taking off glue squeeze out

[Randall J Cox]

Does it hurt planer or jointer knives to clean up glue squeeze out? Or would it be better to sand the little gobs off? I glued up boards for a cutting board and with all the clamps and kinda cold temps, dried very slowly. Next morning very hard glue of course. I should know the answer to this after many years of woodworking but was always able to scrape off squeeze out before it totally dried hard. Tx. Randy

[Edward Weber]

PVA glues don't hurt knives. They can gum things up if it gets too hot, but hardened glue is no big deal.
I still use a chisel, scraper, etc. and clean off the bulk before running anything through the machine

[Justin Rapp]

What Edward said. If you can get the glue scraped off after about 30-45 minutes before it hardens that is best. Once hard / dry you will need to work a bit to scrape it and I always will sand a bit down after scraping. Hardened blobs of blue destroy blades quickly.

[Brian Tymchak]

I learned this lesson the hard way many years ago when I wiped out a set of jointer blades on hard glue. If I can't clean up the glue at glue up, I hit the glue globs with a 60 grit disk on my ROS just long enough to break thru the glue.

[Myk Rian]

I use Waxilit paste before gluing. Any glue squeeze out just breaks off.

[George Yetka]

I always try and wipe 1 side of panel when glue is wet so I can joint it and go on to planing the other side and not lose to much wood and force me to re square the sides

[Cary Falk]

I always knock excess glue off with a chisel or a belt sander. It doesn't take much to chip a knife.

[Richard Coers]

One issue with leaving the bead on is if you work it too soon. You mill off the bead and the glue in the seam is still a little damp. That seam then dries out and you can get some shrinkage that doesn't look or feel bad, but it shows up in the finishing as a line in the finish. I take off the bead when it's about like the consistency of cedar cheese. It takes about 5 seconds to run a sharp chisel down it and it peels the whole line off.

[Warren Lake]

glue has to be removed before it hardens. Its not about planer knives. You failed already if you left it on. Richard points out one dynamic.

[Jason Evans]

I use Waxilit paste before gluing. Any glue squeeze out just breaks off.

Does this paste affect finishes? Does it it sand away?

[Ron Citerone]

What Edward said. If you can get the glue scraped off after about 30-45 minutes before it hardens that is best. Once hard / dry you will need to work a bit to scrape it and I always will sand a bit down after scraping. Hardened blobs of blue destroy blades quickly.

What Justin Said.
I use mostly Titebond 2. I set the alarm on my phone for 30 minutes, go about my other work and remove the glue with an old chisel.

[Lee Schierer]

I use mostly titebond pva and usually scrape off the small beads that form during clamping after about 30 minutes. I use a Red Devil paint scraper that I've had for years.

If you are getting runs or large globs of glue as squeeze out you are using too much glue.

[John Lanciani]

A carbide paint scraper makes short work of glue globs; https://www.amazon.com/Bahco-650-Premium-Ergonomic-Carbide/dp/B0001IX7RY/ref=asc_df_B0001IX7RY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312003160272&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13898456755719560195&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001784&hvtargid=pla-421516047003&th=1

[Randall J Cox]

glue has to be removed before it hardens. Its not about planer knives. You failed already if you left it on. Richard points out one dynamic.

I know I have "failed already" (which is why the original post). I left it clamped on purpose because, as I said in my orig post, it was cold and drying slowly. Didnt want to take clamps off and it was already late in the evening so I just left it over night, knowing it would harden. Some say won't hurt blades and some say it will destroy them. I won't take the chance on ruining blades so I will 80 grit my sander and take the glue off that way. I've been woodworking over 40 years and always took the glue off with a carbide scrape before it dried, just never tried it with either planer or jointer. Randy

[John K Jordan]

I don’t know about the knives. I used epoxy on a recent cutting board glue-up and let it harden completely on purpose before removing the clamps after 12 hrs then did my usual: removed the highest excess with a cabinet scraper then ran the piece through the drum sander with 60 grit, worked well. (The wood was dense guatambu and bubinga.)

