How to deal with only partial glue squeeze out?

[Eric Schubert]

I'm working up some large panels for a desk top. It's my first attempt at really making something this large. The panels are 30 x 48 inches (three glue joints) and 30 x 84 inches (two glue joints). I've glued my panels with what I thought was more than sufficient glue and, after removing the clamps today, I noticed that the bottom of the glue-up (where I couldn't see, of course...) didn't have nice squeeze out of glue along the full length, leaving some sections with what appear to be gaps.

I could just work a bit of glue into the gaps before I sand and finish the panels, but I figured I should ask to avoid issues. Most of the joint length seems okay in terms of glue reaching the full width of contact. Is there a better way to deal with this lack of full joint contact/glue, aside from cutting the joints and redoing them?

[Lee Schierer]

If you spread the glue evenly on one surface you should get pretty even squeeze out along the length of the joint. However, areas of rough or open grain could soak up more glue than other areas. You don't need glue dripping out of the joint, just little beads of glue along the joint line. If you want more absolute glue coverage, apply glue to to both sides of the joint before assembly. Just about the worst method is to apply a bead of glue along the joint and then put the joint together without any spreading before hand.

[Andrew Hughes]

Too me a gap on the underside means your boards were not square to the faces or if it just the middle then a spring joint that was too big.
Adding pva glue to the gap isn’t going to do anything. It’s up to you if it’s not acceptable. Wait a couple days and see if you have any thick glue lines on the top side. That might be the reason to make the joint over.
Good Luck

[Ron Citerone]

Do over. Check jointer fence for square. Check that edges are straight their entire length. If using pipe clamps make sure pipes aren’t bent. Best to alternate the faces that go against the jointer fence. Final part of jointing operation should have pressure down on outfeed table. Double spread glue.
dry clamp pieces first to determine what is wrong with your pieces or technique. If everything doesn’t lay flat when dry clamping without a lot of clamp pressure or pushing/shoving your edges are suspect.
Sorry to sound blunt and direct but you need to work through this. Until you do, make your panels wide enough so that you can rip apart and redo until you figure this out.

[Mel Fulks]

Joint one board face to fence , next board face out. That makes everything fit flat. Forget about making a jointer fence perfectly square
to bed surface.

[Eric Schubert]

I probably should have mentioned, edges were jointed with a hand plane after rough jointing on a table saw. I do not own a jointer. I also should have mentioned that these boards are hard maple, in case that makes a difference. I plan to apply General Finishes flat poly even I reach that stage.

The edges aren't perfectly square, but I kept checking the dry joints as I worked and they looked okay. The gap is on the non -show side, so under the desk. I had glue squeeze out along the top, but not entirely on the bottom. Small beads, not thick lines. Next time I'll try applying a thin layer of glue to the opposite side, as well.

I'm under a bit of a time crunch to get this done, so I think I'll have to see how it goes for now just filling the gap with a little wood glue so it's not as visible. If I notice an issue, I'll have to rip the joints and redo them.

Would some thin epoxy work to at least flow into the joint and add a little more contact that's bonded?

[Bryan Lisowski]

As you just mentioned the problem is the joints aren’t perfectly square. This is leading to the joint not closing. If your table saw is set up so the cut is square, you could rip along the glue line and do the glue up again. You would lose some width, but not much. If you’re really worried about it you could fill with epoxy or CA glue and sawdust.

[Mel Fulks]

Epoxy will probably work if the project is going to be painted, not ‘natural finish.

[Marc Fenneuff]

If using a handplane to joint your boards, first lay them out in the orientation for the glue up, then "fold" each adjoining pair of boards downward, clamp them together, and joint the adjoining edges of each pair, together.

[Richard Coers]

I would be concerned you didn't use the clamps properly. Adding glue now is useless.

[Eric Schubert]

I would be concerned you didn't use the clamps properly. Adding glue now is useless.

