3M VHB and wood?

[mcooley]

In the video the implications made are far reaching. I really want to try the tape on a domino joint. The problem is their product line is enormous and no one ever answers their tech phone line. But from what I have read online one would seal the wood first then apply this tape to the surface. The tape requires a smooth unified surface.

I should say that given the claims and widespread use of such tape that using it between two 3/4 boards with Dominos "glued" into the mortises and the tape between the two surfaces should (one would think) provide a sufficient bond.

Any thoughts and wood experiments with VHB?
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All-3M-Products/Adhesives-Tapes/Industrial-Adhesives-and-Tapes/Double-Sided-Bonding-Tapes/3M-VHB-Tapes/?N=5002385+8710676+8710815+8710960+8711017+8713604+3294857497&rt=r3
https://www.display-wholesale.com/3...MI8MCvl9GP2gIVVLXACh0wBgCOEAQYAyABEgLpCfD_BwE
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-VHB-Tape-4945/?N=5002385+3293194115&rt=rud
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/bonding...?storyid=b3996cbd-9954-455f-8e72-88e452ca38c0

 

[nclemmons]

Looks interesting.  In reading the last link on cautions, they talk about wood needing to be well sealed.  They also talk about potential for delamination on the surface of wood.  I'd think that if you have much in the way of structural needs, the Domino alone with this tape won't give you enough holding power.  I'd personally want to have glue in the Domino joint to add additional holding power.

This seems to be of best use in aluminum applications where you want a clean joint with no need for fasteners but strong holding power.

I'll bookmark it for future reference! 

I did notice there are quite a few 3M VHB products on Amazon and the reviews and questions might be worth reviewing.  Looks like it gets great marks from those that have purchased it.

 

[mcooley]

I would like to experiment with it. I think for something like shelving where the Dominos are glued in place and this is simply working as a "fastener" by bringing the boards to a tight fit then it might work. Mating different materials together, say, aluminum and wood is probably another good use of it. I will post what I find. But it seems strange we haven't seen a product like this specifically for wood working etc.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Woodworkers usually strive to make joints invisible. Even if this adhesive produces a sound joint it will never be close to invisible.

 

[Cheese]

FWIW...I worked for 3M Engineering for 9 years. VHB is short for Very High Bond strength and it was a profound development in the 80’s much the same way that Post It Notes were the rave of the 90’s. 

The most important thing you need with VHB tapes is an utterly smooth surface, with no porosities or voids. Plain wood doesn’t work well because of the grain, fill the grain and the results will be impressive. Metals, plastics and glass are good bondable surfaces. The smoother the better.  [big grin]

We used to throw several rolls of Scotch brand fiberglass (filament) tape with VHB adhesive in a rucksack when we went on motorcycle rides “just in case”. If you double or triple the tape you can actually tow a disabled motorcycle to the nearest oasis.  [cool]

 

[mcooley]

We used to throw several rolls of Scotch brand fiberglass (filament) tape with VHB adhesive in a rucksack when we went on motorcycle rides “just in case”. If you double or triple the tape you can actually tow a disabled motorcycle to the nearest oasis.  [cool]

Very cool, thanks for the feedback.

 

[mcooley]

Woodworkers usually strive to make joints invisible. Even if this adhesive produces a sound joint it will never be close to invisible.

I think at 0.4 mm thickness one could get pretty darn close.

 

[JCLP]

I've used VHB clear tape to bond pieces of acrylic for a sign I was working on. Once the pieces are taped together and left to cure for a couple of days, it was inpossible to pull them apart. The 2 pieces acted as one. I've never tried it with wood, but I am thinking about using it to bond small pieces of metal together for my expanding round table project.
This stuff is very expensive, so you don't want to mess up when applying it.
Cheers,
JC

 

[Grev]

I actually consulted with 3M on this subject for a project I'm working on .. attaching wood to aluminum, and was told their 468MP or 4926-VHB would work, as long as the wood was sealed.  I tried both and they both worked great.  For wood to wood I'd probably prefer the VHB because it's thicker and will handle flex a little better.  I actually just did a recent video on this you can check out ...

 

[mcooley]

Good info, thanks.

I bought a small roll to test and experiment with.

3M VHB Tape RP32

It cost $6 for 5 yards.

 

[mcooley]

So I got some of the VHB tape. Pretty solid stuff. I still need to find the right thickness. They have way too many types. The one I got for cheap on Amazon is the 3M VHB RP32 which says it is about 0.8mm thickness. I am going to try the 0.4mm next.

Anyhow, I dry fitted a joint with dominos and used the tape. I can't get it apart. I also noticed on another piece I joined on two plywood faces that even with only having tape near one end and leaving the other edge lifted off the surface with no tape that you can't get it to push down or move where there is no tape. So basically the two strips on the other end are rigidly supporting the whole piece. The gap stays constant.

For building jigs in the shop this stuff would be great. Also for laminating material. I think it will work for joints too once I find the right thickness.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y7DNQ0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1