PDA

View Full Version : best wood glue?



Carl Crout
08-06-2020, 12:03 PM
Not sure if this has been posted but this guy on Youtube tested wood glues and Elmer's Max beat Titebond most of the time. Elmer's Max is also cheaper. The advantage to Titebond 3 would be that I think it has a longer open time. Having said that I currently use Titebond 3 and find it very runny which is probably why it has a longer open time

I have been using Titebond since I first saw Norm using it years ago (good ole Norm, a heck of a salesman) before that I used yellow Elmers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-g3efGa3sI

Matt Day
08-06-2020, 1:02 PM
I like that guy’s videos. Seen a number of them.

TBIII for me.

Bill Dufour
08-06-2020, 1:43 PM
Hide glue is the best since it is reversible. Hot melt is best since it cures faster then epoxy. Define best?
Bill D

Carl Crout
08-06-2020, 2:38 PM
Best to me would be the strongest wood glue that I could find that had a long open time and was waterproof

mike stenson
08-06-2020, 2:39 PM
Like pretty much anything else, it really depends on what you're doing.

It sounds like you want epoxy ;)

Rob Luter
08-06-2020, 3:31 PM
I use Titebond and Titebond Extend. Super long shelf life and they've never let me down. I keep a small bottle of Gorilla Glue and a couple tubes of Super Glue around for special occasions.

Donald G. Burns
08-06-2020, 3:48 PM
Bamboo rod makers use Epon epoxy since it has very long cure period and stiff vs. Titebond II/III made rods which are more flexible/less stiff. It does need heat to cure faster that plus the limited shelf life and straining out a few walnut shell bits plus cost might limit usefulness for general wood working. Then there's resorcinol glue. Waterproof, was used during WWII to build wood boats and airplanes, but it is purple. Purple is nice, but not for hidden glue lines.

Mike Cutler
08-06-2020, 3:55 PM
Best to me would be the strongest wood glue that I could find that had a long open time and was waterproof

Given that criteria, Resocinol, followed by a Marine specific epoxy.
Once you want "waterproof", you've moved out of PVA glues.

The following,on this topic, is by Bob Smalser.
It's well worth reading through all of it.
I do not know if Bob is still with us, but Bob made boats, in an outside shop, in the Pacific Northwest. He knows about "waterproof" with respect to adhesives. ;)

https://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?21822-Are-Your-Glue-Joints-Repairable&styleid=4

Mark Bolton
08-06-2020, 4:31 PM
There are endless conversations in threads here and elsewhere with regards to Titebond (especially 3) and as has been stated the topic can get deep but TB 3 is by far not the best all around glue even though a lot of people think if 1 is good 3 has got to be better. That combined with TB marketing TB3 as "ultimate" doesnt help the situation. Its terribly heat compromised, its the worst glue in the world for creep, and the list goes on. Some like it because it supposedly sands better, some only want one glue in their shop. We abandoned TB 3 a long time ago and never use it at all. Our day to day work is with TB original or Super when we can get it but open time is not on my hot list as glueups are generally very fast. If we do need open time its Extended. Beyond that resorcinol, UF, epoxy, as the need demands. There really is no one good all around wood glue.

Searching the archives here and anywhere you can find will land you reams of information on the subject.

Kyle Iwamoto
08-06-2020, 5:05 PM
Searching the archives here and anywhere you can find will land you reams of information on the subject.

+1. I initially thought oh noooo, not another best wood glue thread. This one is good though, (funny) since the best wood glue turns out to be epoxy.

I'm a TB 1 user.

lowell holmes
08-06-2020, 6:03 PM
I clamp my Tight Bond joints and leave the joint alone over night. I've never had a failure.

Earl McLain
08-06-2020, 8:13 PM
I’ve always heard about the weakness of end grain to end grain...so it was interesting to see the strength of that part of his test.
earl

bill epstein
08-06-2020, 9:15 PM
Tonight's cliche: Horses for courses

TB3 runs dead last for me because it dries so hard puts a dent in your scraper or chisel.

With hot hide glue you can veneer your driveway without clamps and coating the face as well as the back helps the hammer work out any waves or bubbles. And it's easily reversible. Not that strong for joints, though.

Good ole Elmer's white is strong and gives long open time. Titebond Original is a toss up.

PPR is the king of veneer glues but requires mogambo clamping for larger projects. The most creep resistant and will not bleed through.

I'm using epoxy more and more, System 3, because of it's availability in hobby size pints. I tint it with the same artists colors I use for veneer repair. The gap filling properties are great for joints like the rack project I just completed where any visible gaps become hidden.

Yellow's like Titebond2 are essentially worthless unless you're building a Yellow Submarine. Even then it's water resistant, not water proof. Short open time.

