When you guys reach for a bottle of glue, what type do you use and why?

What are the requirements for your specific project, longer open time, shorter open time, when do you use those glues, do you use glue that needs to be melted in a pot?

What are your favorite glues, be brand specific please.

Thanks folks!

 

 

Depends on the application and the complexity of the job. Normally I grab the TiteBond II but if I need more time I'll switch over to TB III. How about everyone else?

TBll. I work fast. :-) I've found a few uses for CA around the shop, too. And 3M 77 is always handy for patterns and sandpapered sticks for special sanding needs.

I use TB III for all my joinery. Used to keep TB II in the shop, but through weighing things out and keeping cost down, I went with TB III. The other glues, I use Kwik Grip for mounting some of the scrolled art work and E6000 for some art work and gluing down felt and other materials as backers. CA Medium is great or small pieces that may break off in fine art work. TB III has a longer set time and is water resistant, which is great for outdoor works.

I typically use TB1 for general gluing when I have simple things to glue as it has a shorter open/working time and if it is an interior project. I use TB3 for things that need a longer open time for adjustment as well as anything that is an exterior project or will come in contact with water like cutting boards and kitchen items. I also us CA glue for various things and like to keep a bottle of "Thin" and "Thick" CA along with a spray can of accelerant as some things have to be glued instantly. I also have a can of 3M spray adhesive which is used for paper templates, but I don't do that very often.

I have a can or two of Elmer's spray glue for scroll saw patterns,

Use a little bit of Super Glue for some things but mostly TB 3 for everything else. A lot of my projects are for outside so need to be water and weather prof.

 

Mostly TiteBond II- even for the rolling pins. I do use Titebond III for any outdoor projects.

A couple of years ago, I made some Tumbling Block trivets.I used CA on them but banded them and used Titebond on the steam bent bands.

I do use CA for repairs (chip outs) and have recently began using it as a pen finish.

Not really as a glue, but mix epoxy with sanding dust to fill knots and checks.

Wow - what a topic - so far, It looks like personal favorites over hard facts - and I'm one of them

TB II for most jobs

TB III for outside jobs

CA gel for quick fixes

E6000 for bonding scroll on back boards

3M 77 for patterns

Every once in a while I have to epoxy something

Second question, do any of you consider the color of the glue for the project you are using?

Sometimes.

The TBIII dries to a more tan color while TB I and II dries to more of a yellow color. Most of the time it is not a big deal but sometimes it will make a difference especially if you are not staining the wood but only putting on more of a clear coat finish.

I'm going to chime in here too although I am a bit late into the discussion. I use Titebond 3 for gluing all wood together, I have never used Titebond 2 so I am not sure what the difference is.

When I am gluing a turning to a waste block I use hot glue only, I don't have a name offhand but it is yellow sticks, they melt at about 365 degrees or so but really are best at about 380 which is the temp that my glue gun gets to. any colder and the bond will suffer a fail because it didn't get hot enough.

I use, by Gallon when available, water resistant TiteBond and Elmers, because they work well, give me a good workable dry time and are both very affordable by the gallon. (99% of the time color does not matter. I'm very good with scrapers.)

As a traditional woodworker I also use hide glues, but I'm comfortable with those because I've been shooting traditional Archery for over 30 years and have won many competitions shooting 31" 23/64th arrows I've made and glued all 100% natural.

Great information guys, thank you so much for providing your preferences here and sharing.

I was just curious if anyone has gone outside of the Titebond monopoly with the glues, and it appears for the most part, Titebond is still favored as the darling of woodworking glues.

I also like my Titebond II for woodworking, when fast glue ups are a good thing, and I want a quicker setup time.

And I love Titebond III when I need to work a bit slower such as gluing up large dovetailed cases where you tend to need to manipulate clamps around a bit more no matter how good the planning is!

I like to match color or at least I like to use dark glue with dark woods, and light glue for light woods. If there is a micro gap or a very small gap in your joinery, it can help disguise it, more so with dark woods such as walnut. The Tightbond for dark woods is great for this especially if you are going au-natural with the finish. Once a coat of oil is applied, you cannot tell the difference between the dark glue and the walnut, it does help me since I am far from a perfect joiner!

Thanks again folks,

Keep small containers of wood shavings by size and species, mix them in where your glue shows.

Will probably make another great blog post I can do, just let me know when the site is ready.

A good point Mark, I do the same thing with my work. I keep shavings of the more exotic woods, I even have a bag that has different shavings in it but all dark woods. I also buy these small containers of beef and chicken broth, they are about the size of a tea cup and made of glass so i know nothing will get into them and mess up the shavings. I'm a bit of a pack rat in that way (container wise).

Well done, all I see is beautiful work.

That blog post I did on kerfing..the foto of the wood lockers I built, you can't find a fastener or glue mark anywhere on it, even the laminated bench, which everyone loves just looking at.

Thanks Mark, Yea I saw that it was great.

Many times a bit of wood dust of the same species mixed with glue is the right choice, but sometimes even the dust in the glue can be a bad choice when a fine joint line is being corrected, we can take advantage of the squeeze out in many cases to fill the very small void that may be barely visible otherwise.

The joints in this rocker I made all fit really nice and tight, but there was one joint where a micro gap was visible if you knew where to look for it, I corrected it by taking advantage of glue squeeze out, and if you use the basic tint of glue to match the species of wood you are using, you can really use the squeeze out to your advantage. I have tried wood dust and glue for a situation like this with little luck. But a little glue squeeze out works great. After sanding the entire chair to 800 then a micro pad at 1200 the glue line becomes part of the wood, you cannot see the difference.

The leg to seat joint is the money shots in this project, these have to look perfect, if not, the customer walks on by. There was one tiny area where a micro gap was visible if you knew where to look, but it disappeared by using the glue squeeze out. I have tried dust with glue in a situation like this, with horrible results.

That being said, in most cases wood dust and glue works great!

And Mark, yes we would love your blogs when you are ready!

 

Very impressive. One thing..Stop with the sand paper!

It's an unnecessary evil. OK maybe handle like a drug addiction, less and less until..

Ahhh but Mark, I disagree my friend, the sanding to the point of burnishing the wood to a wonderful glow before even applying a finish is the magic for the feel and appearance of these chairs. Try it, you'll like it. Even before the first coat of oil is applied, it looks finished already, then the splash of oil, is the topper.

Actually if we want to be accurate on terminology, we are using Abralon at 1200.