Gluing Box Joints

[Bill Adamsen]

I have a sizable glue up and assembly involving box joints. Has anyone discovered a super efficient method of applying glue (tb1) to the finger joints?

[Thomas R. Zack]

No advice on how to but, you might want to use a glue with a longer open time!

[Bill Adamsen]

I've got to crank out a bunch of these boxes, all the parts are cut, I just need to assemble. I'm used to using a variety of glues, and even gluing up a bunch of box joints. But this assembly stretches my experience, and I just want to get it done. So ideas to make the job go faster are welcome.

[fRED mCnEILL]

I glue up a lot of box joints and use an acid brush.Seems to go quite quickly.Pour the glue onto the bottom of a soda can and dip the brush in.

[glenn bradley]

I use the little plastic spreaders that Lee Valley sells but, any sort of spreader that allows you reasonable control will do. Tape along the inside where the sides make a corner to catch any squeeze out. I saw a video where you stand the two pieces to be joined in position and apply glue to only the top of each finger of each board. This has been working very well for me. Then push the pieces together at an angle that will make the inside edges touch first, then open to 90*. This forces most squeeze out to the outside where it is easier to remove during final surface prep.

[Dave Zellers]

I've always wondered about making a comb to apply the glue. Make one extra side and then customize it by removing about 1/16" extra from the width of each finger. Make a trough the right length and fill it with glue to the depth of the fingers or just shy of that. Dip the comb in, let the drips run off for a second or two, then insert into a side piece and transfer the glue.

I've never made a box joint but I've thought about it and when I do, that's what I will try first. Seems like it would work and be very quick.

[Bill Adamsen]

Definitely worth testing. Thanks Dave!

[Steve Kohn]

I use masking tape on the inside joint of the box. That way any squeeze out is easy to clean up by pulling the tape off. On the outside of the box I don't worry about squeeze out much. I make the pins a little long and after the glue dries I sand everything smooth. I also use acid brushes to spread the glue and use TB III. It has a slightly longer open time.

[Bill Adamsen]

Top of one touches bottom of above. Makes sense. I get the angle bit too. There is so much surface, a little glue goes a long way. Thanks Glenn!

[Bill Adamsen]

That's another problem with the small 1/4" finger, the acid brush is just a bit too big. I'll try the tape. Thanks Steve.

[ken masoumi]

If it's a jewelry box/trinket box I'm making,I only dab a bit of glue on a couple of fingers on each side, once the bottom is securely glued on there is not much stress on these joints and a bit of glue usually is plenty.

[Todd Burch]

I had 85 finger joint boxes to glue up once. (After I cut all the fingers… that was a lot of fingers.) The boxes were for a new restaurant opening, and they needed holders for sweetener packs on the tables.

I tried just dipping the fingers in a shallow bath of glue. It worked, but it was messy and wasted a lot of glue. On that job, I used rubber bands as clamps.

My preferred method is to use (Elmers) white glue on large or complex boxes, or in hot weather. I'll do both ends of one side, say, the back. Then, I'll glue the mating end of each side and assemble the 3 pieces. Then, I'll glue both ends of the 4th piece, and then each end of the either side, and assemble. I don't tape on the inside, but wait until the glue is set, and then pare it out with a crank neck chisel. Goes pretty fast. I use an acid brush. 1/4" fingers work fine with an acid brush. Now, when you have 1/16" fingers… then your have to drag it in, but I still use an acid brush. A good quality, heavy hair brush. I actually dab a drop of glue between each finger and on the face of each finger, and then smear around with the brush. I'm pretty thorough.

Todd

[Dennis Aspö]

Make a glue comb and dip that in glue:
https://woodgears.ca/box_joint/more.html

[Bill Adamsen]

Thanks Dennis! I had seen that several years ago but lost track of it. What an amazing resource. (https://woodgears.ca/box_joint/index.html)

[Jim Matthews]

Cover each board at the ends, both sides, with blue painter's tape before cutting the fingers.

When you're ready to glue up, dip the entire board in a paint tray full of glue up to the middle of the tape line.
Assemble, square and allow to dry.

Remove tape.

[Butch Spears]

Jim, This looks to be a GREAT solution. I am going to make a test box out of scrap today , just to try it. Thanks to OP for the Question.

[Robert Engel]

Cover each board at the ends, both sides, with blue painter's tape before cutting the fingers.

When you're ready to glue up, dip the entire board in a paint tray full of glue up to the middle of the tape line.
Assemble, square and allow to dry.

Remove tape.Exactly what I was thinking!!

[Jim Matthews]

Somebody needs to tell me if it works.

Lots of my ideas are good - in theory.

[Roy Harding]

I assemble MANY dovetailed and box jointed boxes and chests. Jim's solution is one that I use quite often - for small boxes, I'll thin my glue a bit - put it into a tupperware container big enough for the width of the piece, and dip them in. When that's not possible (chests, for instance), I'll do one joint at a time - using a solder flux brush (this may be the "acid brush" that someone else mentioned). Get the joint squared, move on to the next joint. When you've got two done and square, do the last two. It's worth mentioning that you want to move fast - you don't want the glue setting until you have the entire assembly squared up. Use a glue with a longer open time - I use Cabinetmakers 2002 GF Glue from Lee Valley, link here (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=45104&cat=1,110,42965,45104) - it has an open time of about 20 minutes.

Ensure you have all your clamps and cauls pre-set and at hand - after you've applied glue is NOT the time to be messing around with or searching for clamps.

Have fun.

[Larry Edgerton]

I make a stick say 3/8" for a 1/2" tongue, wrap in double faced carpet tape for about 4" up the stick, then wrap it with a thick cotton cloth and press it on firmly in the vise. I put my glue on a scrap piece of Versatex or Azek and just roll the stick in the glue. I use the plastic board because after the glue dries you can just peel the leftover off and the board is ready for the next session. This will allow you to apply glue neatly to a whole side at one shot with little spilling onto places that do not need glue.

In the winter I have a pan of water a little deeper that the fingers are long, and a couple of minutes before I start to glue up a drawer I dip the ends in the water. My usual routine is when I have one ready for clamps I will dip the next set, clamp up the set I have the glue on, clean up the glue on it and by then the water on the set I dipped has soaked in enough to apply the glue to it. This will give you enough time to get them clamped without fighting glue setting too fast, especially in the dry of winter. Rinse and repeat till you are done or out of clamps.

I tried that comb thing, but I seldom do all my fingers the same size, and it is really not any faster than the cotton stick. When you take a break make sure your put your cotton stick in a cup of water so its not kindling when you get back.

Larry