Titebond III vs Gorilla Glue?

[Matthew Schenker]

Everyone,
I've been using Titebond III extensively in the past couple of years.  I like its long open times and waterproof qualities.  Even if I don't need a project to be waterproof, the glue is great.

I've heard so much about the great qualities of polyurethane glues, I decided to do a side-by-side test. of Titebond III and Gorilla Glue.

I face-glued several pieces of 3"-long by 1.5"-wide scraps of poplar, forming two blocks 3" wide X 6" long X 1.5" thick.

After clamping, I let the blocks cure for three days.  I did not scrape away the squeeze-out.

For the test, I took each block and slid it along my workbench until a 1.5" portion was hanging over the edge.  Then I whacked the part hanging over the edge with a hammer.  I did this several times on each block, observing where the wood split.  OK, I don't win any awards for elegance, but I was just curious to get an answer.

The results amazed me...

With the Titebond III glue-up, it split on the solid wood every time, with chunks of splintered wood stuck securely to the glue line.

With the Gorilla glue, nearly every piece broke nice and clean, right on the glue line!  It was actually pretty easy -- I could whack it more softly than the Titebond III and still break the bond.

I prepared the surfaces just the way the instructions recommend -- misting it a bit with water.

Am I missing something here?

Matthew

 

[rlatshaw]

Nope. You're not missing a thing. TB III was the big winner in the recent FWW glue test. I even used TB III on my recent Domino Z Chair (although David still thinks epoxy is the way to go). So far the chair is doing fine.

 

[James Metcalf]

Gorilla glue has a much shorter shelf life than Tite bond III.The first thing I do when buying glue is to write a date on it. When the date is a year old, it goes in my trash. Even when you date it, you do not know how long it was in stock before you bought it. Tite Bond puts a date on their glue, but you have to be able to read the code.

 

[Michael Kellough]

The chief value of the polyurethane glues is gap filling due to the high expansion characteristic.

 

[Rocker]

The chief value of the polyurethane glues is gap filling due to the high expansion characteristic.

Michael,

I believe this is untrue. Although polyurethane glues will fill a gap due to their foaming property, the gap is mainly filled with air bubbles, which obviously have no strength. As I understand it, the glues that are gap-filling and strong are epoxy, urea formaldehyde, and resorcinol.

David

 

[Tezzer]

Titebond111 is my choice, but its strange when you glue up Aussie Blackwood it turns green. Is there any American timbers that has the same reaction ???

 

[mastercabman]

gorilla glue?  i hate it!!!!!

 

[Eli]

Titebond111 is my choice, but its strange when you glue up Aussie Blackwood it turns green. Is there any American timbers that has the same reaction ???

Did you find this out the hard way? Yeeks.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Nope. You're not missing a thing. TB III was the big winner in the recent FWW glue test. I even used TB III on my recent Domino Z Chair (although David still thinks epoxy is the way to go). So far the chair is doing fine.

I missed that test.  I'll have to look it up next time I'm in the "home" magazine section of my local library!  I can see using some kind of epoxy.  Although I have only dabbled with epoxies a bit, I have had very favorable results.  From reading William Tandy Young's "The Glue Book," I often get the feeling that epoxies are the wonder glues!  By the way, I love "The Glue Book" and mentioned it in the "What Else is in Your Shop" area ====> CLICK HERE.

...The first thing I do when buying glue is to write a date on it. When the date is a year old, it goes in my trash. Even when you date it, you do not know how long it was in stock before you bought it. Tite Bond puts a date on their glue, but you have to be able to read the code.

I do the same thing with my glue.  As soon as I buy it, I use a permanent marker to put the date on the bottle.  I discard the glue after 6 - 7 months.  But like you said, it's hard to know the date of manufacture.  I try to buy my Titebond III from a seller that I know has good turnover, so I can be reasonably certain it has not been sitting on the shelf too long.  Usually, I get it from my local Woodcraft.

Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

The chief value of the polyurethane glues is gap filling due to the high expansion characteristic.

Michael,

I believe this is untrue. Although polyurethane glues will fill a gap due to their foaming property, the gap is mainly filled with air bubbles, which obviously have no strength. As I understand it, the glues that are gap-filling and strong are epoxy, urea formaldehyde, and resorcinol.

