Taking apart glued joints (PVA)

[KingwoodFan1989]

Well, I glued up the main case of the dresser I am building the other day...needless to say, I did a pretty shoddy job of routing the dadoes that my dust frames are fitted into. Specifically, I was having to adjust the depth manually between joints in order to rout each in two passes, so as to not overload my router. I tried being as accurate as I could, but several of the joints were open by a noticeable amount (like half of them or more). I tried patching the gaps with some solid wood of the same species, but it looks all too obvious. There were a couple of other joints on the project that aren't up to par either, and I'd rather stay away from patching as much as possible.

I've read online that there are methods for softening PVA glue joints, but what's the easiest and safest way? I don't want to just cut the dust frames out and re-rout the dadoes...I'd have to redo the frames and I'd rather save them. I know I'd have to lower my router bit by a few thousandths or so and try to consistently rout each joint in a row without changing the router's settings, though.

[Alan S]

What glue did you use?  You may be able to soften the glue with heat, but it can be difficult to get the entire joint hot enough.  I would glue up some scrap and experiment with that. 

If the cases are strong but unsightly, it might be enough to cover the ends of the dados with a face frame.

If you have a lot of parts that need to be routed in several passes and end up at the same depth, you can run them all over the router before changing the bit height, then run them all again.  In a small shop this can be tricky to do, but avoids the problem you've encountered.

[KingwoodFan1989]

If the cases are strong but unsightly, it might be enough to cover the ends of the dados with a face frame.

These are actually dadoes that go straight through to the very front of the legs, so a face frame wouldn't be ideal. Plus, I want the drawer fronts to sit flush with the front of the case (including the dust frames), which wouldn't happen if I added on a face frame.

As for the glue I used, I used Titebond 1.

[giradman]

These are actually dadoes that go straight through to the very front of the legs, so a face frame wouldn't be ideal. Plus, I want the drawer fronts to sit flush with the front of the case (including the dust frames), which wouldn't happen if I added on a face frame.

As for the glue I used, I used Titebond 1.

Well, I cannot offer a solution to well cured PVA glue which should be stronger than the adjacent wood fibers - BUT, you might want to post some pics of their appearance and what you are trying to remedy and/or hide - Dave

[Gary G™]

Routing straight lines of increasing depth crookedly suggests the fence was on the wrong side or you were climb cutting.
Is this possible?

[KingwoodFan1989]

Routing straight lines of increasing depth crookedly suggests the fence was on the wrong side or you were climb cutting.
Is this possible?

I wasn't using a router table. I was using my router handheld style with a guide board clamped on to the piece. And yes, the glue is cured.

There are some pics attached to this post. The first is of an example of a joint that's slightly open. The second is how I want every single joint to look (no patch here). The other two are of patched joints. Yeah, across the room you can't tell, but up close it's pretty obvious. I pre-finished all the parts, so I'm not sure if that's where all that white residue is coming from, but it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Is there really no way to get a do-over here without scrapping those dust frames? I just can't stand how the joints look and I'm doing zero justice to this project as well as the beautiful species of wood I chose to build it out of if I leave them like this. There's gotta be a way to get these joints looking more seamless.

[EricU]

I know I'm a hack, but those look okay to me.

[jasfrank]

Before you go to all the trouble of knocking it apart, try some fine sawdust from some sscrap you have left and mix that with hide glue and work it in, let it dry then sand it. You may get lucky with that mahogany grain.

[KingwoodFan1989]

Before you go to all the trouble of knocking it apart, try some fine sawdust from some sscrap you have left and mix that with hide glue and work it in, let it dry then sand it. You may get lucky with that mahogany grain.

All but one of the gaps are already filled with solid wood, though, and it's glued in place. How would I get that out? Most of what concerns me is that white residue. If I could get rid of that, I might be able to make it work without having to potentially heat up the joints and take them apart and re-glue. It would still be ideal to get the joints perfectly tight without any patches or fillers, though.

Also, I'm using Jatoba, not Mahogany, lol. It's one of my favorite woods, but all of my projects I've made out of it up until this point have had significant flaws. I know, Lord willing, I still have the rest of my life to do many more projects out of Jatoba, but I feel it's about time I do justice to it and make this project have as tight of joints as possible, whether that be through separating and re-gluing the joints or just making seamless repairs. 

[Rob Young]

Well, I glued up the main case of the dresser I am building the other day...needless to say, I did a pretty shoddy job of routing the dadoes that my dust frames are fitted into. Specifically, I was having to adjust the depth manually between joints in order to rout each in two passes, so as to not overload my router. I tried being as accurate as I could, but several of the joints were open by a noticeable amount (like half of them or more). I tried patching the gaps with some solid wood of the same species, but it looks all too obvious. There were a couple of other joints on the project that aren't up to par either, and I'd rather stay away from patching as much as possible.

I've read online that there are methods for softening PVA glue joints, but what's the easiest and safest way? I don't want to just cut the dust frames out and re-rout the dadoes...I'd have to redo the frames and I'd rather save them. I know I'd have to lower my router bit by a few thousandths or so and try to consistently rout each joint in a row without changing the router's settings, though.

Inject some white vinegar and heat things with a heat gun. Through a damp rag to make some steam. Patience pays off 

A router plane does a very good job of leveling dados after routing.

Lots of jig examples for making dados out there  variations on a T-square. Best has two reference fences set by pinching shelf. Bearing on bit follows. 

Or do a rabbet on the shelf to get exact fit to dado. Rabbet faces up, bottom of shelf is reference edge for purposes of dado layout.