[Thomas McCurnin]

I clamp, wait a few minutes, then wipe off glue with a damp sponge. On the reverse side, I sometimes flip the piece over, wipe it down, sometimes moving clamps to get all of it.

I then wait another 10 minutes and check the piece, and repeat if necessary.

I find moisture easier and better than a chisel.

[Warren Lake]

Never asked a tech about moisture, doesnt fit my brain with wood having pores, some more than others. A putty knife is fine, a thin one will remove the glue and it goes under bar clamps easily.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Does it hurt planer or jointer knives to clean up glue squeeze out?
I read about people that run glueups through a planer with no problem.
I hear about people that run glueups through a planer with no problem.
I see above some have mentioned about running glueups through a planer with no problem.

The one and only time I tried it - problem.

I had just put new blades on my DeWalt 734. I had some cabinet doors I had glued up that had TBII glued joints that had dried about 24 hours.
I ran the first one through and it chipped the blade(s).

I wash off squeeze out then sand the joints when they are dry.

[Bradley Gray]

I apply glue with a roller. I have learned how much to apply to get a few small beads of squeeze- out. The planer has to plane the glue between boards no matter how little squeezes out. If the knives chip they aren't hard enough.

[Cary Falk]

A big glob of glue sitting on the surface can chip a blade. A thin line buried between 2 boards not so much.

[Edward Weber]

glue has to be removed before it hardens. Its not about planer knives. You failed already if you left it on. Richard points out one dynamic.

I think "failed" is a little harsh (even by my standards)

There is a big difference between dry and fully cured.
Suffice it to say, the less glue to be sanded, scraped or planed off, the better. But a small amount on the surface does no damage in the form of chipping planer knives in most cases. (there are always exception)
Good luck

[johnny means]

glue has to be removed before it hardens. Its not about planer knives. You failed already if you left it on. Richard points out one dynamic.

Why do you say that? We glue up tables by the dozens and just sand the squeeze out of with the widebelt or, if it's small enough, send it through the planer.

[Warren Lake]

Because of time with people who learned the trade very young, ran shops that did furniture runs of over1000 pieces at a time, ran large shops running many custom jobs jobs at once. Ive past questioned chemists from glue suppliers, finish suppliers, sanding suppliers for more details on their products.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

My experience has been that glue blobs are very hard on light weight, bench top planers. Mostly, they wipeout the rubber feed rollers. They also speed the dulling of the knives. Knocking them off at 20 to 30 minutes is an excellent practice, easily forgotten. Wiping squeeze-out with anything damp is frowned upon by my Seniors. Glue blobs also gum up sandpaper and are a big contributor to the need for oscillation on drum and belt sanders.

[Mel Fulks]

“ PVA glues don’t damage knives “ , but they can coat them. In commercial shops there is always at least one guy who will do anything to make the boss happy, even if somebody else has to clean up the mess. If you can’t wait for the glue to “ dry”, “mature”, “cure” ….you should
clean the stuff off…. but that seldom happens. Guys who work alone intuitively figure that out, and know how much time to allow before
proceding . Psychologists attribute that to “not wanting to waste time clean off glue”.

[Paul Haus]

I like to use a Titebond glue and use a wet rag to remove the majority of any squeezeout early on. If something comes up later, I have a number of carbide scrapers that will take it off. On things like inside corners, I like to edge the joint with painters tape so any squeezeout that occurs will be on the the tape so it comes off when the tape is pulled. I've even used painters tape on flat panels, just to keep things simple and easy.
I've planed and jointed wood before without issues, but I do my best to remove excess glue prior to running them through the machines.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I was taught that exposing fresh glue to a wet rag adversely affects the joint, thinning down the glue and swelling the wood, both of which create a more visible and weaker glue line. I have also observed that after the kids, their friends, or other hangers on have made a batch of cutting boards in the shop, the planer will barely function.

