Thread: Which glue?

People will have their preferences, but I don't think you'll find much better than Titebond for sticking two bits of wood together. Has all the good properties like ease of use, long working time, bond strength, minimal creep, moisture resistance.

There are other glues out there like two part epoxies and polyurethane glues but unless you have particular circumstances that call for them I really don't think that there's any need to go for those. If you are laminating long grain to long grain in a normal environment (not under water or freezing temperatures), you won't do any better.

Agree with silentC.

I use mostly a cross-linked PVA (Selleys Exterior) and Titebond and Selleys PU glues (which have varying open times). Occasionally, CA and epoxies are used.

However, as silentC suggested, if you are gluing long grain to long grain the PVA is fine, and it is cheap. In these circumstances, all the good glues will provide a bond that is stronger than the wood itself, so any additional strength is a moot point.

If you suspect "creep" might be an issue, a PU glue is worth considering. Some PU glues also give a faster cure than PVA, which can be an attraction under some circumstances. Another advantage of PU glues is that you can bond wood to metal (not applicable in the case you raised). Finally, and most importantly, PU glues work better with oily/greasy timbers, which can repel PVA and other water based glues. NG Rosewood is usually OK, but can be quite greasy, especially when the bright colours are present. On one joint, when I was gluing two pieces of red NG Rosewood together, the joint failed at one end, even though I had cleaned the joint with lacquer thinners before the glue up. It was very greasy, but the PU glue worked fine when it was used to re-make the joint.

Have fun!

John

Titebond 3 has my vote!

I agree with Silent and John S. Epoxy is good if you need a longer open time, (or as a gap filler:roll eyes but is otherwise unnecessary.

+1 for PU

Personally I would use Titebond I or II. If I was bending around a form I would use epoxy for the longer open time.

All the Titebonds have different properties.

Titebond is an aliphatic resin (yellow glue) which is your typical woodworking glue. It is sandable and generally won't show as a line through your finish. It's not the best for water resistance.

Titebond II is a modified PVA which has better moisture resistance. It's fine for gluing up cutting boards etc. I use it for most things where you would use normal woodworking glue. It has a faster set time, so less working time than Titebond.

Titebond III is a polymer resin which has better water resistance and is recommended for exterior work, like outdoor furniture etc. It has a slower setting time than Titebond II.

Titebond also make a PU glue. I've never used it.

I have to admit I've never worked with NG Rosewood, so if it is greasy I would heed the advice given by John. I'm pretty sure you don't want it flinging apart on the lathe.

Found this information on PU glue

TT

Thanks everyone for their responses. At this stage I think I'll give the titebond III a go. I plan on posting up some progress pics of the project after it is done, so until then.

Cheers

Simo

Until recently I used Selleys Exterior however have just made the change to TiteBond III as on paper it looks a better glue and it is a fair bit cheaper then Selleys Exterior

Final finish is important to adhesive used. Pva and the crosslinked variants are good adhesives ("glues") but some finishes will not cover/accept them well. So, think well about final finish before you choose your adhesive.
Personally, I use traditional shellac finishes (French Polish) so, I use primarily Pearl glue, i.e. Hoof and hide animal glue. It is te easiest to clean up (hot water on a rag) and works best with shellac finishes.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I typically use shellac on my stuff and have used both yellow glue and hide glue without any apparent problems with the finish. So far

I was thinking of just using TiteBond III for everything (one glue for all woodworking purposes simplifies things) however after doing some reading I am wondering if I need to also have some TiteBond II on hand and be more selective in my glue use.