I'm not sure what I would've done wrong. I alternated clamps on top and bottom, some facing one direction, some the opposite direction (i.e. some clamps turned 180 degrees compared to other clamps, so the screw to tighten them is on the other end). Maybe I could have used a couple more clamps, but they were maybe 12 inches or so apart, though that's just an estimate.


If using a handplane to joint your boards, first lay them out in the orientation for the glue up, then "fold" each adjoining pair of boards downward, clamp them together, and joint the adjoining edges of each pair, together.

I didn't think of this until I'd already worked to get the edges as mated as I could, putting the mating board in place to check as I went. I recall this recommendation now that you mention it, but totally forgot about it while I was working. Could've really saved my bacon.


Epoxy will probably work if the project is going to be painted, not ‘natural finish.

If the filled gaps are on the underside where no one will see them, would that really matter?

[Kevin Jenness]

If there are significant gaps then rip and reglue. If it's just a matter of no squeezeout in spots and the joints are tight except for a few minor gaps where they won't show, it will be ok. It's a judgment call. Remember, squeezeout is proof that you used excess glue.

Since you don't have a jointer, you can ensure complementary angles on mating edges by placing adjacent boards in the vise face to face or back to back and planing them together as Marc said. Alternatively, if you can get a straight, clean cut off the saw you don't need to use a plane. Users of sliding table saws often omit the jointer when edge gluing. It's not so easy on a cabinet saw but can be done. Straighten out one edge with a plane and feed that edge smoothly against the rip fence. You can alternate up/down faces when ripping to ensure complementary angles as on a jointer, but if the blade is set square that shouldn't be an issue.

Squeegeeing epoxy or more pva glue into an open joint, aka "crap in the gap", may provide a paintable surface but there is no real bond strength.

A straightedge laid across the glueup will show up problems with clamping, and a dry run is never wasted.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Put me in the redo camp.
If you see gaps, then I see a huge problem down the road.
Easy enough for me to say since I have a track saw & making a cut like that is not a problem in the world.

[Lee Schierer]

I'm not sure what I would've done wrong. I alternated clamps on top and bottom, some facing one direction, some the opposite direction (i.e. some clamps turned 180 degrees compared to other clamps, so the screw to tighten them is on the other end). Maybe I could have used a couple more clamps, but they were maybe 12 inches or so apart, though that's just an estimate.

I would have used more clamps, spaced about 6 inches apart. Alternating top and bottom is good practice. You don't need to swap clamps end for end, but it doesn't hurt anything to do that.

I save narrow cut offs 3/4-1 in., to use as protection strips between the pieces I am attempting to glue up and the clamp faces. These strips allow me to apply more clamping pressure without denting the edge of the finished piece.

[Mark Gibney]

Eric, you might not really need a jointer to get a tight glue-line, if you redo the desktop.

If you rip the glue-up apart, and run the boards across your tablesaw taking off less than 1/32" on each side of the boards you can use a fine-toothed sharp blade and go straight to gluing the top together, without any more jointing work. I've used a cross-cut blade to do this in the past.

But you need to move the boards at a sure steady pace, not super fast, through the cut, without any wobble, so feather boards can help.

[Michael Burnside]

Up to you. You could add glue, remove sander from dust collector and lightly sand to try and fill the gaps.

If you redo or for the future, look up in-out method for jointing boards or up-down method using a table saw. Sounds like your edges weren’t square. Alternate clamps and remember you don need thousands of lbs of pressure, just enough for a little squeeze out.

[Eric Schubert]

Alternatively, if you can get a straight, clean cut off the saw you don't need to use a plane. Users of sliding table saws often omit the jointer when edge gluing. It's not so easy on a cabinet saw but can be done. Straighten out one edge with a plane and feed that edge smoothly against the rip fence. You can alternate up/down faces when ripping to ensure complementary angles as on a jointer, but if the blade is set square that shouldn't be an issue.



If you rip the glue-up apart, and run the boards across your tablesaw taking off less than 1/32" on each side of the boards you can use a fine-toothed sharp blade and go straight to gluing the top together, without any more jointing work. I've used a cross-cut blade to do this in the past.

