Gluing T slot to baltic birch

[Paul Kinneberg]

What kind of glue should I use to glue a T-slot extrusion to baltic birch for a drill press table i'm making? FYI it will be screwed as well.

[Jim DeLaney]

What kind of glue should I use to glue a T-slot extrusion to baltic birch for a drill press table i'm making? FYI it will be screwed as well.

I used System Three T-88 epoxy on mine. It's has a longer cure time than the fast stuff - about thirty minutes - but purportedly results in a move flexible and vibration tolerant bond.

[Jim Becker]

If you are screwing it, I see no need for glue, but if you do want to use adhesive, epoxy would be my choice.

[Jim DeLaney]

I epoxied mine in place because I suspected the small screws might not hold in the plywood - especially if I put any up force on the Tee portion of the slot.

[Paul Kinneberg]

Jim & Jim thanks I will epoxy them in as I am afraid the little screws won't hold without glue.

[Bruce Page]

I agree with Jim. I just use screws, haven't had one come loose yet.
If the top of the t-track is flush with the table top you'll be pulling on the table top when you clamp, not the t-track.

[Blaine Harrison]

If you are screwing it, I see no need for glue, but if you do want to use adhesive, epoxy would be my choice.

Sorry to disagree with Jim, but unless you're using pretty thick BB, the screws will be quite short, so epoxy will be needed.

When you use the epoxy, be sure to use decent clamping force to assure that the T-track is flush to the top of the BB. You'll probably need to use cauls, but if you don't clamp it down, you'll get a slight protrusion of the t-track above the BB. The aluminum is very hard to sand/file so it's level to the BB (don't ask me how I know this :o ).

Also, there's a balancing act when clamping for epoxy. Too much clamping and you starve the joint for glue and it won't hold. Too little and your joint (or in this case, the t-track) won't be flush.

Good luck with this.

Blaine