Glue up & clean up

[Mark Hultzapple]

Hi all,
I'm still rather new to woodworking and I have a newbie question. I recently build a cradle with many spindles for the sides and end panels. In the plans epoxy was recommended for the extended working time necessary to align spindles during glue up. I had read to use thinner to clean the epoxy squeeze out prior to it setting up. It seemed to be working well. I sanded well around the spindles and thought I was in good shape. I even used naptha to look for missed glue spots. I used stain preconditioner to eliminate uneven absorption of the stain but when the stain was applied the areas I had cleaned and sanded were visibly lighter than the rest of the project. What did I do wrong? What is the proper method to clean up both yellow glue and Epoxy over flow? Should I have applied tape around the spindles to catch squeeze out?

[Carl Oresick]

I too am rather new to woodworking, but in high school woodshop we were taught to let the glue run out and dry - do not smear it. Then we removed it with a hand scraper. By not smearing it it wasn't forced into the pores and came off easily. This was with white glue at the time (Elmer's).

[Greg Crawford]

I use Titebond III and the method Carl suggests. Has worked well for me for years.

[Gary Breckenridge]

:( Glue fills the pores of wood and also seals preventing the stain from absorbing into the wood. Using lots of solvent will seep into and possibly weaken the glue joint. The trick is to keep the glue 1/4" away from the surface. This is impossible with expanding Gorilla Glue and its cousins.:) Glue up some joinery samples and have a look at how glue does or does not seep out.:)

[Mark Hultzapple]

Thanks for the reply guys. I'm gonna try your suggestions. BTW...Has anyone seen Norm Abrams cleaning up around glue joints with a sponge and water? I don't think I imagined it. How does he get away with it?

[joe greiner]

FWIW, I use filament tape for masking around glue joints, for ease of removal without leaving fragments of tape to be laboriously removed. Use short strips of tape at round elements, and fold a grip tab at the outer end of the tape.

Joe

[Lee Schierer]

What grit sand paper did you use for the sanding of the areas you cleaned up. If the wood surface where you sanded were smoother or rougher than the untouched areas, the stain color will come out different than the non-sanded areas. I've found that if you sand any area of planed lumber that you need to sand the entire surface of that piece. Sanding one area only leaves a different surface than the plane or scraper does. Application of stain will exaggerate these differences.

[David DeCristoforo]

I have always washed squeeze-out off with clean water. But you have to use enough water to actually wash off the glue and not just dilute it and spread it around which will only exacerbate the problem. I always have a bucket of clean water on hand, a clean rag and some dry rags to dry the wood off as much as possible. This, of course, raises the grain but I have found this easier to deal with than the glue.

[Rod Sheridan]

The trick is not to use more glue than necessary.

Sounds simple, yet it's the biggest conundrum in joinery.

I let the glue cure to a plastic state, then use a cabinet scraper or a sharp chisel to remove it.

Masking works well also.

Have fun experimenting with the technique you like best.......Rod.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks for the reply guys. I'm gonna try your suggestions. BTW...Has anyone seen Norm Abrams cleaning up around glue joints with a sponge and water? I don't think I imagined it. How does he get away with it?

Depending on the joint . . . , I use water, and lots of it, when I am cleaning a long seam on an open area that will allow me to easily deal with the raised grain. As someone else noted, raised grain is easier to sand or scrape back down than sanding glue out of the surface.

On corner joints, tight spots, odd shapes, etc. I let the glue get to a soft-plastic consistency and remove with a chisel or other sharp implement.

Around your spindles would not be where I would use water. I would not be able to tell if I got it all. In that situation I would prefer to leave the globs so they are easy to see and remove them once partially cured.

Anyway, that's just me.

[Rob Diz]

I would also caution against using too wet of a sponge. If you get too much glue out of the edge of the joint, or get it too wet, when the glue dries to a full cure, it will shrink into the joint and leave a small witness line, that will become apparent when you apply your finish.