Andrew Seemann
08-07-2020, 1:27 AM
I use Titebond 1 for everything I don't have a reason to use another glue for. If I need long open time or have a concern about glue showing up under a finish, I use Liquid Hide Glue. If I need water resistant, I usually use Titebond 3 although I keep TB2 on hand as well. I did have a hot hide glue phase, but I haven't used it for a few years now. I rarely have a need for any other adhesive in woodworking.

Mike Cutler
08-07-2020, 8:10 AM
There really is no one good all around wood glue.

Searching the archives here and anywhere you can find will land you reams of information on the subject.

Could not agree more!

Rod Sheridan
08-07-2020, 8:17 AM
I use Lee Valley GF2002 for darker wood furniture projects.

I use Titebond III for outdoor stuff that's not water immersed.

I use Resorcinol for bent wood laminations, as well as epoxy occasionally................Rod.

roger wiegand
08-07-2020, 8:40 AM
How many actual glue failures have you had? Unless you use contact cement or hot melt glue sticks I'm going to guess approximately none. I can't remember having one in my own work in the last three decades. I have seen commercial cabinetry joints fail, but that was due to stupid construction methods, not the glue employed. It is my impression that all modern and most old glues are strong enough to do what they are intended to do, and indeed stronger than the wood they are applied to. The choice of glue then comes down to other properties, which invariably are going to lead you to different answers depending on the situation.

I end up using a glue that I know will eventually fail for many of my projects, hot hide glue. Why? Both because of those "other properties" (instant grab, reversibility, great sandability, compatibility with finishes, and so on) and because it is not permanent. I rebuild old organs and other musical instruments and I'm thrilled when I get one that hasn't been mucked up with modern glues. Hide glue lets me pull things apart as needed without leaving a contaminated surface requiring removal of irreplaceable material. The downside is that joints need to be refreshed every hundred years or so. I can live with that.

Matt larkinson
08-07-2020, 9:44 AM
Thanks for bringing up the post. I have been using Tite bond for a long time, but if something is cheaper and better I won’t hesitate to switch. A lot of people say you get what you pay for, but we might not realize is that in the purchase price we are paying mostly for advertising. I try to purchase based on product specifications and reviews. It has saved me lots of money which is important to me now given that my wife lost her job because of COVID.

Stan Calow
08-07-2020, 11:46 AM
I use all different kinds, depending on which bottle is open. I'll throw one more out there for consideration: Titebond Moulding & Trim Glue. Its white, and its thicker than regular so it doesnt drip, run or squeeze out as much. I have no idea of its strength relative to the other versions, but I think most glues are strong enough for the job they're being used for. You don't need welded steel strength for everything. But I end up using slow cure epoxy for most joints on larger projects, because I think its gap filling ability makes up for my typical sloppy M/T work.

Thomas McCurnin
08-07-2020, 12:18 PM
+1 on Epoxy. I have two cans of West System Slow Cure and bought some plastic condiment cups. One pump gives me a tablespoon.

For routine glues, I just use yellow PVA.

For trim carpentry and narrow small moldings, I use CA glue with an accelerator

For most temporary jigs and hold downs, I use CA glue with an accelerator

For some instant tack for parts which will be screwed together later, I'll use hot melt glue.

Mark Bolton
08-07-2020, 12:57 PM
How many actual glue failures have you had? Ive had several issues and failures over the years for a lot of varied reasons. Customer mistreatment, and mainly issues with creep are the two most common and they all have pretty much come at the hands of TB3 though others glues have issues for their own reasons.

As you said, its really a matter of the type of work you do, and with general woodworking (not restoration or luthier work) your workflow dictates heavily which glue is best for the application. Hide glue has zero place in my business but I can absolutely see where it would if I did a different type of work.

To me, this issue comes up constantly because TB3 is marketed as "ultimate" and its marketed in a manner where an individual scanning down the shelf would undoubtedly think if original is x$ a bottle, TB2 is xx$ a bottle, and TB3 is xxx$ a bottle, the most expensive and the "ultimate" must be the bomb proof glue so people use it by default for everything when in fact it is NOT the best glue for a mile of applications and I would argue once you get in a little deeper its not even a great glue for exterior/wet applications right down to cutting boards though when your having to fire out cutting boards for $50 retail or $25 wholesale, your not going any other route than a one bottle option.

Frank Drackman
08-07-2020, 4:03 PM
You want slow set epoxy.


Best to me would be the strongest wood glue that I could find that had a long open time and was waterproof

Clifford McGuire
08-07-2020, 5:09 PM
I’ve always heard about the weakness of end grain to end grain...so it was interesting to see the strength of that part of his test.
earl

That was surprising to me. End grain to end grain holding up to 5000 of force. Wow.