Wood glue. Are some better than others?

[Jack Haskins, Jr.]

Dad did a lot of wood work and always had a bottle of Elmer's wood glue around. He also always had a can of WD-40 and 3-in-one oil. In the past several years I've become aware of different type oils and lubricants and how they have changed and improved over time. Maybe glue is the same. I see Gorilla glue mentioned pretty often.

What are the opinions out there of different wood glue? Why use Gorilla instead of Elmer's or any other brand name? I've always heard that the glued joint is stronger than the wood that has been glued together. I tried and I don't remember any glued wood joint coming apart because of  the glue failing. I also can't remember any other type glue being 100% effective. But when gluing plastic, metal or other materials I'm no expert at all. I'm pretty sure some of the failures were due to me not knowing enough about adhesives or how to use them for what they were designed for. But so far any wood glue seems to have worked for me.

Now though I want to start making things that CAN'T come apart in the future due to poor glue or me using it incorrectly. I have made a couple of shelves in my shop that are just thrown together and don't need to look great. On some of these things I just throw together I have used wood glue along with the Kreg jig to drill holes and screw the pieces together. Then after I'm sure the glue is dry I take the screws out to use later. So as mentioned in a video I watched I've used the Kreg system and screws more as a clamping system for the piece instead of actual clamps.

Anyway, does anyone have a preference of a particular wood glue?  Do glues vary in performance with different type wood?  Or will any wood glue do?  Thanks for any help.

Jack

[wm frank straub]

Titebond is a similar glue to good ole' Elmer's but much more durable and waterproof.  They make a couple of different grades, buy Titebond III, it is all I use in my shop.

I use Gorilla Glue only when bonding something non-wood to wood, like maybe installing a steel or brass threaded insert into a piece.

[Ken Darga]

Titebond Wood Glue has been my go-to adhesive, for many years of woodworking.

They market several varities, and for specific uses.

Follow the manufactureres instructions, to obtain optimum results.

The wood mating surfaces must be suitably prepared, so as to obtain a solid and strong joint.

A thin layer, properly applied, is all that is needed---it's not intended to fill voids.

The glue bonds the wood fibers, between the adjoining surfaces.

Many people think that more is better---that's not the case.

[Robert Brennan]

Jack,

In regard to your questions on glue In particular Titebond visit the Titebond website and check out the manufacturers spec for each type of glue I, II, III and the additional products Poly and Hide also available.

The glues each all have different characterstics for working with.

[Mike Atencio]

I like Gorilla and like Titebond, they have different types for the work you're doing. I used the expanding glue to repair a door frame that was kicked in by thieves. They tried again and the glue held well enough that the police were able to catch them before the entered - this was on a splintered door frame that had been glued together until I could replace the jamb. The glue expanded into all of the crevices and cracks forming a strong bonding surface that Titebond or Elmers never would have held up to. I use Regular Gorilla for normal woodworking just like I would with Titebond or Elmer's It's about choosing what's right for you and based on your experience. Titebond is great so in addition to Gorilla, I have that too. I like the Gorilla better personally. I wouldn't use the expanding glue on joinery because it will push the joint apart. That's why I'll use the other stuff instead.

 

[Jack Haskins, Jr.]

Thanks guys for all the help. Looks like I'll try titebond for sure. As soon as I read that it cleans up easily AND IS WATERPROOF I was sold. I don't know how many times I've NOT used regular old Elmer's on wood because the area would be exposed to the weather. It was sad because I know it would have done the job. Therefore I'd use something I didn't have as much faith it.

Thanks Mike A. for your story. Tomorrow I'm going to have a few friends over to bash in my doors. Then glue them back together. Sounds like that should be part of a home security system. :)

[Jay Boutwell]

The use if glue is something that is not considered as much as it should be.  There are many types of glue just as there is different types of materials.  Some glues are better that others and usually depends on what you are going to use the glue for.

 

In general woodworking I have found that the original formula of titebond glue works well gluing woods that are not high in natural oils.  It is similar to the old standby for many years that is known as "Elmers".  Even though Elmers has changed in recent years making a more advanced and better glue I still prefer the titebond glue.  It seems to set quicker and holds extremely well. 

