Thread: Glue-up in cold weather

I would just take a chance in it. Make it the back half as that will get less abuse. May also be an idea to fix it to the bench in a manner that can be removed later if the worst does happen. My split top is held on by steel angle brackets as its all knock down so I can move it.
Regards
John

What makes you think the Glue joint will fail, apart from dropping it on concrete and introducing stress fractures.

Originally Posted by China

What makes you think the Glue joint will fail, apart from dropping it on concrete and introducing stress fractures.

The manufacturer says to not use it below 55F

Originally Posted by yoboseyo

The manufacturer says to not use it below 55F

Why not bring the pieces inside the house (for a warmer environment) for a few days to help cure it?

Originally Posted by cava

Why not bring the pieces inside the house (for a warmer environment) for a few days to help cure it?

It has already been 3 days. Do you think it's too late?

Edit: also, I wanted to add that it was very hard to squeeze the bottle. I thought it was clogged, but turns out it was just cold

Years ago, a major timber group in a town not far over the hills west of you had a problem with jointed beams, glued up with PVA in cold weather.

If you really want to get them apart, try seeping vinegar into the joing. It will soften Titebond II if it hasn't gone off.

Originally Posted by AlexS

If you really want to get them apart, try seeping vinegar into the joing. It will soften Titebond II if it hasn't gone off.

I'll try that. If if it doesn't seep into the joint, I'll attach the top to the frame dry and rejoint it if it fails. It might not, even with a weak glue joint because the timber is so stable.

I have a question for the other half of the top I haven't glued together yet. Should I move the pieces inside and let it acclimatise for a few days before gluing up? Should I expect the timber to move significantly during that time? I had wanted to keep it in the workshop because it's so stable in there and that's where it will stay.

Originally Posted by yoboseyo

I'm afraid if I don't re-glue it, it will delaminate eventually

It's only a workbench, so don't over think it. If it's in one piece now, just use it as is. If (and that's a big "if") it does fail in the future, just fix it then.
If you really want to do it, the quickest method may be to rip the top down the joints on a table saw. That will separate and give you fresh surfaces to re-glue in one hit. But I wouldn't bother.

not hard to read the general consensus dont worry mate

Some food for thought, Cabinet makers, Carpenters, builders all use Various types of wood adhesive, and they don't shut down over winter.

I Just checked the Titebond website. It is rated down to 55°F (12.7°C). Everyone builds at least a little redundancy into their products. You'd assume 10°C would probably be ok. I'm assuming you glued up in the garage/shed, and not outside. How low did it get overnight?

Originally Posted by BEM

I Just checked the Titebond website. It is rated down to 55°F (12.7°C). Everyone builds at least a little redundancy into their products. You'd assume 10°C would probably be ok. I'm assuming you glued up in the garage/shed, and not outside. How low did it get overnight?

about 2C

that figures.
last time I visited Canberra (35 years ago) I had ice on windscreen at 3 in afternoon and I had always though Christchurch NZ was cold

Originally Posted by yoboseyo

about 2C

Don't forget that timber is a fantastic insulator. Given that you were probably using stock around the 30+ mm mark, the internal joint temperature would not have strayed that far from what it was when you did the actual glue-up.