Best glues

[John Davis]

I used to woodwork through necessity but now want to take it up as a hobby.
Things have 'moved on' in glues since my earlier efforts so I'm interested in buying a selection for my workshop shelf.
Can anyone recommend a selection of glues to have around - my efforts will centre around wood turning and maybe splinter off to general woodworking.

 

[Gary]

PVA

Hot melt

Polyurethane

Contact

and Super glue should be a fair selection to have round the workshop and cover most situations.

 

[John Davis]

Thanks Gary - any particular brands spring to mind?

 

[yetloh]

I have found even the cheap PVA's to be fine, I certainly don't think it is worth paying the extra for Titebond.

For my part, I would leave out the polyurethane which is horribly messy stuff. It does fill gaps but when used in that situation is not strong. In place of the PU I would get a tub of Cascamite which has the great advantage of a long open time - up to about 30 minutes depending on temperature, will also fill gaps but remains strong. Don't get too big a tub though because it has a shelf life of about 12 months.

Jim

 

[Racers]

Hi,

For Eopxy and Superglue I use Wilcos own brand, and I have had no problems.


Pete

 

[Harbo]

I use Titebond III for most things and occasionally Araldite and Superglue

Rod

 

[tisdai]

I use Titebond III and gator glue, superglue now and again,,

Cheers

Dave

 

[Dodge]

I have found even the cheap PVA's to be fine, I certainly don't think it is worth paying the extra for Titebond.

I would disagree with this - Sorry.

I use the basic titebond all the time and it is not a standard PVA - It is actually and Aliphatic Resin which is far superior to basic PVA.

IMHO anyway

Roger

 

[mtr1]

I have found even the cheap PVA's to be fine, I certainly don't think it is worth paying the extra for Titebond.

I would disagree with this - Sorry.

I use the basic titebond all the time and it is not a standard PVA - It is actually and Aliphatic Resin which is far superior to basic PVA.

IMHO anyway

Roger

+1

I use TB II and found it much better than pva, I don't rate cascamite either, seen it fail a few times.

I have in my shop at the moment

Titebond II

5 min Poly made by wurth

West's epoxy system

C A glue and activator

Pearl glue

Cascamite(unopened soon to be binned)

Can't think of a situation where the top five wouldn't be enough.

 

[JoinerySolutions]

+ 1 on the Titebond glues. All of them. I don't use much else for general joinery work.
Super glue and activator combo is very useful when bits break off when turning and is barely visible when finished. Also useful on odd other projects.
Polyurethane glues are good on the right job, but are inherently messy and hard to clean up or off your hands and tools. Acetone works well at cleaning off the glue but is not recommended for cleaning hands.

Ureaformaldehyde glues (extramite, cascamite and such) are very good but need care in mixing.

Epoxy glues, such as West's Epoxy, are a boat builders mainstay. I have used it for mast repairs and for joining floor panels on a Dutch barge among other projects, pricey but very reliable if you mix it properly. Again Acetone is great for cleaning up. The lower cost 5 minute epoxy glues have many uses, a main one for turning work is to mix it with wood dust or even coffee grounds to fill unwanted voids (knot holes/shakes) in a turned piece.

In all choose the glue that best suits your project, each has a use and it's share of pro's and con's. I prefer to use brand name glues and find them to be better and in the long term cheaper than some of their alternatives.
Much like tools, buy cheap and you buy twice, only with glue you get to faff about with cleaning up or re-making a job when it goes pear shaped.

I earn my keep by doing this stuff so I may be a little more cautious than those who are purely hobbyists, after all, if it goes wrong my name is mud and repeat business may suffer!

Rob.

 

[Shane]

Depending on application I use Titebond II, cascamite, hot melt and contact adhesive

 

[toolsntat]

This "woodweld pu" is cracking stuff :wink:

http://www.constructionchemicals.co.uk/ ... ld_PU.html

Andy

 

[jimi43]

I'm sorry to disagree with my good friend (yetloh) but Titebond is IMHO, far superior to standard PVA

I find Titebond Original superior to the other Titebonds and the test results bear this out but it has one weakness...it is not waterproof.