 

For woods that are high in natural oils I will reach for an epoxy glue as I want the glue joint to remain tight. Some of these woods include bubinga,  Cocobolo, teak,rosewood and even some of the common species if I have reason to believe it has been exposed to finishes that contain any thing like silicone or other hard to remove waxes or finishes.  I will be definite on the fact that I will use a cleaner like mineral spirits and sometimes lacquer thinner or acetone and wipe the surfaces clean just before I apply the glue.  It may be time consuming but it is good insurance against  a glue joint failure. 

 

Repairing old antique furniture there is the hide glue of which keeps your piece in its original condition. This is common in veneer repairs where the use of hide glue is the better of the selection out there.

 

Doing inlays I will most likely use the titebond glue as I have had good results with it over the years. However I will resort to an epoxy if the inlay is in an exotic wood with an oily surface.

 

There is one glue that is often talked about that is gorilla glue.  The foaming type will push your joints apart and is hard to control the foaming so the glue job often comes up as a hard to clean up glue joint.  There is the non foaming gorilla glue that is for wood however if you will read the back of their own product it says in very plain English that it is "not recommended for structural or load bearing applications".

To me that means it is not the glue that I want to use for any wood glue applications that I have and I know for sure that titebond glue will do the job.

 

The reason that I like the titebond glue is that it has been tested and tried by my own work for an extended amount of time of over 25 years and I have no glue joint problems. It has nothing to do with advertisements and or literature that has made it my choice of glue.  I guess I do not see any of the titebond advertisements on TV but I sure do gorilla glue and gorilla tape.  I am not trying to sell anyone on titebond but I am speaking from experience.  Maybe titebond does not need advertisement as the performance has done that for them.

 

You can edge glue two well fitting butt joints together using tite bond glue and then run them through a thickness planner within an hour and never have a failure. I have done this repeatedly time after time on building cabinet door panels and other large flat panels and have no problems.

 

Titebond also makes a trim glue for trim where you do not want drips and run out on vertical surfaces.  The glue if very quick setting and within 20 minutes it is set well enough that a moderate stress can be applied to it with out failures.  This is my glue of choice in doing high end stain grade trim out work. 

 

Titebond is a great all around wood glue in furniture and cabinet building as well as most any wood surface gluing you need to do where it be a repair or a new project.

 

I building with melamine materials there is one glue that I have found superior to all others and that is one called "Roo" glue and it is made for plastic to plastic bonding..  They make one also for wood to wood and it is a good glue.  Both are a white color but dry to a clear finish.  The only draw back of the "Roo" glue is that it is a slow cure rate taking about 24 hours for a full cure.  The tack time is reasonable buy does take time for the sticky feeling to skim over.  From my experience it is the best product for melamine surfaces.

 

For a quick bond of glue in the "super glue area" the best product that I have found it the one called "2p10 solo"  it is a two part glue making a permanent bond of wood in about 10 seconds.  I use this for making the mutton and mullion grid panels for glass cabinet doors.  As for performance I like it and have made a lot of grid panels and have had no glue failures yet.  It also bonds many other objects but I have not done enough to be able to tell you of the results of other materials other that the ones that I have tried have been successful. 

 

For gluing metal and or glass to objects I will go for the industrial epoxies such as Devcon 5 minute two part epoxy gel.  It bonds most items such as glass metal stone wood concrete and even fiberglass.

 

I am not recommending any product but only telling you from my experience what works for me in the woodworking profession.

[Tim Grace]

I'm a Titebond fan, as well, with Titebond III my glue of choice.  Titebond II is a close second.  I seem to get a better bond with the Titebond over the Elmer's. There is a difference between working time (III is a little longer) and water resistance once set.

