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Thread: Is Titebond III worth it, and can it be your only wood glue?

  1. #31
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    Seems I'm in minority but I have less faith in TB-III than the other two. I use TB-I on a regular basis and it has never failed me. TB-III has failed at least twice on me. III seems runny and I don't like the fact that it won't wash off cloths as easily.

  2. #32
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    Titebond III is waterproof and, therefore, could be used on almost any project. I have used Titebond II Extend for several years at the suggestion of a Titebond rep. I don't believe it's truly waterproof, but it does satisfy Type II water resistance standards. The biggest advantage for me is it longer open and assembly time, especially on more complicated glue-ups. If I were doing project on which I wanted to be sure it would hold in a more outdoor setting, I'd probably still use Titebond III.

  3. #33
    This thread shows one thing clearly: the power of marketing...that drives many to choose TB III over TB II or I. How many of you who default to TB III really use it because of its water resistance? What were building that needed to be water resistant? And as usual, open time is mixed up with assembly/working time.

    For Pete's sake, how many you have experienced a joint failure because TB III was not used? Close to zero, I would say.

    I have used almost all brands of PVA glues as well as white glue, old brown glue and more, and my conclusion is it does not matter as long as your joint is properly cut, glue fresh (no sour smell), and glue-up done and set in room temp.

    Simon

  4. #34
    I had to put this out there....
    I have worked for years in a textile factory that had a dye room.
    They had 55gal. drums of starch. It smelled and looked like Elmers
    glue. So one day I took some and glued two 2x4's together. I could
    not get them apart the next day. do you think it's all the same thing?

  5. #35
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    I found my tendency is to use TBII orTBIII depending on the color and properties of the material I am working with. This has been talked about recently, tb2 dries whiter/yellower and tb3 browner. I choose it by which one will be easier to hide it. Most all mass manufactured glues are strong enough and work good enough for general use. Had a lot of failures but yet to have anything fail where I blamed the glue.

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    NE Ohio
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    I never buy glue in quantity.

    IMHO - it's penny wise and pound foolish.

    Why risk the integrity of a project for only a pittance?

    I'm rehabbing a house right now & have to build a pantry, linen closet & a couple/three kitchen cabinets & a bunch of doors for the cabinets that are there. n total, I might need a quart of glue.

    I ran across some Elmer's Wood Glue Max @ a closeout store for $1.42 a pint. It's good stuff - 10 to 15 min open time & ANSI type 1 waterproof - - similar product to TBIII.
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  7. #37
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    Oct 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    This thread shows one thing clearly: the power of marketing...that drives many to choose TB III over TB II or I. How many of you who default to TB III really use it because of its water resistance? What were building that needed to be water resistant? And as usual, open time is mixed up with assembly/working time.

    For Pete's sake, how many you have experienced a joint failure because TB III was not used? Close to zero, I would say.

    I have used almost all brands of PVA glues as well as white glue, old brown glue and more, and my conclusion is it does not matter as long as your joint is properly cut, glue fresh (no sour smell), and glue-up done and set in room temp.

    Simon
    Yep, take some PVA, make it yellow instead of white, change the viscocity as needed and market the hell out of it.....don't call me cynical.
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    So why has no one considered Titebond Liquid Hide Glue?! It is the glue I use with all furniture joints - it is has the longest open time of all the glues mentioned, is reversible, does not stain the wood, and cleans up with water. Importantly, it is reversible - have you never screwed up a joint, or needed to repair one? If I need a glue for use in humid (not wet) areas, such as a kitchen, then I use Titebond III. It is not waterproof. If you want waterproof, use a two-pack epoxy.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Parks View Post
    Yep, take some PVA, make it yellow instead of white, change the viscocity as needed and market the hell out of it.....don't call me cynical.
    Your cynicism is fair, if there really is no difference of note between the glues. But the differences in open and assembly time and chalk temperature are real, and make a difference in my shop at least. The difference in price is also real, but for most non-production woodworkers, irrelevant on most projects. If I'm not doing something very glue intensive (like glued bent laminations, e.g.) a quart of PVA glue will last me 6 months or more of every weeked shop work. Titebond III costs $4 or $5 more per quart than Titebond II or Original. It's literally a rounding error in my materials cost over a 6 month period - the equivalent of a board foot of very ordinary hardwood.

