Glueing Bench Top

[Mike Givney]

Putting together a new workbench 'neander style' and it's time to add the top. It consists of four red oak boards edge glued ( 3x7x66 each) . Question is; when gluing them up should I glue all four at once or do two at a time and then glue the two 14 inch wide sections together? Thanks.

Mike

[Jim Koepke]

If you can glue them all up at the same time it will save you some time.

If you have not done this before, you will quickly see why others suggest to glue up two pieces at a time instead of trying to do it all at once.

For myself, the two at a time method is the way to go.

jtk

[Mike Givney]

Time is not an issue and I wondered about how unruly those four beasts might be slithering around between the pipe clamps. I've done plenty of edge glueing just not anything this big.

[Jim Koepke]

It is a lot easier to keep two pieces from slipping, sliding and bowing than it would be to prevent three or four pieces from doing such unwelcome movements.

jtk

[Michael Peet]

If it were me I would only tackle one glue joint at a time. You might also consider gluing two boards, then adding the third and fourth boards one at a time after each previous joint is dry.

Mike

[David Myers]

I'd suggest one at a time. Its easier to concentrate clamping pressure where needed should any unexpected gaps appear. I would use another board as a caul to prevent your clamp heads from denting the freshly added board.

I say this from the perspective of one who did the opposite. Those multiboard glue ups get heavy and unwieldy in a hurry.

[Sean Hughto]

If you aren't in a hurry, I highly recommend one seam at a time. I glued up many more sticks for my top, and still took the time to add one in each session. Most wood glues set up enough within a couple hours, even if not fully cired, so you can do multiple ina single day.

[Mark ten Haaf]

+1 on single glue-ups. Like Sean said, Titebond only requires 30 minutes of clamping but no stress for 24 hours, so multiple glue-ups in one day are no problem. Also, having perfect edge joints means less hand planing later, so you might even save time!

[Mark Salomon]

Two at a time. But, when you are gluing something this large they will move around as you clamp them and you may have a handful even if you put c clamps across the joints at each end. Although I never use them regularily I've found that a couple of dowels or biscuits will help immeasurably and give you more peace of mind when you glue up really thick stock. Good luck.

[Prashun Patel]

I vote for one-at-a-time. It will keep your joints flatter and easier to level at the end.

The only reason to make 2 separate 'slabs' is to be able to run the minislabs thru a bench planer, so you only have a single joint at the end to flatten. However, if the strips are narrow (< 4") I prefer to add them individually to a single slab. This keeps the glue joint near the edge, so it's easy to get bar clamps on it to 'caul' it flush to its mate.

7" wide planks... Joint 'em well.

[glenn bradley]

Two then the glued up pairs is how I would do it. A spline or even a couple small brads with the heads nipped off stuck in the mating surfaces can help keep things from sliding around while you apply the clamps. The better aligned at glue-up, the less work you will have to finalize your surface. Worth a little extra prep work ;-)

[Mike Givney]

Thanks for all the input !
I took the clamps off this morning and have to say I'm impressed with the outcome. I figured on having a lot more bowing or offset between the plank but, it's dead flat over its length and only about 1/32 off level, width wise, and that's just on the outside board (probably due to my planing technique after a long day in the shop). I did go with the one up at a time method, using cauls on the flat on each end and pipe clamps across. Way to go for big stuff !

[Johnny Kleso]

I glue mine in sections but you can glue them all at once, its just eaiser to mind two board at a time instead or doing four..

PS: I would add a spine to each board like giant long biscuits made from scrap wood or plywood..
This helps with alignment and strenght..

[Jerome Hanby]

I know this is a neander thing, but I would do them in two sections so that the sections would be narrow enough for my electron guzzling planner to flatten if needed.