Thread: How to edge glue ?

Here is a good link that I used when I was starting on edge gluing.

Good luck with it. Kwila has a lot of oil in it, so not sure how it will go with the edge joints

Mate

A good jointer plus No 7 jointer plane will do the job, I have recentley edge jointed the boards for the top of my bench and too my suprise it was very difficult to get them perfectly flat. I have what you called a " sprung joint" because the boards are so long. So I sharpened my No 6 and very slowly took a few very fine licks from the edges...the gap slowly started to close.

You are aiming for a nice even glue squueze out when you clamp them up ...(don't over tighten!!) just enough pressure to close the gap.

If you don't have a jointer then a No 7 jointer hand plane, some patients and a lot of time should see you have good success.

Biscuits are really only for alignment and I have been told that they do not add strength at all....

Take your time, go slow and use good glue! If Kwila is oily then maybe an epoxy is the way to go but I think Titebond 2 should be fine.

Cheers

Milo

Biscuits are good for alignment, and they add a little to strength, but good edge joints have lasted since long before biscuits were invented.
Plane the edges to be joined together. Clamp the two boards in a vice, and plane them. A #7 jointer if you have one, but most of us don't and a #5, or even a #4 at a pinch will do the job. A slightly 'sprung' joint is good, but not essential. It just allows for a little shrinkage at the ends of the boards.
Immediately before you glue kwila (and most eucalypts, too) wipe the surfaces liberally with acetone. It evaporates immediately. Most modern glues will be stronger than the wood.
For boards that length, you could use 3 clamps - 2 below and one above. Don't do them up too tight, just so you get a bit of squeeze-out along the whole joint. I generally leave clamped up overnight. Don't do your glue-up if it's going to be too cold.

Thanks very much for these excellent responses, much appreciated.

Looking at a couple of FWW issues, they recommend cauls across the timber to keep them aligned.

If I were to use biscuits, would I still need cauls on the ends and across the middle?

Jill

When you are researching try "rubbed joints" as this was the old desciption of joining two edge boards. After preparation of the boards and glue is applied, the two boards are rubbed together lengthwise to achieve a spread of the glue.

It was the way tables used to be made. The end grain of the boards should be inspected so when glued together the growth rings will be alternate. Hard to descibe but in an exaggerated fashion it should look a little like the end of corrugated iron. The purpose of this is to eliminate the cupping effect.

Narrow boards will reduce the tendency to cup, but it is more work. If the biscuit jointing is done accurately it will keep the boards from sliding out of position. You will have done extremely well if you don't have to plane the surface flat after glueing up is complete. I would expect that you will.

It will have helped considerably if the boards as well as being alternated for growth rings are also placed so the grain is running in the same direction. Otherwise when you come to the final planning operation you may have to plane against the grain. Some timbers are very unforgiving in this regard, but I don't know about Kwila as I have never used it.

Lastly (at last she says) most outdoor tables are left with the boards not joined together. So be aware that your table will want to pick up moisture and move.

Regards
Paul

As Bushmiller said, reverse the growth rings alternately. Also make sure the two outer edge boards have the growth rings in a bow up format if they are backsawn, as the boards cup opposite to the rings which will lift the unsupported table edge overhang. This is not an issue if the boards are quarter sawn.

Hello, thanks for all your ideas and advice, it helped me have the conficence to go ahead with a lazy susan turntable.

Here is the result: Makiking a lazy susan circular top - lessons learnt