Prepare the surfaces
- Fresh and knife-cut. The Wood Handbook recommends surfacing within 24 hours of bonding, so the surface is clean and has not changed shape, and says a smooth surface cut by a jointer or planer is best. Feed a jointer too fast and the surface glazes — crushed, weak cells that resist the glue. Its test: wipe a very wet rag over the surface, wait a minute, blot it, and compare; if the wetted area is much rougher, the surface was crushed.
- Sanded surfaces are used, but the Handbook says they do not give optimum strength, and its micrographs show coarse 36-grit paper crushing layers of cells. There is no one grit that suits every glue; follow the glue maker where it says something specific.
- Oily woods. The Handbook notes that extractives in woods such as teak interfere with bonding. For teak, cedar and redwood with its glues, Titebond says to plane, joint or sand shortly before bonding, or wipe the surface with acetone. That advice is Titebond's, for those woods.
- Bare wood. Titebond says its glues are designed to bond bare wood, and that over paint or stain the bond is only as strong as the finish's hold on the wood: remove it first.
- A good fit. Glue does not make up for a bad fit — most wood adhesives do not fill gaps well, the Handbook says. Fitting is in wood joint techniques; end grain, which soaks up glue, in choosing a wood joint.
Check moisture and temperature
Wood moisture matters, but there is no one ideal figure. The Wood Handbook gives 12% as a typical specification for many adhesives and says lumber at 6–7% is often satisfactory for cold-pressing furniture, allowing for the 1–2% a water-based adhesive adds. Titebond says moisture above 10% slows its water-based glues and above 16% may stop them drying at all. Polyurethanes are the opposite case: they need some water to cure, and Gorilla tells you to dampen one surface lightly — both, for dense hardwoods. Temperature has a floor for each product: Titebond gives 50°F for Original, 59°F for Speed Set, and both 47°F and 45°F on its Titebond III page; WEST SYSTEM gives 40°F for 105/205 and 60°F for 105/206.
Assemble within the glue's times
| Product | Open assembly | Total assembly | Clamp or set | Before stress or machining | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titebond Original | 4–6 min | 10–15 min | 30–60 min unstressed; 24 h stressed* | At least 24 h* | 70°F, 50% RH; above 50°F |
| Titebond III Ultimate | 8–10 min | 20–25 min | 30–60 min unstressed; 24 h stressed* | At least 24 h* | 70°F, 50% RH; above 47°F |
| Titebond Speed Set | 2–4 min | 8–10 min | At least 15 min | Not stated separately | 70°F, 50% RH, 8% MC; above 59°F |
| Titebond Genuine Hide (liquid) | 10 min | 20–30 min | Not stated on its page | Not stated | 70°F, 50% RH; above 50°F |
| Original Gorilla Glue (polyurethane) | Not stated | Not stated | 1–2 h | 24 h to cure | Above 40°F; one surface dampened |
| WEST SYSTEM 105/205 (epoxy) | Pot life 9–12 min (100 g) | Working time 60–70 min (thin film) | Solid in 6–8 h | Working strength in 1–4 days | 72°F; above 40°F |
| WEST SYSTEM 105/206 (epoxy) | Pot life 20–25 min (100 g) | Working time 90–110 min (thin film) | Solid in 10–15 h | Working strength in 1–4 days | 72°F; above 60°F |
*Titebond's FAQ guidance for 'most' of its wood glues. Open assembly runs from spreading to joining; total assembly from spreading to full clamp pressure. Epoxy's pot life and working time are different measures: WEST SYSTEM says epoxy cures faster when warmer and in thicker masses.
The glue-up
Dry run
Assemble everything with the clamps you will use and time it. If it takes longer than the glue's total assembly time, choose a glue with more time or glue up in stages.
Spread
The Handbook's aim is enough adhesive to flow into a uniformly thin layer under pressure. Titebond gives about 6 mils, or 250 sq ft per gallon, for its wood glues. Gorilla says to apply a thin layer to the dry surface.
Mix two-part glues exactly
WEST SYSTEM's 105/205 and 105/206 are 5:1 by volume with its pumps, and 5.19:1 or 5.36:1 by weight. Use the ratio and method the maker states for the system you have; do not change it to alter cure speed.
Assemble and clamp
Close the joints within the open time and get full pressure on within the total time. Titebond asks for pressure enough to bring the joint tightly together; the pressure figures and why more is not better are in clamps and bar clamps.
Deal with squeeze-out
For its water-based glues Titebond says to wipe with a damp cloth while wet, or scrape and sand once dry, and that steam will not take glue out of the pores. Gorilla says to wipe uncured polyurethane with a dry cloth or paint thinner and remove cured glue mechanically. Titebond tells you to sand thoroughly before staining over its Quick & Thick glue. Each glue's own instructions apply.
