Thread: Terms of Endearment

Hickory - know the feeling well - dry-fit seemed flawless, but the second tenon in the leg wouldn't seat properly. Only in my case, I just screwed harder on the clamp (get home, you.....) AFTER the mortised piece busted, I looked at it closely, & found that one tenon had intruded into the other's space under clamp pressure enough to stop the second from snugging up. I had a lot more time to think of many more choice expletives (directed at my own stupidity) while I re-made the leg!
Cheers,

If you think that's exciting, you should try glueing a length of 40mm PVC into the socket at the bottom of an expensive spa bath through a hole in the wall of a cupboard in the room next door to the bathroom. You only get one shot at it, no pulling it apart and having a think about it. :mad:

Yep, commisserations, glueing up can be a tense time. My lot now know to stay well clear of me when I'm glueing up a project Was putting together a shelf top recently. It went together really well, then two days later we got rain, then fine and dry, then rain. After the first lot of rain, the top warped and bowed, then after the second lot it went straighter than ever. :confused:

cheers
Wendy

Can't we all relate? Thanks for the post and feel free to rant any time.

I had my most difficult glue up (to date) on Saturday, and now realise it was probably due to the wet weather. Lots of excessive clamping pressure, quite a few well placed (I hope) slams with the mallet. Had to get a ladder type back glued vertically, then horizontally into the legs, then add the front and back rails (it is a bench), then stood back finally to admire, then realised I left out a stretcher. Unclamp, insert, clamp, hammer. Son's rugby match coming up, time running out, check the diagonals again all three sets of diagonals, surely there's an easier way, this fit perfectly last weekend why is it so difficult now, wish I could afford a domino, honey will you fix me a sandwich to eat on the way to the game, how could I have broken that mallet and why did the head have to fly into mine, grab a hammer, where did that glue drip come from, check the diagonals again, if I unclamp this panel clamp to use on the back will the front slip, yes, Ok we'll use straps, maybe I can afford a domino, check the diagonals, slip a strap on diagonal number 3, that will have to do let's go to the game and hope for the best.

Isn't this fun?

Tex

PS It has dried square enough, not too many ugly gaps, and no I still can't afford a domino.

Can relate to that all right. Would it have helped if someone had phoned you just as it was going together?
chair from hell
Good when it all works out OK in the end though.

I remember not so long ago glueing up three panels with biscuits, marked panels, slotted with jointer, glue, 2/0 biscuits in slots, clamps, tighten........bugger, won't come together, jointer was set for 0/0, sod it, with the speed of 1000 startled rhinocheri I manged to get it all apart, reapply the jointer, proper biscuits (as the glued ones were buggered now) and reclamp.
Just love a little exitement in a leisurely activity:mad:

I dry assembled the whole carcass of a buffet that I'm making today (a total of amlost 50 rails, stiles & buttons), plus 4 raised panels for the 2 ends set into expansion slots, plus about 100 Dominos.

It's just as well that I did a dry run as I found that some of the rail mortices "just" intersected with some stile ones, which meant that I had to re-mortice the stile ones after the rail Dominoes were inserted. Once in, they will interlock and nothing but C4 will get them out :eek:

Amazing how the whole edifice comes out square

Lord help me though, when it comes to glue up if I mess up the sequence (I did make notes ). Also, because of Domi's accuracy, everything has to be presented square else it won't fit (especially the case with double Domi's on a rail/stile joint).

I normally use PVA (Titebond II or III), but am thinking I might take a tip out of Rocker's book and use techniglue epoxy because of the amount of working time available.

Steve,

I love Techniglue for complex glue-ups. It removes a lot of the stress, since you have plenty of time, unless the weather is very hot, and, even then, the working time is about 30 minutes. I also like the fact that it is less runny than PVA and doesn't drip everywhere. In fact, I have ordered another batch of Techniglue, since I am fairly sure that it is stronger than Epox-E-glue, which doesn't seem to cure nearly as hard. I am putting off glueing up my zigzag chair with 22.5° mitres until I get the Techniglue.

Rocker

Thanks David,

I have some techniglue, and will use that.

How do difficult do you find squeeze out clean up to be. In my experience expoxy has a tendency to soak into the pores of the wood, so making for a difficult clean-up operation. I especially want the visible faces to free from glue marring under the shellac (outside) and Danish oil (inside) faces.

Over the past 2 1/2 years since getting back into w/work, I've stuffed up enough jobs with ineffective clean-up before finishing, so with a relatively expensive customer piece, I don't want to foul up...

Originally Posted by Auld Bassoon

......but am thinking I might take a tip out of Rocker's book and use techniglue epoxy because of the amount of working time available.

Piker - where's your sense of adventure??

With you on that Basoon. I also use Techniglue and the clean up takes hours. Ironically I find that a big goober of squeeze out comes off vclean, whereas the slight smeers are a bugger to fix.

Incidentally, in my ignorance I bought the slow hardener. You have about 6 hours to work with! Often takes over 24 hours before cured.

Steve,

With Techniglue, I think it is best to be a bit sparing, so that there is not excessive sqeeze-out, and then not touch it until the epoxy has cured. I then pare off the squeeze-out with a chisel (preferably LN)

Now that Spring is here, and summer is not far off, I think the slow hardener is the way to go; that is the only one you can get from Carbatec in Brisbane. But we have a better climate up here

Rocker

A couple of tips with using techniglue (which, BTW, I think is a wonderful glue).
When you do a dry assembly, smear wax (any old stuff will do) around the places where you don't want squeeze out to go. After you've glued up and it's set, the squeeze out can be peeled away with a chisel. If the glue has completely hardened, wear safety glasses, as the chips can be sharp & brittle. The wax can be cleaned away with white spirit and a toothbrush.
After you've mixed up the glue, (and you have to really mix it well) don't leave it in a blob, smear it out on the mixing surface. When epoxy is mixed, it generates its own heat, which makes it set quicker. Smearing it out allows more of this heat to be dissipated, giving you more working time. Seems counter-intuitive, I know, but it's true.

Alex,

I agree with all your comments about Techniglue, but I am wondering whether smearing wax might be unsuitable for my favourite finish - Minwax wipe-on poly. Would the finish adhere properly to wood with traces of wax on it? Or can the wax be easily removed with a solvent?

But anyway, I think squeeze-out is much less of an issue with epoxy than it is with PVA glue. Any traces of squeeze-out of PVA glue will cause a very unsightly blemish when the finish is applied. But remaining traces of squeeze-out of epoxy are far less noticeable.

Rocker