What's a good general purpose wood glue?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I've kind of latched on to Titebond &/or Elmers simply because they seem to be the ones everyone carries.
Do I need anything stronger or waterproof for just general sticking two pieces of wood together?
Which brings up another point. Is using Titebond II for everything ok?

[Bob Aquino]

I like titebond, but I think most yellow glues are similar. If you do need waterproof, you might want to look at the poly glues like gorilla glue. Messier for sure but they do the job. And dont forget epoxy, thats king in boatbuilding.

[Ted Miller]

I am the original Titebond kinda guy for most of my use, hide for repairs...

[Jake Helmboldt]

Titebond II is water resistant while Titebond III is waterproof. I hate poly glues unless absolutely necessary.

[Joe Chritz]

An older woodworking magazing I have did a comparison test on several yellow glues. There were some differences in speed of strength development and breaking on end/long grain joints. Edge to edge all were close enough to be a wash.

The testing of PVA glues were so close I buy whatever is handy when I need another gallon.

I also keep a quart of white glue around for longer setting time if I have something difficut. (Like a mission headboard with 20+ spindles)

Joe

[Jim Becker]

I'm using Titebond III at this point for anything that doesn't absolutely require a different kind of glue. And I do not buy in gallons anymore as glue has a shelf-life. Better to pay a little more each time because throwing out a good portion of a gallon is more expensive in the long run!

[Dave Falkenstein]

I used to switch between Titebond and Elmer's. Now I buy only Titebond or Probond (by Elmer's). Those two seem to have the best shelf life. Like Jim, I buy in small bottles and seldom throw it away. Shelf life is a bigger issue here in AZ where the summer temperatures can get very high for prolonged periods. I use original Titebond for interior work and Titebond III or Probond for exterior or extended setup time.

[glenn bradley]

I use TBII for almost everything and buy in smaller quantities. All the money I saved on that gallon was lost when I had to throw a third of it out. Special circumstances = special glue just as finishes have different applications. 99% of my work uses TBII.

[Carroll Courtney]

What is the self life of TB glues.I buy the glue by the gal and use it up 6mos-1yr.Is it to old by then,when I pour it out it does not seem to be in clums.Just wondering.

[Robert Waddell]

I use on average about a gallon a month of Titebond II a month. Out of 4+ years of selling my work (laminated kitchen items made of domestic and exotic woods), I have had no glue failures in any way. Not a single piece returned. I've tested it by placing pieces in the dishwasher on multiple cycles. Needless to say, I don't see a need for change. I use it on everything including furniture when short open time is not a problem. I buy Titebond III when needed for longer open times.
The only other glues in the shop are epoxy for bonding metal to wood and CA for pens.
Rob

[lou sansone]

titebond III for most everything, buy it in quarts

lou

[Roy McQuay]

Another Titebond III fan here. I buy the smaller sizes too. I used to use Gorilla glue but it kept my fingers brown. Now I only use Gorilla glue for repair of loose tenons, such as chair rungs and such, because it expands in the joint.

[Mark Singer]

I actually like TifgtBond II better than III....it has a better cocsistency

[Lee Schierer]

I use the yellow PVA glues, what ever brand is on sale when I need glue. I buy it by the gallon and don't worry if I spill a little. I generally buy Elmers Carpenter wood glue which has a 2 year shelf life. A gallon generally doesn't hang around that long in my shop and I always have plenty of glue on hand. The polyurethane glues have a short shelf life once opend and are messy. They also don't seem to be as strong as the PVA glues. The foaming they do is really annoying, so I generally don't danoen the wood much if at all.

[Curt Harms]

I've started using RooGlue clear. I originally bought it because it seemed to be a "glue most anything to most anything" type glue. It'll glue composites, metal, vinyl, melamine and wood. I used it to glue T track into jigs; it was easier than epoxy being one part. It has 20 minutes open time and the setup time is advertised as 4 hours. Water cleanup when wet and denatured alcohol when dry. Seeing alcohol will dissolve it, probably wouldn't be a good thing to use on bars:) One thing I did discover-RooGlue clear won't glue prefinished plywood to itself. There's not a lot of info published but the company does answer their phone for questions. They do have a web site: rooglue(dot)com. They seem to cater mostly to commercial users-the only retail source I've been able to find is a nearby WoodCraft, it's not on Woodcraft's web site but RooGlue's web site says Woodcraft has it available online.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Thank you for the information, especially the tip on not buying too much at one time. I was all set to stock up on a gallon jug of whatever got the nod.
I guess, judging by the comments, Titebond II in small containers is my best bet for an all around glue.

[David Cramer]

Titebond II for me to Rich. It has never failed me yet! I buy it by the gallon and always end up using it before the shelf life expires. It works for me anyways.

Dave

[Rod Sheridan]

I normally use Lee Valley 2002GF..........Rod.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I use Tightbond 3.

[Art Mulder]

Another one for Lee Valley 2002GF -- that is my standard all purpose wood glue for indoor projects.

But then, I haven't really made any sort of a scientific study comparing different glues. As a hobbiest I don't make that many projects in a year, so I haven't really had opportunity to try many different glues.

