Box #1

[DaWoodster]

I didn't quite understand the "55c on the stove" bit, stoves and meths don't mix well

It was quite safe.
Shellac mix in covered jam jar in a pan of water on an induction stove set to low, it didn't get over 55.
I'm far too impatient to wait a day or two...

 

[n0legs]

Looking good DaW, nice work my friend =D>

 

[DaWoodster]

1st test for the next 5 boxes, I forgot to leave room for glue!

 

[ED65]

Those certainly look tidy!

What is this "room for glue" of which you speak?

 

[DaWoodster]

Those certainly look tidy!

What is this "room for glue" of which you speak?

They are seriously tight, I think if I add glue they won't go back together!
If I don't add glue, they may not last very long.

I think I should rub a file over each joint before the glue up.

 

[custard]

Depends on the glue. Titebond can "grab" (I strongly suspect it's actually pressure sensitive) but even squeezed really tight it'll still take a good few minutes to reach that stage, and up until then it acts as a lubricant. So provided you don't hang about you'll be able to pull those joints up tight well before then.

The notorious "gotcha" is using very tight fitting swollen Dominos on a big, complex glue up. You get the piece partly assembled with Titebond and the Dominos fully home apart from the last mill or two, then you mess around getting the sash cramps on, finally tighten them up, and...nothing. It's set solid as a rock and won't budge. You only do that once before either religiously storing Dominos in the dry or using a UF glue like Cascamite with its soothingly long open time.

Good luck!

 

[ED65]

I think I should rub a file over each joint before the glue up.

Loose joints = weak joints. Plenty of surface area in a joint like this of course, but generally you want a good tight fit for strength.

If your PVA is a little more viscous than it might be you can thin it very slightly with water without significantly compromising its strength. But if you could do with more open time and less swelling of the wood I'd suggest switching to 30-minute epoxy.

 

[MikeJhn]

Custard

"You only do that once before religiously storing Dominos in the dry"

As with biscuit joiners, 30 seconds in the Microwave has them back to the right thickness.

Mike

 

[custard]

But if you could do with more open time and less swelling of the wood I'd suggest switching to 30-minute epoxy.

I'd stay well clear of epoxy on this job. Cleaning up the squeeze out is a headache with epoxy, and with box joints there's always plenty of squeeze out.

Regular PVA will be fine, just make sure you've had a dry assembly first with each box.

 

[MikeJhn]

Lighter fluid will clean off unset epoxy very effectively, extensively used in joining fibreglass mouldings, don't know how effective it would be on a classy wooden structure, but I have used it on birch ply, spruce and balsa.

Mike

 

[custard]

The problem with epoxy on an open grained timber like ABW is you never remove it completely. Believe me I've tried it all, acetone, West thinners, chiselling away at the rubbery stage. It's kind of okay with a really close grained timber, but for quality work on an open grained timber the only answers are zero squeeze out, masking, or an epoxy compatible finish.

 

[DaWoodster]

The glueup wasn't a problem with titebond 3, it has a longer working time.
I managed to get two done, but the last 3 will be splined mitres again as finger joints take waaaay too long!

 

[MattRoberts]

They look fantastic! Would have been way quicker with a tablesaw though!

 

[custard]

Nice that you're wrapping the grain around corners rather than just using random selections.

=D>