for table top glue-ups: what glue do you use?
#11
I've done several glue-ups of table tops in the past months. While my theory is that good work takes time, and the use of white wood glue does, I started wondering if I couldn't speed up the process a little by using, for example, gorilla glue.

I tried to find a comparison between the 2 and couldn't. I image this subject has come up here quite a bit, but a quick search didn't yield any meaningful results. 

Who can share his experiences? Should I stick with white glue?

Thanks for any opinion!

D
To do is to be (Camus)
To be is to do (Sartre)
Doo Bee Doo Bee Doo (Sinatra)
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#12
Gorilla brand glue now has a white glue in addition to the polyurethane glue they're known for.  If you're talking about polyurethane glue vice PVA, how much time do you think you're going to save?  If I glue up a tabletop with PVA like Titebond, then I might leave it in clamps overnight.  I think Titebond recommends clamps for a couple of hours, and states the glue joint reaches full strength in 24 hours.

Poly glues have their place, but in my opinion, furniture projects are not that place.  I keep some around, but mainly for outdoor use on things that involve treated lumber where moisture content is high.
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#13
Several years ago one of the magazines did a comparison.  I don't remember any details, but decided, I would go with Titebond II and Titebond III for cutting boards.  Have not had any issues.
"I tried being reasonable..........I didn't like it." Clint Eastwood
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#14
I still use the Original Titebond unless I want a little more working time, then I use 3. 
I pretty much let everything dry overnight since I don't typically get into the shop until later in the day. In my case almost all my woodworking is for me, so I figure I have the rest of my life to get it finished. 

--
See ya later,
Bill
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#15
I don't see any advantage of polyurethane glue for reduce clamp time.  The advantage of polyurethane glue is that it doesn't creep and it's high temperature performance.  TB Original is pretty good for bent laminations, II and III aren't although some argue otherwise.  Polyurethane glues are even better than TB Original, on par with Plastic Resin Glue and epoxy.  Titebond's Polyurethane glue has much better high temperature performance than any of their yellow glues.  This is of no importance for most indoor work, but if you make exterior projects, like doors, shutters, etc. then sun exposure causes a large temperature gain and yellow glues lose half to 75% of their RT strength, plus they creep more.  TB's Polyurethane glue has about 2X the strength of any of the yellow glues after 8 hours at 150F and low creep.  

John
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#16
Original Titebond....cutting boards get TB2.

Ed
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#17
After some problems with glue creep, all my tops (at least the larger ones) are glued with plastic resin (urea-formaldehyde) glue. Truthfully, I'd use it for everything if it wasn't such a PITA to use. But if anything it will slow down the glue p process since it has to be clamped overnight. Needs to be a little warmer as well. Then there's the problem with color, it a darker glue so on light woods like maple it can show a seam. Despite all that, it's my favorite for tops.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#18
(09-19-2020, 08:17 PM)jteneyck Wrote: I don't see any advantage of polyurethane glue for reduce clamp time.  The advantage of polyurethane glue is that it doesn't creep and it's high temperature performance.  TB Original is pretty good for bent laminations, II and III aren't although some argue otherwise.  Polyurethane glues are even better than TB Original, on par with Plastic Resin Glue and epoxy.  Titebond's Polyurethane glue has much better high temperature performance than any of their yellow glues.  This is of no importance for most indoor work, but if you make exterior projects, like doors, shutters, etc. then sun exposure causes a large temperature gain and yellow glues lose half to 75% of their RT strength, plus they creep more.  TB's Polyurethane glue has about 2X the strength of any of the yellow glues after 8 hours at 150F and low creep.  

John

I use Gorilla poly exclusively on mortise and tenon joints... and that's all.  My completely unscientific experiments with Gorilla, Titebond, and one other poly (System III maybe) pegged Gorilla as the 'most practical' of the three.   Used it one time on a tabletop and it came apart first time I tried to move it (right on the glue lines).   To be fair, I've never tried it again on a flat glueup of any sort, and it's probably been 15 years.   I use DAP Weldwood resin for panels.  Don't like the creep of the PVAs for furniture, but I do keep a bottle of Titebond Ultimate around for shop stuff and cabinet boxes.
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#19
I use Titebond Original on darn near everything wood.
Steve

Missouri






 
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020








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#20
I do not happen to have a bottle of original titebond so I can not speak for it and I have never used polyurethane glue so I will remain quite. But I do have a bottle of Titebond !! and III in front of me so I am not speaking off the top of my head.

Forgive me if I am wrong but I believe that the directions for use by the manufacturer can be followed if you are going to use the product. If one reads the instructions on a titebond II I label I believe it reads, and clamp for a minimum of 30 minuets. It did not say it had to be clamped for one hour. It did not say it had to be clamped overnight it said for a minimum of 30 minutes. It also states that the joint should not be stressed for 24 hours.

It did not say that you couldn't remove the clamps after a minimum for 30 minutes, it says do not stress the joint for 24 hours

It also says to use it when the temperature of the glue and the material being glued  are above 55 degrees F. 

Titebond III  says clamp for a minimum of 30 minutes, ( longer is better) It did not say for one hour or over night in the clamps Also it says use when the glue and material are above 45 degrees F. 


The actual question is about speeding up the gluing process. and following the manufacturer's directions about clamp time may indeed speed up the process.

Now from my observations I find that when gluing up a panel I find that I get a better job when I glue up less pieces  at a time and leave them in the clamps for an hour and then continue the glue up. Glue squeeze out is easier to deal with before it has had time to fully set up and 30 minimum are not quit enough for me. An hour works better for me. I did not write that it has to be done this way, I wrote it works better for me and why I do it this way.

When I say from my observations that is opinion not fact. If you want to leave in in the clamps over night that is fine with me, nothing wrong with it but is is opinion and not fact. And the fact is it does not have to be left in the clamps overnight according to the manufacturer.

So by following the manufacture's actual directions, it may indeed speed up the process.

Tom
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