on the dominoe, inserting it and brushing the excess up onto the other half of the Dominoe before installing the other part to be joined. I want a strong joint but chasing glue is getting tiresome.

Any tips out there?

jas

I've seen this question asked a few times, but I don't remember it having it been asked in the "ask Festool" sub-forum.  I'd be curious to read what the official recommendation is.

Regards,

John

Thanks guys.

I would also like to know what the official Festool stance is on this. It seems as though Shane and others moderate all the discussions, any input on this from the experts?

I have been tempted to just put a bit of glue along the rim of the mortise and push the dominoes in, it would eliminate any squeeze out and be very fast but I quesion how strong the joints would be. I can't see an adequate bond with this technique, so I have avoided it so far.  Brushing the glue creates a strong joint, but is time consuming. Cleaning up the squeeze out is also time consuming and it is so easy to miss some and not realize it until the finish is being applied. Some projects require many dominoes, so to have a fast and effective method could significantly impact the overall constrcution time.

j

I never put glue on the Domino itself, only inside the mortise.  I use these little plastic thingies from Lee Valley to spread it on the two inside walls of the mortise.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=48479&cat=1,110,42967

Oh i forgot to mention. He also had the glue in a little plastic container with a lid on the top. a hole slightly
larger than the cane was cut into the top of it, so that every time you dip your cane into the glue then pull it back out through the hole,
you get enough glue on the end of the splayed cane stick without having to wipe it on the side of a container to get the excess off 

Worked every time

Thanks guys, I will experiment some. A little surprised that putting glue on the mortise and dommino would result in no squeeze out though. I can't see how that would work when coating either surface results in excess glue.

j

I use a glue/acid brush and apply glue to both the mortise and the tenon/domino. I give the brush a hair cut before using...i.e cut off about half the bristles. I find that this reduces the amount of glue that the brush will hold. I squeeze a big glob of glue on a piece of cardboard and then dip the brush into the glue as needed.

I make my parts appear as if they were integral tenons.  When gluing the domino in these parts, I can use a "damp" rag to remove any excess glue from the shoulder of the tenon and can get into the corners with a dry brush.  In other words, I glue the domino into the slats, aprons, stretchers, and etc. and lay those parts aside.

This method makes dry fitting easier for me. Only one part is moving instead of multi-parts. And only half as many joints to apply glue during glue up and clamping. This probably takes longer but it reduces stress for me and most of the excess glue is on rags and cardboard in the trash can.

HTH

Trosey

I see this discussion coming up frequently, and not just for Domino. My strong recommendation is to stop trying to prevent squeeze out. The thinner you apply your glue to the surfaces, especially when you coat both pieces with a very thin coat, the faster that glue will skin over before mating the pieces. This is the number one reason why so many woodworkers complain about not having enough open time to assemble a series of joints.

Be liberal with your glue application and clean it up afterward. If it is a flat joint, then wait about 30-45 minutes and scrape it clean. If it is a corner or tight area, then wipe it with a clean wet rag (constantly rolling the rag to a clean area).

One tool that you will never find in my workshop is a glue brush. It creates too thin of a layer of glue. When I wish to spread the glue, I either use my finger for a small joint, or a plastic card scraper for larger ones. When I am gluing panels, I just lay a bead of glue toward the top corner (so gravity lets is spread some) and let the positioning and compression of the workpieces spread the rest.

Oh, P.S., The only issue with tenons is using too much glue and getting hydraulic lock, where the glue in the bottom of the mortise cannot escape past the tenon. There is plenty of room at the bottom of a Domino mortise, though, so you really have to flood the mortise for this to be an issue.

Jason, While I use the wet rag method myself, there are others like the folks at Fine Woodworking.Com that caution against using a wet rag that might dilute the glue in the joint.  I'm not sure that I agree with this but, it is some "experts" opinion.  I haven't had any issues with clear finishes if I'm careful with wiping the glue away with a wet rag and like Rick suggests keep a fresh edge doing the wiping.

I must have made a mistake about what the OP asked about.

I thought the question was "Dominoes and glue squeeze out"!

If the concern was about edge gluing a bench/table top, then I agree with Rick. Let the glue go wild and grab the ole paint scraper and get after it.

I still use a "damp" rag instead of a "wet" rag.

YMMV

Trosey

Thanks Rick.

I will try gluing as I have been, and dealing with the excess as you suggest.  The end goal was/is to quickly obtain a strong joint (maximizing the usefullness of the Dominoe) that is ready for finish, with no surprises. It seems as though my initial goal of avoiding squeeze out may not have been as good an approach as simply finding a better way of dealing with it when it happens.

Marc;

The Domino is an excellent tool, I would not want to do without it after getting used to the speed, accuracy and convenience of it. It was my first Festool and it has been a very slippery slope ever since. You still need to clamp the joint to have everything pulled tightly until the glue sets up.

j

Here, I suggest to the option as to avoid extrusion of the adhesive http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-reviews/domino-xl-hits-the-us/90/

I just did a glue up of 3 boards for a table top using the Domino joiner. I spread glue along each joint face with a little inside the mortise on each board. Then I inserted the dominoes into the mortises on the first board and utilizing the same glue brush I spread the excess that squeezed out on the protruding dominoes then fit the two boards together. I had some squeeze out but not anymore than if I was using biscuits. I try to get the majority of the glue from the squeeze outs off both sides of the boards using a rag before it has a chance to dry. Once dry, what remains is normally quite easy to remove with sandpaper. Then once I'm done sanding, or so I think. I wet the surface with either water (if using a water based stain) or mineral spirits (if oil based), looking at the surface with a light on it. This usually allows me to detect any leftover glue so I can sand it off prior to staining. Hope this helps.

Captainwrinkles ...I followed the link but how do you get the glue to activate??


Thanks,
Frank

Glue up is greatly simplified if you use the medium setting for most of your joints and carefully glue the tenon in the middle of one half of the joint.  You can clean up and glue around the tenon right away and you have half as much glue to deal with during final assembly.