I am still struggling with Polys....but I still love the colour of the bottle!

Evostick Impact for veneers and fabric sheets....very useful.

Araldite Original (NOT quick set) is superb in the epoxy stakes as are the (very expensive) West systems.

Quality superglues are handy...especially with activators but cheap ones are a waste of time. Try the other viscosities you can get...Axi has loads.

I am sad in that I tend to "collect" glues at bootfairs to try them out...I have some amazingly strange ones...most of which are probably bug*ered by now...

This site is an amazing place if you have a specific application for glue...just ask...someone has the right answer.

Oh...and don't forget hide glues...lovely stuff for restoration and musical instruments as it can be released with heat later!

Jim

 

[Oryxdesign]

I've been using Titebond glues for a few years and wouldn't go back to PVA. I think I've got most of the range in stock, the melamine one is great when needed.

I also use CA glue and activator, West epoxy,5 minute epoxy and PUs.

I have tried Cascamite and Aerolite but if I need a reliable waterproof glue I head for Wests.

Simon

 

[yetloh]

That's all right Jim, I'm not offended. I have never really got on with Titebond it always seems to ooze everywhere and go off too quickly. The reason I have found cheap PVA's OK may be that I never use them for anything important!

If I am making proper furniture I use either cascamite for its strength and open time or hide glue. I do not understand the failure of Cascamite joints; either the glue had gone off which it will do if allowed to absorb atmospheric moisture over time or it was not properly mixed. The wood around a good cascamite glued joint will invariably fail before the joint itself.

I do agree with Jim about hide glue. It is also great for things like drawers which, even in the best ordered workshop, can sometimes be found to be slightly out of square when the clamps come off. No problem, just warm the joints with a hot air gun and reclamp.

Jim

 

[jimi43]

I think we had a discussion about Cascamite before on the UKW....if I remember correctly there was a long debate and polarised view.

My mate in the village who restores and makes new furniture said that he would not use it for repair joints...only new wood ones...but that it was the best in that instance.

I tried some and it failed...I think it may have been sitting in the village store a while and have been off when I got it as I am sure I mixed it up correctly...single cream consistency...is that right?

Titebond Original does get a bit of getting used to in order to get good results and using it fairly sparingly and correct clamping pressure are two important ones....but once you get used to it...I find it to be the best. I fixed a mahogany guitar neck sheer at the headstock with it and it has been fine.

A test on two lengths of mahogany properly cured and then hit with a hammer caused a grain fracture outside the joint...not the joint itself which stayed intact.

There is such a difference of opinion with glues...mainly because we all use them for diffferent applications in differing environments. Which is why I test them and use what works for me. I must try that WOOD WELD PU sometime though...it sounds pretty spectacular!

Jim

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

+1 for Titebond. I use II all the time. Normal D4 PVA, CA with an activator.

 

[tisdai]

I must try that WOOD WELD PU sometime though...it sounds pretty spectacular!

Jim

I second that, especially with a garage to workshop conversion coming up in the future, might be worth it's weight in gold. :wink:

CHeers

Dave

 

[Shane]

Re cascamite, I wouldn't trust anything else for exterior joinery, I've never once had a problem with it.

 

[John Davis]

There's a lot of glues on the market but it looks from your comments, "you get what you pay for".
No surprise there then, but as yetloh says the best glue for the job is not always the branded version because it depends on what you are doing - and if it's cheap then there's no great loss having it there anyway.
For the more important jobs, looks like Titebond II or III or both.
A quick grab glue would be nice and from your comments Wood Weld PU seems a good option. One question though - what's its shelf life once opened? Need to get some Acetone to accompany this?
Super glues - thin, medium or thick? I saw a video where the thick was used as a finish and on another the thin was used to seal a crack in the wood. So I guess it's thick and thin. Not forgetting the Activator.
Most of us have a hot weld gun so that's there too.
Araldite - a good standby.
Cascamite - got to mix it /get proportions right and there's going to be waste - also the shelf life puts me off. Best left to the professionals amongst you. Similar for Pearl/Hide.
Out of interest does the type of wood have any bearing on the glue you use?