What kinds of glue do you use to what purpose?

[charley1968]

Hi folx
Living in the scandinavian outback with no Axminster or Rockler within a 500 miles,
depending on small hardware stores with more knowledge about how to build a house than how to build a table, reading about Titebond this, PU-glue that, i wonder why you folks use what you use.
Myself, i generally use PVA-glue in different mixtures and up till now, i've had no need of anything else. But i wonder if i'm missing a whole world of ways of joining two pieces of wood together.
Much obliged: A.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

In my opinion, most of the glue varieties are just very successful marketing gimmicks. I've always used standard Titebond glue. I've tried a couple others but found no need. I actually regret getting pulled into using a Tighbond waterproof glue on my own kitchen 20 years ago, because it was rubbery and the yellow dye would not come off the melamine surfaces even after the glue was chipped away.

 

[dpetrzelka]

I use Titebond Original on almost all interior woodwork - its rock solid, long open time, and has a proven track record.

For instrument making, and some critical furniture joints I use Hot Hide Glue - as its cleanup with water is very easy, and it allows me to disassemble and or reassemble at any point in the future. HHG is a great glue for ensuring, in the case of instruments, that they can easily be worked on or repaired long into the future.

The only time I've used Titebond III is for bee hive construction, where continual exposure to weather was a top consideration.

 

[teocaf]

For wood, I'm a big fan of Titebond III.  While it may be overkill for some of the projects, I prefer to get one larger container of the stuff and a GlueBot than to store a bunch of little bottles of different wood glues.  A great tool like the domino needs a great glue.  It's cheap insurance compared to having to redo a joint.  I will say though, that I'm intrigued by the Lamello LK system that came up on a thread here recently, because I'm looking to amp up my glue usage.

For other materials, I'm a longtime fan of the West Marine epoxy (105 resin with the 206 hardener). It was a staple during my sailing days and it still is in the workshop for more than just joinery reasons.  One current example is that I use it to stabilize some of the soft eco materials like kirei and then i'll use a hardwood like walnut to solid edge band it.

And lastly I use a lot of the thicker superglue from the hardware store coupled with the spray activator because my kids provide me with a steady stream of broken toys.

Here's a cool site about glue options that's also a fun read:
http://www.thistothat.com

 

[Locks14]

For me glue is the most confusing subject in wood working due to no two people generally being able to agree on what's best. If someone suggests a fool-proof adhesive there'll be someone else who's had a failure...

I am a fan of Titebond III for almost everything I do. It has a good open time and is STRONG, also deciding to use/buy this in bulk and not stock different types of glue works out cheaper in the long run.

But I recently build two large sets of carriage doors made out of Western Red Cedar to replace some standard, cheap "up and over" garage doors on an old garage/coach house where the modern doors didn't match the rest of the property.

I did a lot of research on whether Titebond III was my best option and a lot of people recommended an epoxy.  However, upon further research some people said that if you get your joints perfectly fitting that epoxy was actually quite weak and better for looser fitting joinery.

Now I'm not in the business of dropping my standards of joinery to accommodate using a supposedly stronger glue... that seems like one step forward and two steps back to me.

So, I defaulted to Titebond III and so far the doors are holding up with no issues after 3 years.

But it did raise an interesting point that there's really no definitive answer as to what is the best glue. 

 

[Cheese]

Titebond III for 90% of my work and Titebond HiPurformer for those special applications.

http://www.titebond.com/hipurformer.aspx

 

[charley1968]

Gotta check up on what Titebond actually is, except a brandname.
Thanks, folks, keep it comin'..

 

[waho6o9]

There's a date code on the TB glues it's wise to learn
how to read them.

 

[Cheese]

There's a date code on the TB glues it's wise to learn
how to read them.

That's a great point because most of the time, the HiPurformer glues at the local Rockler & Woodcraft stores are already expired. With the WW (woodworking) glues there is some wiggle room for expired adhesives. However, the MP (multipurpose) glue demands that the glue be current and not expired. The issue is, that because the MP bonds everything to everything, over time it will also bond the aluminum "pusher" in the aluminum dispense tube to itself. Therefore, no amount of force will dispense the hot glue and if enough force is exerted, the dispense tube will burst and you'll have a tube of hot melt glue on everything and only 75 seconds to remove it before it sets up. That's a mess. [eek]

After talking with a Titebond Tech, he suggested to extend the life of all of the HiPurformer adhesives, to close the used cartridge as per their instructions, then place the cartridge in a plastic bag, evacuate the air and then place it in the freezer. He said this regularly adds 5-7 years of time to the expiration date when stored in that manner.

[attachthumb=1]

 

[jacko9]

I use Titebond III for most of my furniture construction as I'm always looking for a little more working time during glue ups.  For gap filling or special needs I use West Systems Epoxy and they have a great deal of technical support online available for detailed explanations and application specific techniques.

Jack

 

[mouppe]

Hot hide glue for the big glue-ups. Yellow glue for the one-off items when you need a quick fix. White glue in the veneer press.

Once I discovered hide glue, I could never go back. It's just the most perfect glue for almost every application but you have to try it to know that and you have to get it ready a little while before you need it.

 

[benwheeler]

As a fairly inexperienced woodworker, I'm always surprised to see Titebond III mentioned as having a long open time, as I've always raced against the clock when using it. Does that mean that hide glue is the answer to my prayers?

 

[stvrowe]

These are the adhesives I routinely use along with their uses:

1) Titebond II Extend for most glueups - longer open time than other PVA's and dries clear.
2) Unibond 800 for veneer in the vacuum press - rigid glue line and for bent laminations has no springback.
3) West System Epoxy with Slow Hardener - stabilizing knots, filling voids, waterproof glueups and rigid glue line.  Sometimes use for light colored veneering.
4) System 3 five minute epoxy - quick repairs and setting chisels in handles
5) CA glue for minor furniture repairs
6) Hide glue - when I need a reversible glueup
7) Hot melt glue - temporary attachments for drawer front alignment and jigs

 

[Rick Christopherson]

As a fairly inexperienced woodworker, I'm always surprised to see Titebond III mentioned as having a long open time, as I've always raced against the clock when using it. Does that mean that hide glue is the answer to my prayers?

Quickest way to solve your short open time problem is to put that glue brush away. Stop spreading the glue so thin that it can dry so quick.

It took me years to realize why so many woodworkers were complaining about open time with glues, until I realized that so many of them were spreading their glue thin, especially when they used a brush. Apply it as a bead, and if necessary, just s[read it a little.

 

[jacko9]

As a fairly inexperienced woodworker, I'm always surprised to see Titebond III mentioned as having a long open time, as I've always raced against the clock when using it. Does that mean that hide glue is the answer to my prayers?

Quickest way to solve your short open time problem is to put that glue brush away. Stop spreading the glue so thin that it can dry so quick.

It took me years to realize why so many woodworkers were complaining about open time with glues, until I realized that so many of them were spreading their glue thin, especially when they used a brush. Apply it as a bead, and if necessary, just s[read it a little.

I second what Rick says about using too little glue and also if possible do your glue up in stages (or sub-assemblies).