Gluing with wood glue

Frédéric Géa


Either type of wood glue (white of yellow) is good. The yellow seems a little stronger. As for any type of joining, surfaces to be glued must be clean, dry and free from grease. A light sanding with 120 grit paper and brushing to eliminate the dust are enough.

Also take care to mark the fitted parts in order to put the glue only where it is needed. Use gloves as any contact with the adhesive shows persistent black spots on the skin and an unpleasant loss of sensitivity...

Start by putting a thin coat on each part to be glued.  Applying to much glue only causes the excess to spill out from between the joint and creates more mess that is required.

According to the work and surfaces to be glued, the drying time can vary from 3 hours to 48 hours depending on the size of the part. Hold the parts together using a screw clamp or press using the heaviest possible weights. Use a small nail to index the part and avoid displacement of the part as the glued surfaces are rather slippery and tend to move while clamping.

Put newsprint under the work to be clamped or pressed. The adhesive can migrate and bond the assembly to your worktable, the screw clamps, etc.

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