Wait before working it
Titebond's guidance is 30–60 minutes in clamps for an unstressed joint, 24 hours for a stressed one, and no stress on a new joint for at least 24 hours. Before planing a glued panel, the Handbook warns that water from the glue swells the wood along the line and that surfacing too soon leaves sunken glue lines; it suggests conditioning for 7 days at room temperature, while Titebond says water-based glues can take 24 hours to cure before machining.
Which glue to use is in choosing a glue and the families in the glue guide; a full glue-up is the cutting board project, and joints that failed in glue problems.
Before a glue-up
- Surfaces freshly planed or jointed, not glazed
- Oily woods prepared as the glue's maker says
- Wood moisture and shop temperature within the glue's limits
- Dry run timed against the glue's total assembly time
- Clamps, cauls and pads set out
- Squeeze-out plan for that glue
Sources
Times and temperatures are each maker's for the product named, at the conditions it states. Titebond's clamp and stress times are its general guidance for 'most' of its wood glues. Clamping pressure is covered, with its sources, in the clamps guide; joint fitting in the joinery pages.
- 1.
Chapter 10: Wood Adhesives: Bond Formation and Performance. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Surfacing within 24 h of bonding; a smooth, knife-cut surface from a jointer or planer as best for bonding; glazing from feeding a jointer too fast and a wet-rag test for crushed cells; sanded surfaces not giving optimum strength; extractives in woods such as teak interfering with bonding; 12% moisture content as a typical specification and 6–7% lumber for cold pressing furniture, assuming the adhesive adds 1–2%; polyurethanes needing some water; spreading enough adhesive to flow into a uniformly thin layer; open, closed and clamp time defined separately, and full strength taking hours or weeks; too much pressure or too thin an adhesive starving the joint; end grain overpenetrated; sunken bondlines if surfaced too soon, avoided by conditioning 24 h at 70 °C, 4 days at 50 °C or 7 days at room temperature.
- 2.
Titebond Original Wood Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Open assembly 4–6 minutes and total assembly 10–15 minutes at 70°F and 50% RH; above 50°F; about 6 mils or 250 sq ft per gallon; pressure enough to bring the joint tightly together; damp cloth while wet, scrape and sand when dry.
- 3.
Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Open assembly 8–10 minutes and total assembly 20–25 minutes at 70°F and 50% RH; an application temperature above 47°F and a lowest recommended temperature of 45°F stated on the same page.
- 4.
Titebond Speed Set Wood Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Open assembly 2–4 minutes and total assembly 8–10 minutes at 70°F, 50% RH and 8% MC; above 59°F; a minimum clamp time of 15 minutes.
- 5.
Titebond Genuine Hide Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Open assembly 10 minutes and total assembly 20–30 minutes at 70°F and 50% RH; above 50°F.
- 6.
Titebond Quick & Thick Multi-Surface Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Sanding the glued area thoroughly before staining wood.
- 7.
Woodworking Glues — Frequently Asked Questions. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Clamping an unstressed joint 30 minutes to an hour and a stressed joint 24 hours, and not stressing a new joint for at least 24 hours, for most Titebond wood glues; moisture above 10% slowing water-based glues and above 16% possibly stopping them drying; water-based glues taking 24 hours to cure before machining, and sunken joints if machined sooner; teak, cedar and redwood planed, jointed or sanded shortly before bonding or wiped with acetone; glues designed for bare wood, a bond over paint or stain being only as strong as the finish's bond; steam not removing glue from the pores.
- 8.
Original Gorilla Glue. The Gorilla Glue Company.
Used for: Lightly dampening one surface, both for dense hardwoods, and applying the glue to the dry one; clamping 1–2 hours and allowing 24 hours to cure; above 40°F; removing uncured squeeze-out with a dry cloth or paint thinner and cured glue mechanically.
- 9.
Technical Data Sheet, 105 Epoxy Resin / 205 Fast Hardener. Gougeon Brothers, Inc. (WEST SYSTEM), 2014.
Used for: 105/205: 5 parts resin to 1 hardener by volume with WEST SYSTEM's pumps, 5.19:1 by weight; pot life 9–12 minutes for 100 g at 72°F; working time 60–70 minutes in a thin film; solid in 6–8 hours; working strength in 1–4 days; above 40°F.
- 10.
Technical Data Sheet, 105 Epoxy Resin / 206 Slow Hardener. Gougeon Brothers, Inc. (WEST SYSTEM).
Used for: 105/206: 5:1 by volume with the pumps, 5.36:1 by weight; pot life 20–25 minutes; working time 90–110 minutes; solid in 10–15 hours; working strength in 1–4 days; above 60°F.
About this guide
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