Wood Glue

Elmers wood glue, Titebond wood glue And Somethings You Need to Know about Glue and Adhesives and its Role in Woodworking

Wood glue is used extensively in wood work, wood work projects and repairing wood work.

It is a strong adhesive which is used to join two pieces of wood, irrespective of their size.

Even if you are not a professional woodworker, you can fix minor problems in your furniture and other wood items if you have a good knowledge of different types of adhesives and their use.

There are two well known brands of wood glue which I use in finish carpentry and these brands are "Elmers glue" and "titebond glue." these two brands have served me well and are readily available in stores.

Glue has been in existence ever since man started to use wooden tools.

For thousands of years, animal glue, which is made by boiling the connective tissue of an animal for a prolonged period, was used extensively for all sorts of woodwork.

In most cases, the animal in question was usually a horse.

There are different types of animal adhesives used for various purposes.

They include:

Hide adhesive - This is the most common type of animal adhesive.

It is still being used by many people around the world for making and repairing musical instruments.

Hoof adhesive - This is made by boiling the hooves of animals for a prolonged period of time.

Hoofed animals like horses, goats, pigs, sheep, and donkeys are used for this purpose.

This kind of adhesive is used extensively for all sorts of woodwork.

Rabbit skin adhesive - As the name suggests, it is usually made from rabbit collagen.

It can be used both as an adhesive and as a sizing.

As an adhesive, it is used to make musical instruments like concertinas. As a sizing, it is used by oil painters for priming the surface of the canvas, which makes it easier for them to paint on.

Both Emers wood glue and Titebond wood glue of today are of the synthetic nature and use no animal parts in the process of making glue.

That is not to say that some adhesives of today still don't use animal parts.

Some specific adhesives still do.

Synthetic glue, which is very popular today, came into existence only in the 20th century.

The most popular type of synthetic adhesives is polyvinyl acetate, which is commonly referred to as PVA.

The two most common types of PVA used today are white glue and yellow glue.

Both these types of adhesives are pretty good and can be used for different types of woodwork.

The most important thing you should know about these adhesives is that they are not water resistant.

If you are looking for high quality synthetic glue that can create water resistant bonds, you have two choices.

You can either go for epoxies or cross linked polyvinyl acetates.

Both these adhesives are extremely durable and can create very strong, water resistant bonds.

Epoxies, however, are very toxic.

So, you need to be really careful while using them.

You should not touch them with your bare hands and you should definitely not inhale the fumes.

Unless you are a professional who knows exactly what he is doing, epoxies are not recommended for you.

For novices and professionals alike, cross linked PVAs are a good choice.

They are easy to use and they are not toxic.

The most important thing you should know about synthetic wood glue is that it is incredibly strong.

So, you need not use a lot of adhesive to join wooden pieces.

In fact, using a lot of adhesive can actually weaken the bond.

To get the best results, you need to make sure you do three things.

1. Use a small amount of adhesive. A thin, even layer of glue should be applied on the surface of both the pieces. Then, they should be clamped together for a few minutes to make sure the adhesive sets properly. It is enough to create a strong bond that will last for years.

2. Make sure the joints fit properly. If they are not fit properly or if there is a very small gap between the joints, the adhesive will not be able to bond them properly.

3. After application, the adhesive should be allowed to cure for at least 10 - 15 hours. To get the best results, you should allow it to cure overnight.

When you apply glue to wood pieces and clamp them together, some amount of the adhesive is bound to get squeezed out.

If you leave it unnoticed, it might look odd in an otherwise fine piece of woodwork.

So, leave it for about 20 - 30 minutes and then scrape it off with a knife or a chisel.

Otherwise, you can apply some sawdust on it immediately and then scrape it off with a knife.

When it comes to choosing the right kind of wood glue, you are the best judge.

Depending on your need, you can select the right kind of adhesive to get the best results.

Usually for general gluing of wood work in finish carpentry I would use and recommend elmers wood glue or titebond wood glue with the good results I have experienced with each.

Return From Wood Glue Page to Home - Finishcarpentryhelp.com.

---