Glue vs. Stain

[Jeff Hallam]

In my absentmindedness while staining the lower shelf in a bookcase I am assembling, I put some stain on the underside. This part of the underside of the shelf was supposed to be the glue surface to glue to the lower rail of the bookcase. I used a water based aniline dye. If I am smart enough not to put any actual finish over the stain will I have any problems with glue adhesion? Or do I need to sand back to bare wood for the glue to hold properly?

Thanks for your help,

Jeff

[Lee Schierer]

I don't think the joint will be compromised by the dye. Oil based stains can lead to problems but most things I've heard about aniline dyes is that glue is unaffected. What I do when I want to stain before assembly is to apply masking tape over the planned glue joint area. After the stain is dry the tape can easily be removed.