I have a few flat, flexible "plasticy" things for spreading wide areas and use inexpensive "acid" brushes for edges. Sometimes, I just grab a scrap of wood. LOL
I have a few flat, flexible "plasticy" things for spreading wide areas and use inexpensive "acid" brushes for edges. Sometimes, I just grab a scrap of wood. LOL
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
I've tried almost every object that could possibly smear glue. This has become my go to.
Glue brushes from Woodcraft.
Old credit cards cut with pinking shears. Makes a great serrated edge and very cleanable. Do not use wife's good ones. DAHIK. Bought wife new one and shop inherited old pair.
I save a lot of scrap slivers from ripping wood to size for either glue applicators or paint(finish) paddles. For dovetails, I find acid brushes work best. For mortises, I find the wood slithers work great. For larger surfaces, I use a putty knife. In most cases, I will start by applying the glue with the squirt bottle, then spread the glue out with the applicator.
Chris
Finger for edge gluing.
For getting glue into mortises, domino holes, and biscuit holes, the end of a six-inch machinist's rule. I already have it at hand, so there's no cost to it.
For spreading glue over large areas, it depends upon what glue. For ordinary wood glue, I use a toothed trowel. It is a steel one with small teeth, intended for spreading adhesive under linoleum. For smaller areas, I make a toothed trowel from a dead credit card. I just notch the edges with a bandsaw; no need to acquire pinking shears for the shop. For spreading epoxy, which I now use for most veneering and laminating, I use a paint roller. The nap on the roller cover is as short as I can find. I generally buy 8" covers, and cut them into 4" ones.
Oh, you were right about it being small. Very small. The roller is only about 1-1/2" wide. That sure wasn't obvious from the picture. Anyway, it's too small for doing panels, but might be great for spreading glue on edge glue ups.
I wish I could find something like it but 4 - 5" wide and 1 - 2" diameter.
John
For edge gluing I often run a glue bead down one piece sitting with the glue edge facing up, then rub the mating piece over it a bit to spread the glue evenly on both pieces. I either manipulate the top board to cover any bare spots or use my finger.
For most other joints, I use the small plastic paddles or a small strip of wood that I cut from appropriately sized off-cuts every now and then when I run low.
For dovetails, I use the plastic paddles or acid brushes.
My fingers almost always get involved in the process and the front of my jeans usually shows evidence that I wipe the glue off without thinking.
No one likes the 3 piece set of spreaders sold alongside Bondo? Just the thing for Urea Resin when I do veneer. Unlike Bondo though, the hardened resin doesn't just flake off, you have to keep ahead of it.
PVA I use the 4" hard rubber roller I bought I know not where after pouring or squirting it on the work piece. Acid brushes or fingers for the nooks and crannies.
Just as in life, everything works sometimes.
I'll use a finger to spread the glue if I'm edge-joining anything up to 3/4-inch. For M&Ts and similar surfaces, either an acid brush or a cheapie chip brush (pictured below, I think they use pig hair) with the hairs cut short. And if it's a wide surface, like a veneer or a face gluing of some kind, then I'll use a square notched spreader with something like a 1/16-inch notch (pictured).
paint-brushes-1500-3-64_1000.jpg sqNotchSpreader.PNG
For edge gluing, I like a palette knife:
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/w...knives-4pc-set
For larger glueups I use a medium density glue roller designed for veneering:
https://www.veneersupplies.com/produ...ue-Roller.html
Mike
It's so dry in the shop in the winter, when I do most of my woodworking, that thinly spread glue can dry before I get the pieces together. Normally I don't spread woodworking glue prior to assembly. I lay medium sized lines across the surface, guessing how much would be needed to make an even coat, and then put the pieces together. For edge gluing I rub the joint up and down a little before applying the clamps. Since I get a little squeeze out top and bottom. I'm pretty sure I am getting an even coating. For joints like mortice and tenon, I apply glue to the tenon, more towards the end and put them together. For dovetails and finger joints, I dab some glue on the end of the fingers and slide them together. I haven't had any joint failures, so I presume this method is working
If I have a particularly large or complicated glue up, I use liquid hide glue if I can, since it has a much longer open time and doesn't dry out as fast.
Love that little silicone glue roller linked above too. Wish I had a few sizes of them for various things.
I have the veneer supplies foam roller linked above, but it is a bit of a hassle to clean so I use it only when really needed. Based on the recommendations here, I just ordered the silicone roller from Amazon and look forward to trying it. Thanks.