Glue used for wooden signs

The Wood Chisels Edge

What I Use For Glue

There are varying opinions on what makes for a proper wood glue so I'll throw my opinion in on glue and what I prefer in different applications. In my early days of wood working doing boats and wood patterns we used to use resorcinol waterproof glue to do our wood work. It was a sloppy two part affair that demanded the tightest of joints the proper humidity and great clamping pressures. We used it on laminated ribs and the like and it made for a very good and strong bond. This type of glue has been superceded by epoxy's urethanes and regular white type waterproof glues like Tite-bond 3. I will say straight away that my current favorite glue is Tite bond 3. You may ask the reasons and I will tell you, Tite-bond 3 is not a fussy glue. It is relatively easy to get outstanding bonds on my carved wood signs. Tite-bond 3 applies very easily by simply pouring it on and then toweling or brushing it into place. It requires no extensive surface preparation will fill voids and dries to a strong waterproof and flexible joint that last for years. Cleanup with Titebond 3 is a very easy water cleanup and it wont stain your hands. It sands very easy and you can't see it when you varnish or clear coat. The alternatives are epoxy's and urethane glues like Gorilla glue or the west system epoxies which while providing good strong bonds are very expensive and difficult to clean up. These types of glues require a solvent cleanup and in the case of Gorilla glue expand and can create quite a mess. The advantages of urethanes and epoxy's are their accelerated cure times which can speed up production. some epoxy's can set in five minutes and urethanes can provide a good bond in a few hours. Glues such as Tite-bond 3 almost always require 24 hours for a good bond and cure. I usually try to save my wood bonds to the end of the day so they can set up over night when the shop is shut down. But there are inevitable times when I find I must use quick set epoxy's to get a job done quickly or in a situation where I don't think a water based glue will provide a proper bond such as bonding painted or varnished raised lettering to a varnished or clear coated base. I guess the best recommendation I can make when working with titebond is to have a bucket of water and a sponge handy when your using it to cleanup the inevitable mess when the excess glue squeezes out when you bond a large surface area. So that's my opinion on wood glue I hope this article has been useful and informative to you.

Have a good day,
Mark..