workbench questions

[routermaniac]

Hi guys,

Over the last few months I got started on very s l o w l y building myself a workbench. I am nearly there and the only power tool I used was a biscuit joiner...

Anyway, I need some advise on the best glue to use for the mortice and tenons used as part of the frame.

Also I would appreciate some suggestions with regards to finishing. PS I will post some pics when its all finished but given my free time at present it is unlikely to be anytime soon. The table top is made from crapiata and the base from Australian hardwood.

Thanks for your responses.

[mkb]

West Sytem Expoy, Carbatec sell it. Sticks ... to fur :eek: also very good for gap filling.

[echnidna]

pva is stronger than the wood.

[NewLou]

Any of the modern type glues will do fine & cure harder than the Wood if you prepare your glueups right. How were you planning on glueing the top of your Bench up???..............edge joining or longgrain to longrain??

Wongo recently ran through his glueup process for his bench........... would be worth checking out too~!!!......................Preparation n planning is the key!!

Regards lou

[ian]

Hi guys,

Over the last few months I got started on very s l o w l y building myself a workbench. I am nearly there and the only power tool I used was a biscuit joiner...

Anyway, I need some advise on the best glue to use for the mortice and tenons used as part of the frame.

you may not want to glue the base. Wedged tennons or draw pins would allow the frame to be dissambled should youy ever need to get the bench out the door

Also I would appreciate some suggestions with regards to finishing. The table top is made from crapiata and the base from Australian hardwood.

tongue oil floor sealer

ian

[routermaniac]

thanks for the responses guys...


mkb: this is exactly what I was wondering about, will epoxy be better and stronger than PVA? I huse the triton PVA and usually I get very good results, but given how long this has taken to make, I don't want to take any risks...

newlou: thanks for pointing me to wongos post, I have been away for weeks and have missed it all. The top is finished, biscuits all in place, all it needs is gluing up. I think :confused: I have edge joined the bits and pieces????

ian: too late for wedges mate and anyway I think they may be a little out of my skill range at the moment . I have already cut all the joints, they are standard mortice and tenon (not through mortice), your idea of not gluing it all up is a good one but I really want no movement in the legs.... my joinery is not that accurate yet. I will screw the finished table top however so at least I can get it (the bench) out of my tiny shed in the future (for repairs, moving, etc).

regards

Marios

[Shavings]

Just a suggestion..
If you think being able to pull it apart and move it later would be usefull, what about using pins through the mortise ... drill a hole through the mortise and tenon then push a tight fitting pin through ( could even glue it) when you need to pull it apart knock ( or drill) the pin out.
If you slightly offset the holes then when you push the pin through this should help to draw the joint tight..

Warren

[mkb]

routermaniac,

I use Triton glue (& Titebond II) for my table tops, only use the epoxy where I have dodgy mortice & tenons (gap filling) or anticipate racking in the frame.

I would expect that the epoxy is stronger, but with laminating you will break the wood (yes I've tried it) before you will break the glue line. and the PVA goes on straight from the bottle, whereas you need to mix the epoxy

HTH
Mark

[routermaniac]

thanks guys, sticking with the triton glue and I'll let you know how it goes. Given my small number of clamps I cant see finishing before a couple of weeks. Will post pics when all done.

[Corunetes]

There is no doubt in my mind that the question guaranteed to get a complete hatful of answers is: "What is the best glue to use?"............... No two answers agree but nobody seems to mind either............ ODD! :confused:

[scooter]

Maniac, good luck with the bench project.

Just a suggestion, the Triton glue, despite being yellow in colour, isn't a "yellow glue" (ie. cross linking &/or aliphatic resin type), just a PVA.

This isn't really a drama, except for PVAs being prone to creep after the glue curing.

I'd pick at least a decent aliphatic resin type, eg. Weldbond's Al. Resin, Anton Gerner's is spoken well of here, etc. An alternative, & supposed to be very strong, is a polyurethane glue.


Good luck................cheers................Sean, prone to creeping

[Corunetes]

An alternative, & supposed to be very strong, is a polyurethane glue.

Polyuretrhane is the only glue that I have problems with............... It doesn't pass the "dog chomp test." (I glue some timber pieces together, leave the piece for 2 days and then give it to my friend's Staffy to play with.........) The only failure so far has been the Polyurethane....... (The test was repeated for scientific purposes with the same result.

[Ivan in Oz]

> It doesn't pass the "dog chomp test." (I glue some timber pieces together, > leave the piece for 2 days and then give it to my friend's Staffy to play
> with.........)

Peter,
In what way does it not pass the "Dog Chomp Test"?...What's the test :confused:

Used to breed the Rotton Mongrel SBTs
they rip your heart strings worse than any other Dog;
MAGIC with Kids [children type] though

[Corunetes]

In what way does it not pass the "Dog Chomp Test"?...What's the test

Well, as a person who has bred these dogs you would be aware that they can just about bite through an iron bar........ Hence, give the test piece to the dog and wait for it to start chomping....... If it breaks the glue then it has failed the test, if it is the timber that fails then the glue has passed.
The scientific base for these experiments is a tad questionable but the dog loves it!

[routermaniac]

OK, slow progress on the workbench, the tabletop is nearly there, but I am in the process of finishing up the frame before I complete the gluing of the top...

I had a long think about the suggestion that perhaps the frame should not be glued and I think this is probably the right way to go for me as it is likely I will be moving house in the next couple of years and transporting the glued up frame will be a PITA...

Now I have done a search on the different ways of fixing the the frame with bolts and screws and etc... However when I was doing a test fit of the frame, using tension straps it occured to me that the frame did not rack... zilch, nothing! It doesnt matter how much force I put on the frame, there was no racking????

Is it too far fetched, idiotic, etc to leave that part of the bench fixed in that way so when I need to move I can simply disassemble it and take it with me???? I must mention, I have reservations about drilling through my handcut tenons given the time they have taken to make... (not a reflection of the level of difficulty but my lack of skill!)

I must add that the short sides of the bench are properly glued, the only thing floating is the long pieces of wood (sorry I know there is a name for these but I cant remember it!).

What does everyone think? I have attached a couple of pics...