Working on the table top and using PVA (instead oh hide glue), I have some areas of thick squeeze out. I’ve seen both that you should and shouldn’t wipe it off fresh. I didn’t.
what do you use to take it off once it’s hardened?
[OP]
Contributor
Working on the table top and using PVA (instead oh hide glue), I have some areas of thick squeeze out. I’ve seen both that you should and shouldn’t wipe it off fresh. I didn’t.
what do you use to take it off once it’s hardened?
Contributor
I've been using a Veritas flush trim plane, the inexpensive one, for 10-15 years. It's one tool that never leaves my bench.
The significant problems we encounter cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.
The penalty for inaccuracy is more work
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Less glue works and saves money.
Chris
Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening
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Sharp chisel, followed by card scraper.
[OP]
Contributor
still trying to find that balance. Already used it on just one side.Originally Posted by Chris Parks
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It is easiest to get it off before it hardens. Usually after a few hours the PVA glue is still soft though not runny. It can be taken off easily with a not so sharp chisel used bevel down or a putty knife.
Once it is hard, a bevel down chisel will still work, just be careful not to dig into the wood. A wide putty knife can also work coming in from the side instead of running along the joint.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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I like to use a crank chisel. I can keep the blade flat on the surface and not dig into the wood. In tight places, well I'm still working on that one. A regular drinking straw works well also. Flatten one end of the straw and run it down the glue line. The glue will run up into the straw and will remove most of the squeeze out. This method only works if the glue is still runny.
My Dad always told me "Can't Never Could".
SWE
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I have according to my wife and most of my friends a real short patience span. Having that cleaning up glue squeeze out with anything with a cutting edge usually leaves gouges in the piece I am working on.
I learned long ago that a damp not wet rag at the time of squeeze out works best for me. Reaching under the pipe clamps can be a pain but managed by tossing a rag on the work and using a thin stick to work around and under the pipe. Yes I am old school and still use a ton of pipe clamps and not the nice parallel modern jobs.
About the amount of glue.....there are some theories out there that if you are getting glue squeeze out you are using too much glue burning up $$ and just not gluing your work correctly and have to deal with all that squeeze out. The problem with this again I am old school thinking in that you can't have too much glue you can only have not enough.
Here is a vid from Stumpy Nubs woodworking on squeeze out. I like this guy he is pretty much just the facts and make up your own mind kind of guy. He is an advocate of mechanically removing semi cured glue. He uses a scraper not a cutting edge. Notice while Stumpy is cleaning up the squeeze there are no clamps in the way. I don't like removing clamps while the squeeze out is still soft again that is an old school mentality.
Bottom line there are many rules in woodworking but the only good rule that works every time is do what works for you. Be open to other methods but don't stop doing what you are doing because someone tells you it is wrong. Without understanding the benefits to you and the way you work following the crowd can just get you lost.
calabrese55
Stumpy Nubs link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ97tTd21Oo
Let your hands tell the story of the passion in your heart
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I flatten the face of a panel or table after glue up, so that glue gets planed away in the process.
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Id say depends on your work top. I like to bring out the silicone mats if im going glue ups, they prevent everything. But in reality I often forget. I also like to put wax paper over my bar clamps but forget to do that also. Since I often forget the prevention I usually wipe up. Bench has been going strong for 4 years without having to refinish top. I chiseled, sanded, and oiled when I got it(used).
If I do miss something it will most definitely screw me up in the future by preventing something from sitting flat.
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^^This^^ After an hour or so, I take the clamps off. The glue will be "rubbery" and will peel right off. I have a dedicated OMG-ratty, stained, battered, card scraper, for this task.
Dye will not take on glue. I had to learn to NOT wipe the glue off because my early days were QSWO. The glue will get forced into the open grain - especially when watered down with a damp/wet wiping cloth. THe only way out is to plane/sand throgh the pores. Nope - not happening a second time. Note the glue-line slots in the cauls.
May 10 Temp021.JPG May 10 Temp023.jpg May 10 Temp024.JPG May 10 Temp027.jpg May 10 Temp025.jpg
I feel a whole lot more like I do now than I did a little while ago.
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Wet rag, before the glue dries. That's the best option, though not always an option. After that, I'll use a hand plane, chisel, card scraper, whatever. It largely depends on how much glue I have to remove, how easy it is to access, and what else needs to be done. Though the quicker you can remove it the easier it is to remove. If you can get to it while it's still gummy, it's a lot less of a hassle to remove.
Typically, it's not a problem. The only time I've had problems is when getting dried glue out of the ends of miter joints. And then, it's either a case of being careful or backing the miter joint with a block of scrap, like you might with planning end grain for support.
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IMG_20230222_190001589.jpg
This scraper by Bahco is amazing. I use it for glue, paint, varnish, or anything else I don't want to use a good edge on. The scrapers are carbide and last a good long while too.
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saved a whole lot of frustration using one of these on my bench top glue up, especially since I intentionally over glued. I'd rather do that than deal with a top delaminating in the future.
~mike
happy in my mud hut
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I use a Bahco scraper while the glue is still rubbery (about 1-1.5 hrs after glue up) to remove most of it. Based on references here before, I discovered the thick scraper sold by Stewmac that is super effective in removing the last bit of glue in addition to general scraping tasks:
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...8aArvzEALw_wcB
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