But you need to move the boards at a sure steady pace, not super fast, through the cut, without any wobble, so feather boards can help.

I'm tempted to rip the seams open again and reglue. However, my table saw is a DeWalt jobsite saw. The DWE7491RS, to be specific. The table is fairly short, the fence is short, and I just use feed rollers for infeed/outfeed, so keeping the piece flat against the fence has been a bit tricky on a board over 7ft in length. I think the arbor also has a little runout. I can see the blade wobble slightly as it coasts to a stop. So, I'm not entirely confident that ripping the seams will result in any less work than basically having to joint the edges all over again with a hand plane.

Edit: Also, my apologies for such delayed responses. I wasn't seeing any reply notifications in my email. Updated the thread subscription, so should be better now.

[Michael Burnside]

Eric, can you provide a picture of the workpiece?

[Josh Molaver]

IF you choose to rip the joint, a track saw would be ideal. Know anyone in your area who could help you?

[Dave Roock]

Hello, Just utilize as is. Most likely plenty of glue to hold for function. No sense over thinking & just wasting the maple would be foolish imo.

[Eric Schubert]

Eric, can you provide a picture of the workpiece?


IF you choose to rip the joint, a track saw would be ideal. Know anyone in your area who could help you?
Unfortunately, I do not know any other woodworkers in my area.


Hello, Just utilize as is. Most likely plenty of glue to hold for function. No sense over thinking & just wasting the maple would be foolish imo.

See below for photos of the piece. I was concerned about how much of the seam had a gap, so I took a very thin feeler gauge and slipped it into the seam. The gap on this piece seems to run about 12 inches. Most of it only seems to be a few mm deep, but one area of it does go deeper, with one particular spot reaching a depth of around 17-18mm, so there's a fairly significant space without a solid glue bond. I have a feeling it would make sense to at least rip that seam one open and reglue it.

I also tested a small gap on my larger slab for the long side of my L-shaped desk. That one doesn't go nearly as deep on much of the gap, but there's still maybe a foot-long length that I can slip the feeler gauge in anywhere from 3-6mm (1/8" to 1/4"). And, as with the shorter slab, there's one particular spot that I was able to slip my 0.004" feeler gauge nearly all the way to the other side of the glue jointMy pieces are approximately 1.35" (34.25mm) thick, so there's still a good amount with glue in the seam. That one I may just fill in with some glue and sawdust to clean up a bit, as ripping a 7ft+ length cleanly and in a straight line with just a job site saw is going to be a challenge.

Photo of the piece:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52833505030_3350648231_b.jpg

Closer look near the gap:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52833505085_8a3aafa3b9_b.jpg

[Mel Fulks]

The gaps at the ends of the boards makes me think that the jointer out-feed table is too low. Many jointers are like that
in amateur shops ,and even some commercial shops. Out feed table should now raised a small amount , and two pieces
of wood checked together for fit until there are no open ends . Slight light showing at middle of the two pieces is good
for gluing stuff.

[Andrew Hughes]

If you don’t have the machinery to mill lumber flat and square just play the hand your dealt. That pic with your hand holding a ruler I think you can do better.
Good Luck

[Eric Schubert]

The gaps at the ends of the boards makes me think that the jointer out-feed table is too low. Many jointers are like that
in amateur shops ,and even some commercial shops. Out feed table should now raised a small amount , and two pieces
of wood checked together for fit until there are no open ends . Slight light showing at middle of the two pieces is good
for gluing stuff.

Thanks, Mel. But, as I mentioned above, this was done by hand. I do not own a jointer, aside from my rehabbed Stanley #7.


If you don’t have the machinery to mill lumber flat and square just play the hand your dealt. That pic with your hand holding a ruler I think you can do better.
Good Luck

Thanks, Andrew. I'm going to at least rip that one glue seam to start and see how it goes. I agree, I think I can probably improve on this.