[Zachary Hoyt]

When making panels or doors I prefer to remove the glue when partially cured, with a chisel, but if I forget I remove it later with the same chisel and more labor. I don't like using a wet cloth on it, for the reasons Maurice explained above. I run glued up neck blanks with glue squeezeout over my jointer regularly and have no problems. I do try to knock off tall bumps of glue, but not carefully.

[bill tindall]

Furniture factories prepare panels, let the glue set, then plane them smooth. I have done the same for hundreds of panel glue ups. If someone damaged knives on a panel with glue squeeze out it is an indication that the planer knife was not made from a quality steel. Can you believe that cured glue is harder than an oak knot?

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Unfortunately my planer is a little Delta bench top. Un-scraped squeeze-out adds a lot of friction. The bottom side of the planer is a stamped steel deck with no rollers, the glue causes hang-ups, the wood sits still, and the knives rub rather than cut. It speeds dulling. Also during a hang up the rubber coated feed rollers spin and get eroded by glue blobs and stalactites. I am on my 2nd bench top planer. I recently covered the feed rollers with grip tape to save it from the scrapper. It is working pretty good again. I wish I had thought of the grip tape trick years ago, bench top planers have been treated as disposable by a few of my peers. A cast iron planer with top and bottom feed rollers is on my wish list. When I get one I will still do my best to clean up squeeze out after 20 - 30 minutes.

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[Mel Fulks]

I was taught that exposing fresh glue to a wet rag adversely affects the joint, thinning down the glue and swelling the wood, both of which create a more visible and weaker glue line. I have also observed that after the kids, their friends, or other hangers on have made a batch of cutting boards in the shop, the planer will barely function.

yeah, I think they call it “compression ring set” . Water makes the wood swell …which counterintuitively is NOT so “swell “. As it compresses
the the pieces. Then, when they dry they get narrower , by shrinking away from from each other.

[William Hodge]

My first job was in a factory that made bent laminations and other parts for wooden sunrooms. The glue room would put out (24) 20' long laminations and a lift of straight stock every other day. The beams were 6" wide and 3" thick. The glue was two part brown glue, the formaldehyde stuff, similar to resorcinol.

All that wood went into a Powermatic 24" planer, later on a Paloni. No one cleaned any glue off the laminations. The planer just ground it up. The steel knives were fine, they would get changed every week. The knives worked fine.

It's sand that knicks and dulls the knives. Putting wood on the floor, and anything that gets dirt on wood, gets the wood dirty, and knicks the knives. Sanding the wood leaves grit, which just dulls the knives.

The only time I messed up the knives at the beam shop was when I planed a beam with a 2 1/2" flat washer under the glue. It made a lot of noise, broke the edges off the knives.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

They certainly do not appear to be overly concerned about squeeze out at Thomas Moser, as can be seen in the video recently posted. Having massive industrial equipment and the resources for a strict sharpening schedule would be a game changer.

[chuck van dyck]

This def seems like one of those lookin for a problem questions. If you haven’t had any issues don’t overthink it. Personally I just grab whatever is closest and will get the job done and remove as much squeeze out as I can. Globs under the clamp bars get about 30 seconds with a block plane until I feel okay about it going in a machine. On chairs and the such I use a toothbrush and hot water. Never even considered it to be worth thinking twice about cleaning up with water.

[Jeff Roltgen]

I was taught that exposing fresh glue to a wet rag adversely affects the joint, thinning down the glue and swelling the wood

Likewise, and I agree, and cringe every time I hear someone advising to do so. Never add any more water to the lumber than necessary


Can you believe that cured glue is harder than an oak knot?

Again, took the words right out of my mouth.

When starting out with a Delta finishing planer, all I had to do was look at the knives the wrong way and there'd be a nick, so yes, I think a proper answer is qualified by asking first, what are you using for a planer, or more to the point: carbide or HSS knives? If the latter, clean up all the more important. Once going to carbide spirals, only thing that ever hurt a knife in 15+ years was a hardened pine knot.

No worries with glue, other than, no matter what you're running for a machine, you do need to scrape the bottom as smooth as possible to promote better feeding of the workpiece and preserve the flatness.

