Glue removal inside boxes

[Jared Cuneo]

I use blue painters tape to assemble the sides and all is well until I attach the bottoms of my boxes. tape seems to do no good in the inner corners and edges of the box, so do I just wipe it off best I can and sand it?

The issue there is that I tend to get sanding lines from going back and forth. :(

Anyone have suggestions for sanding in tight corners or ways to keep glue from spreading when attaching box bottoms? Should I starve the very inner edges of the box of glue?

Thanks!

JC

[Jamie Buxton]

Do at least some of your finishing before you assemble the box. If you have finish -- oil, varnish, wax, whatever you like -- on a surface, glue won't adhere very well to it. You can generally chip it off easily with a chisel. Or you can leave a little squeeze-out deep inside the box. The finish underneath the squeeze-out will have already changed the color of the wood, and the squeeze-out isn't very obvious.

[Eddie Darby]

A little glue goes a long way.
You only need to apply glue lightly to one surface only, if the time between gluing and clamping isn't long.

[Tony Ward]

I agree with Eddie. It is un-necessary to apply glue to have it ooze out from a joint when closed.

My practice is to spread the glue evenly over one side of the surface to be glued, allow it to stand for a little while, place both surfaces together for a couple of minutes or less, then after making sure the edges are properly aligned, clamp. Any overflow, can be removed, later, with a sharp knife or chisel.

[Jared Cuneo]

Excellent suggestions, thanks!

JC

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I have used a square scraper and chisels sharpened so the burr remains with good success for inside corners.
A little delicacy and a light touch will leave a nice finish and get the glue.

It's been my experience that whenever I wipe the glue off before it hardens (wet rag or dry) I always end up forcing glue some into the grain and it always affects the appearance when finish is applied.

However, I have wondered whether the newer non wetting water based finishes would produce the same phenom' since they don't darken the wood.

[Brad Olson]

I use a carbide triangular scraper from woodcraft. Works great for getting into tough places and because it is carbide it can deal with the punishment.

Usually only a light sanding is required after scraping the glue away. I try and scrape the glue away about 30-60 minutes after clamping as this seems to be the "optimal" time to scrape it away without it tearing the fibers or being driven into the pores.

Also I try and use as little glue as possible, so I minimize squeezeout

[David Giles]

My current practice is to prefinish everything with a base coat of shellac sanded smooth. For drawer bottoms, I'll usually shellac and sand the entire 4x8 sheet at one time. Gluing surfaces get a light sanding with 120 grit to remove the shellac. 4-5 swipes. Any squeeze-out is wiped away immediately with LOTS of wet paper towels. The shellac protects the wood from the water and glue contamination. After everything dries, I touchup the shellac base coat (if needed). Then move on to whatever topcoats are desired.

It's kind of a pain to sand the gluing surfaces. But a jig that rides on the board edge controls the sanding width. And it's faster and less frustrating to me than dealing with dried up squeezeout.

[Jim Becker]

One additional note...assuming you're using some form of PVA (Titebond, etc), time things so you can remove any squeeze-out (you can never completely avoid it...) about 30-40 minutes after assembly. It will still be pliable at that point and a LOT easier to get off with a simple scraper or blade than it will be once it cures.

[Bill Huber]

One additional note...assuming you're using some form of PVA (Titebond, etc), time things so you can remove any squeeze-out (you can never completely avoid it...) about 30-40 minutes after assembly. It will still be pliable at that point and a LOT easier to get off with a simple scraper or blade than it will be once it cures.

That is the way I have found to do it and it works very well.
I also have the scrapper from Woodcraft that is great but for little things that I can not get it into I have some dental tools that I got someplace and I use them to get that little bit right in the corner.