[Josh Kandiko]

Has anyone considered changing to the mixture glues because of the post on SMC that detailed why someone shouldn't use regular wood glue, mostly because it is difficult to repair? I remember it being quite a long thread and it detailed how difficult yellow glues were to repair. Just curious.

Thanks
Josh

[Alfred Clem]

I have found Gorilla Glue to be excellent for cementing brass tube sleeves into wood blocks for woodturning into pens, etc.. True, Gorilla can stain one's fingers. So I wear a plastic glove on my left hand when applying the stuff. Otherwise, old yellow glue works fine for most interior projects. In winter, I keep my bottles of glue inside the house on top of the fridge; my workshop gets mighty cold. Keeping glue around 70 degrees lets it flow easily.

[Keith Webster]

Titebond.....all of their products are great. Also...save some money and buy it by the gallon.

[joe pezza]

titbond 1, 2, and 3. Small bottles only, this way, I always have a usable cap thats not cruded up w/glue residue.


Joe

[Richard Niemiec]

Klingbond, a yellow glue for about $8 a quart, from Klingspor's woodworkingshop.com. Great stuff. RN

[Ed Blough]

I have not done any scientific tests or anything but I'm finding Elmers Probond to be better for me than any of the Titebond glues.

I once used Elmers carpenters glue for everything but I got talked into Titebond. Along the way I have had shelf life problems, runnyness, and a few open time problems. I picked up a bottle of Probond and been using it ever since.

I now use Elmers Carpenters glue and Probond almost always.

One thing I wish since the manufactures have admitted to shelf life problems, I wish they would print a date instead of their stupid code. I keep forgetting how to read the code and end up with in a crap shot.

[Mike Henderson]

Has anyone considered changing to the mixture glues because of the post on SMC that detailed why someone shouldn't use regular wood glue, mostly because it is difficult to repair? I remember it being quite a long thread and it detailed how difficult yellow glues were to repair. Just curious.

Thanks
Josh
There was a post a while back about yellow glue being difficult to repair. You have to consider what you're gluing. It's unlikely that a panel will need to be re-glued. However, the connecton of the seat to the rear legs of a chair is more likley to fail. For those joints I use epoxy. But for everything else I use Titebond.

Mike

[Brian Penning]

One thing about Titebond III is not to use it with the lighter coloured woods due to it's darker drying colour.
I use white glue(Lepage's up here) if I need a longer setting time.

[Karle Woodward]

What is the self life of TB glues.I buy the glue by the gal and use it up 6mos-1yr.Is it to old by then,when I pour it out it does not seem to be in clums.Just wondering.

I think the shelf life is at least a year on all the TiteBond glues. Two years on I and II and one year on TB III (if memory serves). Can't remember the date code on the bottle right off. Maybe someone else can? It's good to know so you're not buying glue that's already near the end of it's shelf life (generally unlikely, but possible).

[Brian Tuftee]

For indoor stuff, I just use plain old Elmer's yellow glue. For anything going outdoors, I'll use a polyurethane glue like Elmer's Ultimate. Buy small bottles. If I ever work with oily woods, I'll probably have to try epoxy.

[Chris Friesen]

There was a post a while back about yellow glue being difficult to repair. You have to consider what you're gluing. It's unlikely that a panel will need to be re-glued.

Last year I repaired a table top that had been glued with yellow glue. I had to scrape off the old glue and take the edge down to clean wood before I could glue it back up again.

Makes me seriously consider plastic resin, resorcinol, hide glue, etc.

[Howard Acheson]

I will generally use a standard PVA for most interior glue ups except for panels. PVA's are prone to developing a raised gluelline over time. For panel glue ups, I use a urea formaldehyde like Plastic Resin. For outdoor projects, I will use an ANSI Type II adhesive. I see no application for an adhesive that is truly waterproof in normal woodworking.

For chairs I exclusively use a slow set, two part epoxy due to its superior strength and slight flexibility which will allow racking forces without failing. Epoxy is also a good choice for many repairs because, unlike Gorilla Glue, epoxy is gap filling with strength. Gorilla Glue does not fill a gap with anything more than weak foam.

For composition panel laminating I use a solvent based contact cement which I also use for plastic laminations.

[Eddie R Norton]

I like Titebond and use it for most projects but if I want to be sure of the joint stength and/or it is an assembly that will require some time, I aways use Weldwood (by DAP) plastic resin glue. It does take 12 hours or more to cure but at around 70 degrees you get nearly an hour for assembly. And I have never had a Weldwood joint fail. I just glued up a large pegboard today which took about an hour to get assembled. I was really glad I had decided to use plastic resin instead of casein.

[Scott Vigder]

My build requirements are all indoor projects, so I use TB II or ProBond. I prefer TB II vs TB I as TB I is too runny. For my projects, TB III is overkill.

[Howard Acheson]

Last year I repaired a table top that had been glued with yellow glue. I had to scrape off the old glue and take the edge down to clean wood before I could glue it back up again.

Makes me seriously consider plastic resin, resorcinol, hide glue, etc.

You need to have virgin wood for those adhesives also. Hide glue is only good on joints that were originally glued with hide glue. If they were glued with any other adhesive, you will need to get to virgin wood.

The only adhesive that has a chance with less than virgin wood is slow set, two part epoxy. That's the reason it is most often used for repair and rebuilding of older furniture.