Hi,
So I picked up a bunch of old church pews. I’m trying to separate the seat bench boards that have been glued together. I assume they must have been done with hide glue but not 100% sure.
I tried a heat-gun and dripping water into the joints but didn’t have any progress at all.
In the spring I plan to make a solar kiln to dry out wood. I was considering putting the boards on racks and placing water bowls underneath to slowly steam the glue loose.
Obviously I’m considered about warping.
I’d appreciate any and all advice.
Thanks very much,
Connor
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Replies
Many years ago I acquired a bunch of church pews. The bench was edge glued boards, the backs were face glued into a kind of plywood.
If you are referring to edge glued boards, don't bother trying to break the glue joint. Just rip the joint line on a table saw.
+1, just cut the glue lines. The assumption of hide glue does not really warrant taking such a difficult approach to separating the boards. What if your assumption is wrong? A sawblade will definitely work on a hide glue loint.
Try vinegar instead of water. My experience, though limited to some delicate stuff, is that it works far better.
Thanks for all the replies! I'll give the vinegar a shot and if that fails I'll bite the bullet and do rip cuts.
Thanks very much
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