Glueing mortise and tennon joints

[George Carion]

This may seem crazy, but I'm looking for a tip on how to glue up the above referenced joint when the mortise is facing the Earth. Any tricks to keep glue from running with gravity and messing up your project? I need to glue up 6 joints simultaneously and I'll end up with glue everywhere BUT inside the mortise. :confused:

Thanks.

[Joe Scharle]

Blue tape!:)

[Mike Henderson]

You shouldn't put so much glue that it runs. I use a stick, the "coffee" sticks you get at Starbucks work great, to spread the glue. Either put your glue on the stick or put the glue in the mortise and then use the stick to spread it. You only need a small layer of glue if your tenon fits well. In fact, you don't want a lot because the excess has to go somewhere and that can cause problems itself.

Do the same on the tenon and slide the pieces together.

You definitely should not have glue squeezing out everywhere when you put the pieces together.

Mike

[I've spread Titebond and epoxy that way and never had any problems.]

[pat warner]

If the joinery permits, (nothing blocking the entry of another element in the assembly, e.g.) glue one connection at a time.
Will take longer, but will be easier, more sanitary and gravity may even work for you.

[Jeff Craven]

I saw a video somewhere showing how to keep it clean. Basically you drive the tenon 75% of the way into the mortise, then use a small paintbrush to remove the excess glue from the side of the tenon. Then drive it the rest of the way in.

[Tom Esh]

I'm with Pat - 6 joints at once is too many. I'd have a stress attack trying to get all that clamped up before it grabbed.:eek:
Some glue squeeze-out is inevitable IMO and if you strive for none, you run the risk of glue-starving the joint. I'm a big fan of pre-finishing. I blue tape the glue surfaces and get at least an initial finish layer on before assembly. Glue slop wipes right up with a damp cloth and you don't have the problem of it getting into the grain and blocking the finish / color. Also for most pieces it's so much easier and faster, I find myself doing more & more before assembly. I also take a pic of the dry fit and make it my PC wallpaper - helps make the delay in seeing the whole thing together more bearable.:)

[Chris Rosenberger]

I glue face frames laying flat when possible. I use an artists brush to apply glue to the mortise & tennon. That way I apply a thin coat of glue that does not run. I glued up a face frame Friday that had 22 mortise & tennon joints. I glued them all at the same time.

[Peter Quinn]

I'd need to be convinced that 6 mortises glued up at once with one upside down was truly necessary. Rarely is. I shoot for sub assemblies, even if you have to dry fit some of the piece for alignment to clamp up the initial assemblies. And if the glue is dripping all over, you are using too much glue regardless of adhesive. You don't want to starve a joint, but you don't need to drown it either.

[Thomas Pender]

No matter how careful I am, I always get a drop or two and sanding it, scraping it, or other wise removing it can be tough. So, if I anticipate I am going to have issues, I stain and seal the peice with the mortise (especially when the tenons are facing down) and the glue wipes off easier. I also use a sponge, which if you have a sealed finish really helps.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

West 209 Hardener will giver you all day long to get your clamps on.
You will need an additive to keep the stuff from running all over the floor.

[Rod Sheridan]

I'd need to be convinced that 6 mortises glued up at once with one upside down was truly necessary. .

Obviously not a man who built Morris chairs! LOL.

If you can reduce the number of joints that need glueing at one time, all the better, and I'd try to avoid upside down assembly if at all possible.

Many pieces however have multiple spindles that must be assembled at the same time, Arts and Crafts furniture is famous for it.

Regards, Rod.

[Frank Drew]

You can glue up a passage door in stages, but I'd prefer to do it in one go; if there's a mid-rail, that's six joints right there, never mind having to get the panels in straight, etc..

A complicated carcase with tops and bottoms dovetailed to the sides, and add in dovetailed drawer dividers (a couple of them vertical just to add to the excitement) -- AND you're using hot glue -- now that's a recipe for a stressful glue up!

All of which is to say that everyone's right about taking steps to lessen glue squeezeout, but by nature glueups can be messy, and it's much more important paying attention to everything going together flat and square than worrying about the subsequent cleanup.