Hi:
I’m not a novice WWorker but it seems every time I’m in the shop there seems to be something I wish I could do better. Today is a case in point. I’ve made a series of wine cabinets that hold either full or half cases of wine. They are out of 3/4 and 5/8 ply, biscuit joined and screwed. I prestained the wood after sanding and dry fit. At glue up, it didn’t seem to matter that I was careful, I still ended up with a bit of glue squeeze out at the margins of the joints. This isn’t fine furniture as it will end up in the basement and no one will see. However how would I tackle this problem in another scenario? Is it best to do the surface prep, dry fit, and stain? When should I be doing final finish? If the process I followed was fine, what should I do about the squeeze out on the stained but not yet finally finished wood? Is there a way to remove the glue (Cabinet makers glue from Lee Valley) wihtout damaging the underlying stain
What do people use as strategy for this glue up in stain grade work?
Thanks for letting this novice post what seems like a pretty elemental question.
mark
Replies
After about 30 minutes, take a sharp knife or chisel and remove the rubbery glue.
Do not try to remove it with a sponge and water. This will typically push some of the glue into the pores unless they are sealed (ie, poly finish).
Luck to you.
Hi Mark. I will typically apply the finish [varnish, poly, shellac etc] to the interior of the piece before glue up. Glue can easily be removed from these smooth surfaces using a damp cloth. The wood is sealed so it won't penetrate. You could always use masking tape on the edge of the joint where the glue might creep out.
Peter36:Thanks for the additional information. I've wondered about doing the same thing, applying the final finish to the interior as it is the most difficult componenet. If I'm using biscuit joints do I even need to be worried about lack of glue adhesion anywhere but the biscuits/slots? The butt joints can't be that strong and if I don't need to worry about them at all, I could simply finish with poly and assemble, then put a final finish coat on the exterior. It does mean that any marring of the finish and injury to the stain will be an issue but I'll need to be more careful than usual.Thanks again.mark
I tried the masking tape trick today for the third time. The first two I evidently had my head where it was supposed to be. Today I carefully taped up the edge of the dados on a headboard, did a dry fit and proceeded to glue and clamp. It looked good square and all that until I looked at a piece in the middle of the headboard that stands out 1/4 more than the dado. Dammit, I forgot to notch the tape around this piece now I have blue tape behind it. Scalpel please....
I think that you are going to need some squeeze out, or else you will be starving the joint- this is particularly true with plywood and with dados and rabbets (with dovetails esp sliding it's less critical). There are several options:
1. Clean off the "rubbery" glue at 30 minutes with a chisel, as has been mentioned.
2. Place masking tape down in the areas near the joint and peel it off at 30-60 minutes.
3. Sand/scrape for final finish. Apply wax in the areas near the joint, after glue up the squeeze out should be easy to remove, remove the wax by scrubbing briskly with mineral spirits and then #220 sandpaper.
4. Something that I have found useful: Sand or scrape for final finish. Apply a 2 lb cut of clear shellac 6-12 hours before glue up (keep it out of the glue joints). Glue up, clean up at ~60 minutes. Do some light sanding and then start your final finishing. A 2 lb cut of shellac makes a good sealer for a most final finishes on most woods.
As has been noted before, do not attempt to clean up the glue while wetwith a cloth or water, you will simply force into the pores and spread it.
Glaucon
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