David

I've also heard that polyurethane glues aren't true gap fillers because the foam has no strength.  Of course, it might seem that they do have gap-filling properties when you're trying to scrape the hardened, nasty stuff off your project!

Another thing about polyurethane glues that I learned the hard way: WEAR DISPOSABLE GLOVES WHEN WORKING WITH IT!!  When this stuff sticks to your fingers, it's almost impossible to wash off.

I guess the main reason for using Gorilla Glue would be for its waterproofing?  But I've made cutting boards with Titebond III that have been abused by people -- running hot soapy water over them, letting them soak in the sink with dishes, and in one case putting them in the dishwasher.  I've never had anyone report that one of my Titebond III-glued cutting boards has failed.

Matthew

 

[Michael Kellough]

The chief value of the polyurethane glues is gap filling due to the high expansion characteristic.

Michael,

I believe this is untrue. Although polyurethane glues will fill a gap due to their foaming property, the gap is mainly filled with air bubbles, which obviously have no strength. As I understand it, the glues that are gap-filling and strong are epoxy, urea formaldehyde, and resorcinol.

David

That was my way of damning with faint praise, but, as you point out, it's not even very good at that.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Michael,
Well, it does fill gaps.  It just doesn't fill them strongly.
matthew

 

[Jim Force]

The first time I worked with Gorilla Glue I used it bare handed. That night I went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant with my dad. To look at my hands, you would have thought I had just changed the transmission in my car on the way to dinner. I used every chemical in my kitchen, garage, and my shed and NOTHING could clean the gorilla glue off my hands. At least it eventually wears off.

The table I glued up is still holding together...

 

[tvgordon]

I tried Gorilla glue before Titebond 3 was introduced.  I made a small plant stand that had three legs that curved toward each other about 6" from the bottom of the legs.  A small disc gets glued in that spot and for Titebond there is enough pressure to get a strong glue joint.  Not with Gorilla glue.  I was using a chisel to cut off the excess glue and the disc fell out.  I had made several stands before that and they are still holding up fine.  I didn't use Gorilla glue anymore unless I could clamp it up very tight.  I use Titebond 3 for most all my projects now.
Tom.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

The first time I worked with Gorilla Glue I used it bare handed. That night I went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant with my dad. To look at my hands, you would have thought I had just changed the transmission in my car on the way to dinner. I used every chemical in my kitchen, garage, and my shed and NOTHING could clean the gorilla glue off my hands. At least it eventually wears off.

The table I glued up is still holding together...

Glad the table is still together.  That says something about the glue.  But I know what you mean about the glue sticking to your hands.

To give some credit, I know a friend of mine used Gorilla Glue to repair some broken pieces on a garden trellis, and it has held up very well for the past three years.  Perhaps if I were doing a project that was exposed to  serious weather I might use Gorilla Glue.  I don't know.

Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

I tried Gorilla glue before Titebond 3 was introduced.  I made a small plant stand that had three legs that curved toward each other about 6" from the bottom of the legs.  A small disc gets glued in that spot and for Titebond there is enough pressure to get a strong glue joint.  Not with Gorilla glue.  I was using a chisel to cut off the excess glue and the disc fell out.  I had made several stands before that and they are still holding up fine.  I didn't use Gorilla glue anymore unless I could clamp it up very tight.  I use Titebond 3 for most all my projects now.
Tom.

Sounds like that disc in your project came off as easily as those blocks in my shop broke!

Another thing I noticed in my "experiment": after I smashed the blocks and exposed the glue lines, I noticed that the Gorilla Glue seemed to not be spread evenly over the wood surface, even though I took care to cover the wood with glue before clamping.  It was almost as if the glue had repelled the wood in various places.  I wish I had taken photos to illustrate this.  Perhaps I'll do this experiment again and take a closer look with a magnifying glass.  While I'm at it, I might compare a couple of other glues.  I love tinkering like this!

Matthew

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I have never had a problem with Titebond aliphatic glues, even when I used glue that was several years old.  I wouldn't recommend this practice for important glue-ups, but it has never caused me a problem when using old glue for non-critical temporary jigs, etc.

Dave R.