Strength of Glue Joints

How strong are the glue joints compared to the wood it’s holding together? Woodworking expert George Vondriska will explain in this video clip. A WoodWorkers Guild of America (WWGOA) original video.

6 Responses to “Strength of Glue Joints”

1. Bobbg January 26th, 2018

   Glue coverage, and clamping time as well as cure time are the key factor to failed joints. Yes you can take something out of the clamps a few hours after its glued up, but the joint is not cured. You can’t put stress on it. I’ve always liked to leave items in the clamps overnight. Nails and screws are just to hold and item until the glue drys. After that you can remove them.

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2. john glenn April 18th, 2017

   But you don’t show the black marker line to show how close the fracture was. Makes me wonder.

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3. itimiller April 16th, 2017

   George, you may want to qualify that you are gluing long grain to long grain and how end grain to end grain would act with all other variables’ being equal. Jerry

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4. Hans December 18th, 2015

   Very interesting video! Can you please mention the used kind of wood and the used glue (there are so many brands and types, can you recommend one or two?

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   • WWGOA Team December 21st, 2015

     Here are some glue recommendations:
     – Titebond 3. This is my go-to glue for most projects. It has good open time, great bond strength, it is waterproof and FDA approved for food contact if you make cutting boards and other food contact items.
     – Titebond original. This is a very fast setting glue that I use sometimes if I’m gluing up a non-complicated joint where long open time is not important, and when I don’t need moisture resistance.
     – Nexabond. If I need to glue something together extremely quickly I use Nexabond 2500. This comes into play for odd shaped surfaces where it is difficult to get a clamp positioned effectively, and you just need to hold the piece in position until the glue sets. Nexabond is a CA based glue that sets up in seconds and works great for this situation. Here is a WWGOA review on this product: https://www.wwgoa.com/article/nexabond-glue-product-review/
     If your primary interest is in finding a glue that matches your assembly time requires best, here is a WWGOA article on that topic: https://www.wwgoa.com/article/measuring-wood-glue-assembly-time/

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5. Jim Tolpin December 22nd, 2014

   Can’t see why it matters if glue is stronger than wood. Glue joints, which invariably degenerate over time, should never be asked to carry a load/resist a stress that requires that characteristic.

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