  10. #40
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    I have never had a problem with open time and I think a lot of people get hung up on it to some extent but then I have never had to assemble a complex piece of furniture or what I call complex. Also I think most people use too much glue altogether, if pieces tend to slide and move when assembling then it is time to look at how much glue is being used as the glue is causing the parts to float on fluid so to speak. If I am gluing panels for instance I will use enough glue for it to be just seen on the surface and then wait a bit until the panels when put together do not float on the glue at all and when aligning the top and bottom surface they stay put. It is a bit of a balancing act and some practise on scrap will not go astray. BTW I have never had a panel come apart using that method and get damn all squeeze out.
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  11. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    Your cynicism is fair, if there really is no difference of note between the glues. But the differences in open and assembly time and chalk temperature are real, and make a difference in my shop at least. The difference in price is also real, but for most non-production woodworkers, irrelevant on most projects. If I'm not doing something very glue intensive (like glued bent laminations, e.g.) a quart of PVA glue will last me 6 months or more of every weeked shop work. Titebond III costs $4 or $5 more per quart than Titebond II or Original. It's literally a rounding error in my materials cost over a 6 month period - the equivalent of a board foot of very ordinary hardwood.
    I agree, Elmers, TB1, TB2, TB3 all seem plenty strong to me. Chalk Temp and open time are important for complicated glue ups and as someone said about the attached unheated garage temp issue. (Which I have.)

    Believe what you want, and I'm sure I might get beat up over this one. When I started teaching there was closets full of Elmers Glue All, I think the previous guys got a quantity deal and stocked the place. 30 years later I used up the last of it and saw no change in working properties or strength................not sure if it is the same with TB products.

  12. #42
    +1 on Simon's words. This has been my experience. 3 has a little more open time so I tend to use it for that marginal peace of mind alone. That being said, if I really am concerned with water resistance or open time I will use epoxy.

    TB3 dries dark brown vs orange, so that might be a consideration on darker woods.

    But I agree that the glue choice isn't so critical most of time as is proper joint prep.

  13. #43
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    I use II rather than III, and occasional hide glue. There are subtle differences.

    I also veneer with II and haven’t experience creep with shop dawn veneers. I spoke to Franklin prior to using it, they said it would work fine and it has. I make boxes and panels and have the ability to check in on them routinely. I started this routine after running out of cold press glue and found that I liked II better than cold press glue. I’ve had considerably fewer issues with II than other veneer glues.

    One problem is that I cannot actually consume enough glue to make it worthwhile to maintain so many glues.

    I have used plenty of Old Brown Glue, it’s great for certain things but I’m less than impressed overall. It’s brittle and so it makes noise in stained connections. I may continue to use it for special cases but not for general use.

    In theory you can dissassemble a joint made with hide glue, but a joint with sufficient surface area and little access to that surface area is going to be very difficult to take apart.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  14. #44
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    Jun 2014
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    Western PA
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    Mine comes down to simplicity. I never know if im going to be gluing up a quick end grain board, countertop, indoor furniture, or outdoor furniture. I keep west systems epoxy on hand for when i need bulletproof exterior resistance. The rest of the time i buy III by the gallon. I use 4-5 gallons of TB III a year. I have noticed some creep on the walnut arms of my morris chair, but the sapele chair next to it doesnt have the same creep issues. Other than that, it has performed well indoors and outdoors. I have two adirondack chairs that get the snot beat out of them by snow, sun, and rain, and those were put together with TB III. I did read that TB I is actually stronger on indoor applications than TB III, but i like having one glue on hand that covers all my bases well.

  15. #45
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    Jan 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Hughes View Post
    I hardly ever use titebond 3 anymore. I’ve actually found Elmer’s Glue all white glue to do most of my needs. It has a very long open time it’s translucent dry and inexpensive.
    I have also been using this as well in some recent (not-outdoor) projects, primarily for the very long open time.
    Note that there are some downsides to buying this in quantity -- if there are munchkins in the vicinity, pay attention if they start asking about borax...

    I would recommend dating your glue bottles.

    Matt

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