[Mel Fulks]

Eric, good luck to you. I’m putting myself into a couple of days of “reading comprehension “

[Eric Schubert]

Eric, good luck to you. I’m putting myself into a couple of days of “reading comprehension “

LOL, all good, Mel. I taught a class today, so my brain is pretty toasted right now.

I did get the glue joint ripped open. I don't have a track saw, but I used my circular saw, a finishing blade, two passes to reach full depth, and a factory edge on some MDF as a straight edge. It's pretty good, but still needs a smidge of cleanup before gluing again. There's a fine step between cuts. But it wasn't so bad.

[Eric Schubert]

Well, one side of the glue joint cleaned up really easily. Nice and straight and square. The other side, however, has some really dark streaks that are super hard and it's tough to plane that stuff by hand, so things got out-of-square eventually. I tried taking some light passes with the saw again to straighten things out again, but it wasn't as easy with the circular saw. I think I'll try the table saw jointing technique again, after I verify the blade is square to the table, to see if that will do the trick.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have nothing to add to this - other than to tag it for future reference.
The reference being,,,,,if you had a track saw, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

This is just another example of how a track saw can make a fairly difficult job a no brainer.
I swear, one of these days, I'm going to sort through the threads and compile a bunch of links so that when someone says that track saws are only good for breaking down sheet goods, I can point out all the other things they can do.

[Michael Burnside]

Glad you're able to make progress. If you don't have to fix a mistake from time-to-time, you're not a real woodworker or you're not pushing yourself hard enough.

One tip on glue-ups. Clamp, set timer for 1.5-2 hours (longer if colder) or until the squeezed out glue is soft but not runny. Gently remove from clamps as needed, scrape glue lines with card scraper, then gently clamp things back up but do NOT over tighten, just make contact and then 1/8th turn (the glue is already doing the work!). Remove clamps in another few hours or next day. I learned this years ago from a pro and it works with minimal cleanup required and little to no risk of glue lines showing up in the final stain.

[Eric Schubert]

I have nothing to add to this - other than to tag it for future reference.
The reference being,,,,,if you had a track saw, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

This is just another example of how a track saw can make a fairly difficult job a no brainer.
I swear, one of these days, I'm going to sort through the threads and compile a bunch of links so that when someone says that track saws are only good for breaking down sheet goods, I can point out all the other things they can do.

Downside to track saws is they're usually quite a bit more expensive than a standard circular saw. In fact, a track saw would cost as much as my table saw. But, if it's something you'll use frequently enough to justify, I agree it would be worth the price tag. And it can even replace a table saw in quite a few instances. As you said, not just for sheet goods!


Glad you're able to make progress. If you don't have to fix a mistake from time-to-time, you're not a real woodworker or you're not pushing yourself hard enough.

One tip on glue-ups. Clamp, set timer for 1.5-2 hours (longer if colder) or until the squeezed out glue is soft but not runny. Gently remove from clamps as needed, scrape glue lines with card scraper, then gently clamp things back up but do NOT over tighten, just make contact and then 1/8th turn (the glue is already doing the work!). Remove clamps in another few hours or next day. I learned this years ago from a pro and it works with minimal cleanup required and little to no risk of glue lines showing up in the final stain.

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to give that a shot. I usually just leave the squeeze-out and scrape the beads off. But, if there's significant squeeze-out, then it's harder to scrape off. My orbital sander took it down pretty quickly, though, which is nice. I do like that it can minimize what shows up when finishing, though. I've had some glue that prevented stain from absorbing before and it's quite ugly!

[BOB OLINGER]

I'd be concerned about trying to add glue to the open areas - excess glue might soak into the surfaces either side of the joint resulting in uneven staining.

[James Jayko]

Occam's Razor...I'd be dollars to donuts your boards weren't totally square. If I read your comment right, its just some gaps on the bottom...if its strong enough, I wouldn't worry about it...

If you're worried, epoxy. As much as I hate it. Or rout a dado in it and fit another piece into the gap.