Glue block on face plate.

[john brenton]

I'm sure every question on this topic has been asked a bajillion times here ...sorry. I did a search on the creek first, but didn't see the exact answers i was looking for.

I made a glue block for the face plate, and of course I already did something wrong but it should be ok. i drilled the hole through the center before truing up the face. I wasn't thinking that the center would find itself when truing up the face. I was off by a tiny fraction of an inch. darn. I'll have to putty that and drill again. that's not a question, just a sidebar.

First question, I used a scrap of spanish cedar left over from some furniture pieces for the glue block. Is that a good wood for a glue block? It seems good. It's light, stable, not terrible weak. I'd like to make bowls with it, I've always liked the look of spanish cedar's endgrain.

Second thing, I read that its advised to concave the center of the block a bit...does everyone do this? Just very slightly, as in almost not detectable?

Thirdly, what about end grain? What if I want to do something like another egg cup? Is the end grain to long grain glue up safe enough?

Thanks

[David E Keller]

I don't know anything about Spanish cedar, so I can't help you there. I've done a number of end grain to side grain glue ups using thick CA for small pieces with no issues... Not sure about larger projects though. I tend to make the glue block and matching surface as flat as possible erring on the side of slightly concave if I need to err... I think flat to flat is best.

I'm not sure why you drilled a hole in the glue block... Care to elaborate?

[john brenton]

I saw a way of finding the center to glue up where you drill a hole in the center of the glue block, and a small hole in the center of the piece you are mounting. Then you use a piece of wire to get them to line up. Is there a better way to get the piece lined up on the glue block? This is really all very new to me...like today new.

[Curt Fuller]

John, like Keller said, the closer you can get to both surfaces being flat, the better the glue joint will hold. But if you can't get them both just right, a little concave will hold better than having a domed surface. As for drilling the small hole for alignment, that's a good idea. But even when glueing a round blank to a round waste block you can expect it to be a little off center. So I wouldn't fret the hole being slightly off. It's faster and easier to get it turned round and trued up on the lathe than wasting a lot of time with a perfectly aligned glue up.

[David E Keller]

I'll sometimes draw concentric circles on the glue block to help me center small pieces... For my stuff, close enough is good enough. I mainly use glue blocks for small hollow forms, ornaments, and collars, so I don't worry too much about making it perfectly centered. If the end to be glued is parallel with the other end of the blank, you can mark the center on the tail stock end and use the live center point to help with centering... I usually bring up the tail stock as a clamp right after I glue the piece to the glue block anyway.

[Wally Dickerman]

I have heard some turners talk about making a glue block concave but I've never understood their reason for doing it. A glue block joint is a glue joint and both surfaces should be flat and true. I don't know why you would drill a hole in the center of the glue block unless you're using a screwchuck.

Generally speaking an endgrain to side grain joint is not a dependable glue joint.

I've used hundreds of glue blocks but never spanish cedar, but it should be okay. My method is to true up the bottom of the piece to be turned and then glue the block to it after making sure that the block surface is true and flat. Then either turn a tenon for a chuck or install a screwchuck or faceplate. I usually use med. CA glue but if time isn't a factor Titebond works well. Most glue block failures result from not using enough glue. With CA, I want to see squeezout glue.

If I do use a glue block with an endgrain piece I turn a small tenon on the piece and a corresponding hole in the glue block. That makes a good glue joint.

[Reed Gray]

You do not want the glue block to be convex even a tiny bit, because the piece you glue onto it will rock, and most glues will not fill gaps, though some epoxy glues will. If you use a thick spread of CA glue, and look at it after it cures, it will be honey combed due to shrinkage as it dries. If I am gluing end grain, to a face grain glue block, I prefer the titebond, and let it sit over night. Some people will let it sit for an hour, but for me, I prep one day, and turn the next. Just safer. You can use medium or thick CA glue. I don't like to use the accelerators, so it needs to sit over night as well, so the stuff on the inside can cure. I do like some squeeze out, and some times will make an extra bead around the outside. The cedar should be okay for smaller things, but for bowls, I would want poplar, alder, or soft maple.

robo hippy

[Bob Bergstrom]

Two dead flat surfaces with a tenon on one and the mortise on the other. They will line up dead center. I would not use Spanish cedar for a glue block on any bowl of size. Too soft and will start to flex under stess. Maple is the best. I've turned a couple bowls from Spanish cedar. It turns like a soft mahogany. Nice to carve on.

[Michael Mills]

I don’t use glue block a lot but when I do I make them slightly concave except for the outside edge of 3/8 – 1/2” which I make flat for the glue line. I have never had one come loose while turning. This is for CA glue. I guess I don’t trust myself to get both pieces 100% flat nor that the glue will fill the necessary area on a full concave.
I do the same as you indicated with the hole. Mount the glue block and true it up then drill an appropriate size hole on the lathe. It is probably not worth the time if it is a one time glue block but if you leave it mounted to the faceplate and true up for future use it saves time.
Same idea, here is a pic of the insert I used when mounting a faceplate. Just mark or leave a dimple from the tailstock and the point of the will align the faceplate to center. You can buy them for about $15 but a tiny scrap of wood and a 16p nail works fine.

