# Best glue to use?



## MKTacop (Apr 12, 2016)

I'm considering making a bowl from some various woods I have laying around. I'm planning to laminate some pieces and maybe do some segmenting. I've used CA glue for laminating/segmenting blanks for pens, but it would take a LOT of CA for this project. For those of you who've done something like this before, what would be a good glue to use, and what glues should I stay away from?


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## teddy evans (Apr 13, 2016)

Lots of people use titebond 2 or 3. I have a friend who likes gorilla glue. Good luck, Ted

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## CWS (Apr 13, 2016)

I would suggest any of the Titebond products.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 2


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## DKMD (Apr 13, 2016)

I'd use titebond III because it's what I've got on hand. CA is brittle, so I'd probably avoid it for a big glue-up like a bowl. I'd probably avoid any of the oily exotics, but the segmenters seem to have good luck with just about every kind of wood.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Woodturner1975 (Apr 14, 2016)

Titebond III ... Does an excellent job in my opinion.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Steve Smith (Apr 27, 2016)

I've used epoxy, weldwood, polyurethane and aliphatic resin glues for my segmented stuff. Mostly experimenting to see if there was a noticeable difference. AFACT, there isn't much difference in effective bond strength between them. Some will argue the relative stiffness of plastic resin (e.g. urea formaldehyde) and epoxies can cause bonds to fail because of relative expansion of the wood from MC changes. I think this is not the case.

I mostly use titebond (any type) because it creates a good bond strength and isn't a pain to clean up after use as well as being the most economical.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## Steve Smith (Apr 28, 2016)

I was curious myself as to the fact and myth of gluing methodology so I contacted titebond to get their response. Here is what I got this morning:

Steve,

Good morning. Thank you for your interest in our Titebond wood glues!

Our water-based wood glues consist mainly of polyvinyl acetate and polyvinyl alcohol; the polyvinyl alcohol is what actually bonds to the cellulose in the wood.

The bond between the polyvinyl alcohol in the glue and the cellulose in the wood is a chemical-based phenomenon known as “van der Waals” forces or hydrogen bonding. My boss makes the analogy of there being “little magnets” at the interface between the glue and the wood. You may already know this, but smoother wood produces stronger glue joints and interfaces.

It may not seem like that would produce such strong joints, but these forces are enough to make the bond between the glue and the wood so strong that when stressed the bonds break at nearly 4,000 PSI and the wood is what fails the majority of the time.

You absolutely can use our water-based wood glues (Titebond Original, Titebond II, Titebond III) with oily woods, but it is true that wiping with acetone is essential. We recommend wiping the surface with an acetone-soaked rag until the rag comes back clean, which actually can require a couple of hours. Gluing up immediately after wiping is imperative, and clamping will require much longer than usual. Clamping with our water-based wood glues with oily wood is recommended to be for approximately 48 hours. 

We actually recommend using our Titebond Polyurethane Glue when working with oily woods because the product builds strength through a chemical reaction rather than drying like the water-based products. Clamping with Titebond Polyurethane Glue on oily woods would require even more time; three to four days is what is recommended. 

Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. You may call our technical service line from 8 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time for further clarification from one of our knowledgeable team members regarding any of the points I have raised here.

Reactions: Informative 3 | Useful 2


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## MKTacop (Apr 28, 2016)

Wow, very good information. Thanks for sharing!


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## Kevin (Apr 28, 2016)

Learned something already today thanks for that info Steve.


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## Jerry B (Apr 28, 2016)

I belong to the Segmented Turner's chapter of AAW, and myself, along with most other members use Titebond III for most large segmenting projects
Sometimes they'll use Titebond Extend if needing extra glue-up/setting times ...
I've personally tried different glues & epoxies and have had failures with all, I've had minimal failures when using Titebond III


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## Steve Smith (Apr 28, 2016)

Here is some more information I got from an email I sent to Gorilla glue back in August 2003. I thought it was interesting that they almost said, "Don't use PU glue with oily woods." This is one reason why I quit using PU glue and went with other adhesives.

