[OP]
Contributor
I'm planning on building a small concave front desk and will be laminating 5-6 plies of 3mm/1/8" baltic birch plywood on a curved form (and then veneering over the faces and using 1/4" solid wood on the top, sides, and bottom). My question is what are the best glues for this project? Clearly I need a good amount of working time, so I'm thinking Titebond hide glue or Titebond extended (?) would work as far as the time I need. Are either or both good for holding this sort of lamination together?
Contributor
These are a couple 72" of tabletops with multiple strips of veneer on a compound curve. I use TiteBond III for this type of glue up. It has plenty of open time for all but the most complex glue ups, in which case I switch to epoxy. The key is to dry run through the entire process a couple of times and work out every kink. It's doubtful that a drawer face has more than five minutes of actual material handling in the glue up. It's fumbling and searching that take the most time.
Member
Honestly, for the working time and the rigidity, I would use epoxy with a slow curing hardener. I'm not sure why everyone loves hide glue all of a sudden. It sucks at bonding for strength and it's only real attribute is that you can dissolve it with water, which is great for violins, but sh!tty for actually building things.
Regular titebond will work fine, but for extended working times and holding power, epoxy is better. It's how we make laminated ribs for for wooden boats
Contributor
Me too on epoxy.
You might look into what my supplier calls Italian Bending Poplar. It has a thicker middle ply than Baltic birch, so it bends more easily one direction, and is stiffer in the cross direction.
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks all for the advice (so far)!
Contributor
When laminating it's best to avoid glues mixed with water, IF possible. I think your job could be done with undiluted Titebond 2. I certainly trust the experience of Mr . Means. But there are a lot of online complaints about Titebond 3.
Titebond 2 seems , to me , to be less gummy.
Contributor
Anything would be better then Titebond hide glue. That has to be the worst glue I’ve ever used.
Aj
Contributor
I used some when a friend insisted on it. But I don't like it , as it works by having a chemical that slows the set time.Originally Posted by Andrew Hughes
Contributor
I've had good luck with titebond extend. I used it to do some chair back slats - 2" x 24" rough size and 4 plies. More than enough open time to spread it with a silicone spreader, staple the scrap end of the pieces, and then get them into the form and fidget with the clamps/ a hammer to get them nicely aligned. Unless your glue-up is significantly larger I can't see you needing much more time than the glue provides.
One note about the dry run, i wasn't prepared for the extra slipperyness with the glue in there. That's why I added a couple staples at either end - so the pieces wouldn't move nearly as much. Luckily I had a staple gun close enough nearby during the first glue-up.
Contributor
Plastic Resin glue would be another option (Unibond 800 or Weldwood). I prefer the Unibond.
There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.” - Dave Barry
[OP]
Contributor
I like the stapler idea; haven’t read that one before.
Contributor
+1 for the Unibond 800. I'm working on a set of walnut barstools that have a u-shaped seat and foot-rail, each laminated from 12-15 strips (each ~4 ft long). The working time of the Unibond can be adjusted with the resin/hardener ratio which which greatly reduced the stress of the glue ups. I also found no spring-back from the pieces when removed from the clamps
Contributor
Another +1 on plastic resin. I used it on a bow front lamination. Got less spring back. Probably not a whole lot different than epoxy and equally as messy.
[OP]
Contributor
It looks like Unibond needs a warm shop, and that's not really feasible for me. The West Systems epoxy product looks like it would work fine - and have a nice working time - in my shop.
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