[john brenton]

Thanks guys. I couldn't wait and just went ahead and turned a candlestick last night. I figured it would be a good starter turn on the faceplate. I used CA glue. I understand why having a slightly concave surface is a good idea now. If you part the piece off then maybe there is no benefit, but when I chiseled the piece off the center of the piece had no glue, making it a lot easier to get off of there.

[Reed Gray]

For turning a candle stick, which is fairly long usually, I would turn a tenon on the bottom end, and chuck it up. Much better grip than a glue joint. You would have to reverse it to turn off the tenon, but that is fairly simple. You could also use a thin parting tool, and make it concave on the bottom, then sand out the tool marks.

robo hippy

[Scott Hackler]

....and I wouldn't trust a CA joint for a glue block. I will only use Tightbond II for glue blocks. CA, for me, isn't a strong enough bond for the stress you might place on it. But maybe I am just paranoid! :)

[Wally Dickerman]

....and I wouldn't trust a CA joint for a glue block. I will only use Tightbond II for glue blocks. CA, for me, isn't a strong enough bond for the stress you might place on it. But maybe I am just paranoid! :)

Hey Scott, I and over 400 students have used med. CA for a lot of years....works well for me. I can apply the glue and glue block and a few minutes later I or the student are turning wood. CA has had a bad rap on strength. I agree that if time doesn't matter, Titebond is a good way to go. In a class we don't have that kind of time. Nearly always, if a students blank goes flying, the glue block has broken, not the glue joint

[robert baccus]

I am presently finishing out 8 vases and large bowls of box-elder. these weighed an average of 100# and some of the vases are 15-16"long. all are mounted on Good glueblocks mostly on faceplates, but several on single screw glueblocks. all were glued with thick CA. all were glued on Wet wood on the lathe. this is the only way i mount wet wood as screws waste some very pretty wood and don't hold well in end grain. these glue blocks were made of t Hard woods and trued flat on the lathe and fresh glue was used. i have probably turned 25 large and heavy vases endgrain like this with no problems. you can trust CA on large heavy pieces of wet wood--i will send pics soon.------old forester

[Marty Eargle]

I just can't imagine using CA for a glue block with today's prices. I get depressed with how much it costs me to use my pens, so I'll probably stick with hot glue for now.

[robert baccus]

PS--titebond glue and most wood glues require a really tite joint and heavy pressure to get a good bond. CA can be used with an old shoe for weight and epoxy is the same way. i often use 4-5"glueblocks and 100# vase blanks and the surfaces on the piece are very difficult to get perfect. CA and epoxy both are very tolreant of this. epoxy is not tolerant however of wet wood--hence my bias to thick CA.------old forester

[steve johnson]

Several of us put medium ca glue on the face plate, then spray activator liberally on the blank, the push them together..good results.

[Don Alexander]

CA will hold just fine if you use enough glue, if you don't .......................... well wood never did stick to itself without glue, now did it?

as for seperating the glue block from the workpiece i have found that brown paper grocery bags have another use, simply apply a fairly thick layer of medium CA to the glue block then a piece of paper bag that i have cut to the size of my glue block then apply a fairly thick layer of medium CA to the workpiece and put the glueblock paper side to the workpiece rotate it back and forth a bit to make sure the glue is spread evenly and has completely saturated the paper (a bit of squeezeout is desirable) let it sit for 20-30 minutes and you are good to go ; when you are ready to remove the workpiece from the glueblock it is much easier to pop it off than glued up without the paper in it the joint ; never had one done this way break at the glue joint once or twice i had a soft workpiece bust off the block on a catch but it was the blank that failed not the glue

your mileage may vary

[Don Alexander]

one more thought on the glue block itself , spanish cedar is not a good wood for this use (almost as bad as mahogany) use a hardwood like maple and you will have much less chance of your glue block failing DAMHIKT

[robert baccus]

Good info above. I used paper years ago but found any normal sized bowl/glueblock easily pops off with a thick puttyknife. i cut a small 45 on the edge of the glueblock to aid this. also i find if i let the glueblock turn very slowly and add thick CA it holds in circles without dripping. this allows more glue like Don's indicates and wastes less. I mate the two while still turning and then straighten. On large glueblocks I turn down to 2" and then saw. I'm chicken.----------Old forester

[robert baccus]

Sorry forgot something. Don knows more about this than most will ever learn. Roger that on the wood. I try to use dogwood++, beech, braz cherry, walnut, hard maple ect. like Don. Not only to hold the wood but i use a single screw(Nova 2) freely--even on the really heavy pieces. Don't try this with poplar. On the hardener i do not believe that is good practice because it leaves no time for straighting and saves little time. It may weaken the joint as well???---------------------old forester