The following is the information I have on those types of woods. I hope this answers your questions and helps with future gluing projects.

*Cocobolo: *Difficult to glue due to very poor glue penetration. Preparation of glue lines is very critical due to the oil in the wood, and it is a question whether to advise gluing with PU-glue at all.

Please note: Grandillo, Ebony is the same as Cocobolo when it comes to technical specifications, and should be treated carefully with regard of being glued with Gorilla Glue or any other reactive glue type. For those type of wood thermoplastic glues are the best, thou they gives a very flexible glue line.

*Rosewood (Jacaranda)*: (A number of types from all over the world are called PALISANDER or ROSEWOOD). As examples: Rio-Palisander, Guatemala Palisander, Para Palisander, Cabiuna Palisander, Honduras Rosewood, Ostindian Rosewood (Palisander), and quite some more. When discussing "Rosewood" or "Palisander" it is important to look behind the commercial number of ideas for trying selling something a given piece of wood it not.Density in the range of 750/900 kg/m3

The general characteristics are though, more or less the same: High resin/oil content, machines pretty well, stable when dried. Careful preparation before gluing required, cleans surfaces with alcohol – not solvents if required. Allow all alcohol to evaporate before gluing, then sand carefully. Apply standard clamping pressure and clamping time.

Due to possible penetration of the wood oil into the glue lines, maximum stability and strength of the glue line may take up to 24 hours to be reached.NOTE: The "TERM" Alcohol for use in removing any oil/resin from a prepared wood surface, is specified as normal "House hold denatured alcohol " of approx. 40 – 60 % concentration. This means: when applying alcohol, you are, at the same time, applying water to the wood. In many cases, this volume of water will be enough to "moisten "the wood sufficiently for adjusting moisture content in the surface, for the glue to react.

Please note: Grandillo, Ebony is the same as Cocobolo when it comes to technical specifications, and should be treated carefully with regard of being glued with Gorilla Glue or any other reactive glue type. For those type of wood thermoplastic glues are the best, thou they gives a very flexible glue line.

*Hard Maple:* 550/750 kg/m3. The surface trends to show very shiny when machined, and sanding is strongly recommended before gluing.

The Maple accepts only light moistening. Sanding after moistening is also recommended.

"Hard Maple" requires high clamping pressure.

Extended clamping time is recommended >4 hours/20 C.

*DIFFICULT TO GLUE – OR GLUE WITH CARE:*Sapupira: South America: Very oily wood type

Angelin: Central America: Very closed cell structure "wets poorly"

Granadillo: Tropical central America: As stated above,

Partrice: Central/tropical America: Difficult to machine, "wets" poorly

Sabrewood: Tropical America: Newer stops sweating oil.

Reactions: Informative 1 | Useful 1


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## Steve Smith (Apr 28, 2016)

I received a follow up email from titebond. The statement regarding acetone vs mineral spirits is what is most interesting.


Thank you for in interest in learning more about the gluing up process. 

We do agree with the people advocating to wipe the wood surface with acetone before gluing up oily or exotic woods. We have found acetone is the best thing over mineral spirits of other solvents because the acetone flashes right away.

Removing the dirt and oil out of those pores will allow the glue to soak into the pores better. Titebond II Premium Wood Glue and Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue do have a better job adhering exotic and oily wood than Titebond Original Wood Glue. Longer clamp time may be needed when using a water-based glue. 

Polyurethane glues and 2-part epoxies can be used to glue up exotic and oily woods with much success. If using polyurethane-based glue, it’s important to wet the wood surface with water just before gluing. Polyurethane is activated by moisture, and it may not receive enough moisture to cure properly if the wood has been kiln-dried and is very low in moisture content.

Reactions: Informative 2 | Useful 2


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