Wrongsyde

I got a giggle from the discussion about making mistakes, and how that relates to hobby woodworkers. As a pro, though with limited experience, I can say that mistakes are not limited to hobbyists!! I've learned that the main difference between skill levels of woodworking doesn't have as much to do with the number of mistakes as it does with the cleverness of the fix! Sadly, often perfection must be balanced with speed. Time equals money! In any case, the true question is the enjoyment and pride one takes in the challenge, regardless of the project or situation.

Congrats to Tommy. I admit a bit of envy, and wish him the best of luck.

Jovenx:

In my limited experience, the 2-layer method of glue application matters mostly in situations where the wood tends to "wick" away the glue, usually only in end-grain glue-ups or rotten wood. Since hopefully you're not spending a great deal of time gluing rotten wood with yellow glue, it'll matter most to you on end-grain joints. I use that method mostly with miter joints and the occasional butt joint. The first layer of glue tends to soak quickly and deeply into the joint, which can starve the glueline nearly instantly. However, the thin first coat that quickly dries will saturate the wood fibers to prevent soaking or wicking, but still provide a bonding surface for your second coat of glue.

Look for these joints in, for example, fast cabinet face frames with pocket-mortised butt joints, or in very small picture frames which might not require stronger joinery such as splines. As you know, end-grain gluelines are far weaker than edge and face joints, but sometimes you will find that full dowels, splines, shaped joints, biscuits, or various other methods are too time consuming for a quick project requiring little joint strength. Use your two layers of glue there.

Also, in most cases I have seen, two layers of glue on an edge glueline is just a liability; the first drier layer of glue is more likely to make bumps and high spots to hold your joint apart than it is to stabilize your glue surface. It just doesn't soak deeply or quickly into edge grain. Indeed, even with the first layer of prep glue on an end-grain joint, I RUB small amounts of glue onto the surface, wiping off any excess to avoid obscuring the actual joint surface, leaving the joint with no glue lying on or above the wood.

And Jov- I too am continually astounded by the integrity of older glue joints. Titebond I yellow glue has been around for about 55 years, II for less than 20 years, and waterproof Titebond III for 6 years. What I've seen of 200+ year old glue joints... wow. I'd wonder how old the oldest known glue joint in wood really is. I'm sure someone out there has the answer, but I won't hazard a guess in this post!!

I'll welcome any corrections, additions, or just plain educated flames to this post, and I hope I've helped answer a little.

-Ben