I strongly recommend the "scrape it while it's just rubbery" method. If it can be done with a plastic putty knife, you know your timing is right on. Saves on paper towel but most importantly: time spent laboring.

jeff

[Myk Rian]

Does this paste affect finishes? Does it it sand away?

It doesn't appear to affect the finish. I apply it with an artists detail brush, like eyeliner.

[johnny means]

Because of time with people who learned the trade very young, ran shops that did furniture runs of over1000 pieces at a time, ran large shops running many custom jobs jobs at once. Ive past questioned chemists from glue suppliers, finish suppliers, sanding suppliers for more details on their products.

Kind of sounds like me.

[Stan Calow]

sounds like everyone has their own experience. I think it's not worth the risk of damage. Preventing it before it dries is one thing. After its hardened is another. Sometimes you cant get to the back side of a glue up in order to scrape it off while wet, or just plain dont get back to it in time. I use a chisel plane to level dried glue down first, is safer than just going right to the planer. The chisel plane cuts closer to parallel to the workpiece, with more heft and with less prying, gouging action than a bench chisel or scraper. And you can get into corners.

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Did anyone notice that the OP mentioned that he didn't manage to get to the squeeze out before it dried, unlike what he normally does? So all these comments about you need to clean off the glue before it dries are moot. He knows that. He's asking what to do since he didn't get to it in time.

In answer to what I believe your question is, I use a chisel plane or a carbide scraper to knock off the glue then sand everything.

Apologies for the rant. I'm feeling cranky tonight and get frustrated when responders answer without obviously reading all of the original post.

Cliff

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Yes I did notice. The OP opens with the question does dried glue damage a planer. I am sticking with YES in regards to a little planer with rubber coated feed rollers. Measuring the hardness of dry Titebond should be easy enough. I can not find any data on the web. When I do a big lamination that ends up messy, I knock the glue down with 16 grit on the 9 inch body grinder.

[Warren Lake]

Original poster asks about cleaning glue or if it will affect his knives. '

For your best glue joints remove your squeeze out before it hardens. Its for the glue joint. Then the knives dont even enter into it.

Original poster says well ill sand the glue down. If the point is about not being hard on the knives from the glue, then dont introduce sanding grit into it, its hard on the knives. Use a scraper.

[Ben Schmidt]

Let the glue fully harden and then run it through your drum sander the next day. No problems.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Let the glue fully harden and then run it through your drum sander the next day. No problems.

That practice works but drastically shortens the life span of the abrasive. Very coarse abrasive is better at resisting glue load up than 60 or 80 grit

[Ben Schmidt]

That practice works but drastically shortens the life span of the abrasive. Very coarse abrasive is better at resisting glue load up than 60 or 80 grit

Probably so, but I haven't found my 80 grit paper on my 19-38 to do any worse or gum up with fully hardened titebond 3. Still, I'd much rather replace sandpaper than planer knives or cutterheads!

[Michael Burnside]

Probably so, but I haven't found my 80 grit paper on my 19-38 to do any worse or gum up with fully hardened titebond 3. Still, I'd much rather replace sandpaper than planer knives or cutterheads!

I do the same on my 19-38 but I never wipe the glue with water and I scrape it after about 1-2 hours after glue up. Never have an issue with any gumming of 80 or 120 grip paper with this method.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

We had a dirty side and a clean side on the drum sander at the factory. First passes (with a little glue squeeze out) were on the left. Final passes were on the right. When we changed the paper the dirty side was always bad, the clean side was saved and reused for hand sanding. I am still using some of the right side pieces of those wraps for hand sanding 20 yeas later.

492150

[Jim W. White]

Carbide scraper is your friend!!

[Rich Engelhardt]

Furniture factories prepare panels, let the glue set, then plane them smooth. I have done the same for hundreds of panel glue ups. If someone damaged knives on a panel with glue squeeze out it is an indication that the planer knife was not made from a quality steel. Can you believe that cured glue is harder than an oak knot?
DeWalt says the blades are made of M2 High Speed tool steel.