[carol]

i'd like to add what i was able to do with my knotty pine kitchen countertops. while it might not be the info you're looking for, i think it might be worth a mention.

several of my TIG 1x6 boards had gorgeous dark brown knots, but a few knots split and fell out. no knot left a hole bigger than an inch, and the boards were so nice, with streaks of heart running through, i really wanted to use them. i ended up scraping some of the fine sawdust from sanding the boards and mixing it with elmer's wood glue. the end result was surprising. 

the sawdust/glue mixture dried to a mostly clear, golden orange color like amber. i love the look! i've had more people ask how the heck i put amber in the knot holes :-)

so far, the filled knot holes have resisted water, kept their amber-like color, and bring character to the boards. 

not exactly what you were asking but i thought these results were interesting enough to share.

[Jay Boutwell]

Hi Carol, your comment are well worth mentioning here as working with knots are a common thing inmost wood working and especially if doing anything with a knotty wood.  I think you have a good example of a fix on what would otherwise be a problem and ruin your project.   Here is a trick for you if you ever have a piece of wood that is missing its knot and you can not find one to replace it with.   I often do this with all kinds of species of wood in fixing missing knots and or repairing defects such as cracks ir gouges in wood.  i will use resin the bonding agent in fiberglass and often used in the arts and crafts world to make novelity items.  It is called casting resin.  i will use dye that is made as a color component made in either opaque or transparant.  I mix up an amount of resin and hardner and add a color usually brown or black an or a combination of them. place a piece of mylar or other smooth plastic or glass and secure it to the back of a missing knot and fill the void and allow it to cure.  Sand the area smooth.  I often salvage some very beautiful wood and when done with a clear coat is makes a stunning piece of art.  Like I always say,if there is a defect and you can not fix it then accent it.

i'd like to add what i was able to do with my knotty pine kitchen countertops. while it might not be the info you're looking for, i think it might be worth a mention.

several of my TIG 1x6 boards had gorgeous dark brown knots, but a few knots split and fell out. no knot left a hole bigger than an inch, and the boards were so nice, with streaks of heart running through, i really wanted to use them. i ended up scraping some of the fine sawdust from sanding the boards and mixing it with elmer's wood glue. the end result was surprising. 

the sawdust/glue mixture dried to a mostly clear, golden orange color like amber. i love the look! i've had more people ask how the heck i put amber in the knot holes :-)

so far, the filled knot holes have resisted water, kept their amber-like color, and bring character to the boards. 

not exactly what you were asking but i thought these results were interesting enough to share.

[carol]

Jay, tell me more about the dye you use pls. I can find the resin, np, but not sure what sort of dye to look for. Thx!

[Jay Boutwell]

Carol,  The dye is the one made for coloring plastic and fiberglass jel.  Most of the places that sell plastic products sell it as well as in some crafts stores.  Look for casting resin and in that area you might find it.  They may only sell the liquid transparent type but I have seen a limited assortment of the opaque stuff which is like a cream.  I get mine at "Tap Plastics" and get it in a small plastic jar.  It is strong and a little goes a long ways especially the black.  Crafts stores sometimes sell it and it use is for dying the casting resin and on occasions it is used for doing small enlay work where you do not want to use wood as the enlay.  The two black stripes in the table top and the tear drops is some of the resin with a black dye.  The other is purple heart.  This is on my photos and or project page as well as some other examples.  Take care and happy woodworking.
 
carol said:

Jay, tell me more about the dye you use pls. I can find the resin, np, but not sure what sort of dye to look for. Thx!

[Mike Atencio]

Yeah, it's all about the right glue for the right job. I should mention a'm actually concerned about trying to replace that jamb. I think it's going to be very difficult. Titebond is probably the best choice for most things.

Jack Haskins, Jr. said:

Thanks guys for all the help. Looks like I'll try titebond for sure. As soon as I read that it cleans up easily AND IS WATERPROOF I was sold. I don't know how many times I've NOT used regular old Elmer's on wood because the area would be exposed to the weather. It was sad because I know it would have done the job. Therefore I'd use something I didn't have as much faith it.

Thanks Mike A. for your story. Tomorrow I'm going to have a few friends over to bash in my doors. Then glue them back together. Sounds like that should be part of a home security system. :)