Best GLUE for sculptural carving, grinding, sanding, routing?

[Tom Overthere]

Please bear with me:

I want to sculpt relatively large forms
from wood blanks that I glue up from smaller pieces of wood.

I expect the glued up blocks to take the form of
a) stacked layers of relatively thin pieces (similar to plywood), and
b) wood blocks glued in grids (like an endgrain butcher's block).

Once the glue dries I want to carve, grind, route, sand etc. the surface using any kind of blade or abrasive (hand or power tool) that suits my needs. Tall order, I know...

'Not sure what kind of finish. Maybe a "fruitwood" stain (that color range) and maybe a handrubbed oil finish.

QUESTION 1:
What kind of GLUE would be least likely to interfere with cutting blades and abrasives (hand and power tools)?

QUESTION 2:
Would that same glue be the choice least likely to appear as a glue line on the finished surface? I'd like the glue line to disappear entirely if possible, as I'm attempting "fine art" sculpture.

Thanks,
Tom

[Charlie Plesums]

Every "how it's made" show and similar that I have seen, involving making large blocks of wood for carving/sculpting, appear to use ordinary PVA type carpenter's glue.

I routinely make doors and other pieces (could a raised panel could be considered a carving?) using carpenter's glue, and with a good joint before gluing, and good gluing techniques, don't have a visible glue line.

If the joint is under stress (like a bent wood lamination) then this isn't usually the best glue, but for building large blocks, I think you will find it satisfactory. Just be sure the joint is good before it is glued.

[Gary Click]

I think you may be very happy with Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue. The glue is a dry powder that is catalyzed using water and forms a very strong joint. Another feature that may be helpful is that is has a long working or pot life.

[Tom Overthere]

Charlie ==
I generally use TiteBond III. Is that considered a PVA type carpenter's glue?
I don't know what the "sophisiticated artistes" think, but for me, a raised panel has always been a thing of beauty (high art). :D

Gary ==
I will indeed look into Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue.

Thanks for the information

[Charlie Plesums]

Charlie ==
I generally use TiteBond III. Is that considered a PVA type carpenter's glue?
I don't know what the "sophisiticated artistes" think, but for me, a raised panel has always been a thing of beauty (high art). :D

Gary ==
I will indeed look into Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue.

Thanks for the information

I use Titebond Original (I) or Borden's carpenter glue since it is amply strong (the wood breaks away from the joint), it is far easier to clean up (with a lot of elbow grease you can remove a dried glue finger print, for example), and the II and III are water resistant, but not marine grade. When I build outdoor furniture, I want marine grade because I often see the items stored poorly where a joint could be under water for an extended period. For indoor use, I don't need water resistance, even in cutting boards. But Titebond III is a PVA glue that should work fine.

I use plastic resin glue for veneering and bent wood laminations. It does not have any creep and is quite waterproof. (Creep is good when gluing dissimilar woods, or wood where the grain isn't perfectly aligned, but is intolerable when the joint is under stress, like bentwood laminations)

[Tom Overthere]

Thanks, Charlie, for the lesson. The information is very helpful.

Tom

[Chris Padilla]

PVA (polyvinyl acetate) are your standard white and yellow wood glues:

Elmers, Titebond I/II/III, Probound, "Carpenters", Gorilla Wood Glue, etc. I think you would be just peachy using any of them.

If your work ends up out in the weather, the plastic resin is good, maybe poly (AKA Gorilla Glue...not the Gorilla Wood Glue), and finally, epoxy can rarely be beat.

As has been said, good joinery is the key to minimizing glue lines but all of these should work fine for you.

[Tom Overthere]

Thanks for the additional detail, Chris. It's good to be aware of these distinctions, after having "glossed them over" for years. 'More to it than simply "squeezin' out the Titebond"... :D