glue question

[devonwoody]

I am coming to the stage where I have 5 drawers with dovetails joints to glue up.

Mock up drawer as per picture.

These 5 drawers are going to be visible as the project is what could be described as contempory and the drawers are not located inside a carcase as traditional but inside a frame.

Therefore I do not want to have the hassle of cleaning up glue when this process has been completed. Also I am down to 10mm thickness in timber so haven't got a lot of meat left.

The dovetails have not been test fitted but are going to be whacked in when glue has been applied.

Gentlemen and Ladies your experience is called upon.

 

[Alf]

Gentlemen your experience is called upon.

That's me out on two counts then...

Cheers, Alf :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

Gentlemen your experience is called upon.

That's me out on two counts then...

Cheers, Alf :wink:

Plus Alf :wink:

 

[Philly]

DW
As most of the strength of the dovetails is derived from their shape huge amounts of glue are not needed. I usually wipe a little on the sides of the pins and assemble the joint. There will be a little squeeze out, but just wipe off what you can and let the rest dry. A very quick clean up with a sharp block plane and you're there! Shouldn't need more than a swipe or three so you won't loose any thickness.
Hope this helps,
good luck with the glue up,
Philly

 

[devonwoody]

Lend me your block plane Philly. Mine is 30 years old and the box says Record.

You know the rest :lol:

 

[Les Mahon]

DW,

Depending on the finish you are looking for, you could pre-finish the non-glue surfaces before assembely - this make the glue easier to get off these ares aferwards.

Never tried it on dovetails thought - could be a bit of a fiddle.

Les

 

[Alf]

Gentlemen your experience is called upon.

That's me out on two counts then...

Cheers, Alf :wink:

Plus Alf :wink:

Okay Gill, stand down, nothing for you to do here... :roll: :lol:

Pre-finishing is the best way; I'm currently looking into finishing before I even cut joints, but not sure about it yet. Someone suggested running a candle down the outside of any join to aid cleaning up, but my sucess with that was so-so. I agree with Philly too; you don't need much anyway - applying it with a artist's spatula doodah seems to be the most effective way to do it without making a mess. Then tune up your block plane (30 years old? That should be recoverable, 'specially as it's a Record) and clean up. Piece of cake. Maybe... :wink:

 

[jasonB]

I run a strip of masking tape down the insides of the corners when the box is dry fitted, then take apart, glue, assemble and peel the tape off as the glue goes rubbery.

Jason

 

[Gill]

Okay Gill, stand down, nothing for you to do here

I can either take offence (when I know none was intended) or just wait for people more knowledgable than me to deal with the issue.

Since all my joinery skills could be noted in detail on the back of a postage stamp, I'll opt for the latter option .

Gill

 

[Dewy]

10mm is HUGE compared to the timber used on a chest of drawers my grandfather made 83 years ago.
The drawer sides are 5/16" (8mm) and perfectly flat with no warping even after having travelled over 6,000 miles and back when my parents emigrated then returned many years later.
The bottom drawer is 9" deep which just shows how well timber was seasoned in those days.
It was just a pine chest so was painted although one day I want to strip the paint to return it to its proper wooden colour and give it an oiling and waxing.
In those days Pine was considered cheap and was always painted to hide the wood.

 

[devonwoody]

Alf, I checked out the block plane and it turned out toby a Stanley 130
last used 30 years ago when I was mucking about building small boats.
Anyway I had a go at sharpening it up, blade not square, needed regrinding, spent an hour trying to set the blade to make a nice cut, either too deep or too shallow, and then went and got out the Axminster catalogue. I fancy one of those block planes with a wind up blade setting and thought the Stanley 9 1/2 might might have to be put on the list.

Slightly lower in price than some other manufacturers, or have I got to pay the extra?


Candle wax on the joint areas prior to glueing sounds attractive but I have got to have an oil finish over the joints and they will be in view.

Considering putting masking tape prior to glueing and then pulling off but think glue creep under tape could be even a bigger problem.

 

[Alf]

went and got out the Axminster catalogue. I fancy one of those block planes with a wind up blade setting and thought the Stanley 9 1/2 might might have to be put on the list.

Go for the #60 1/2 DW; more flexible than the standard angle. With a bit of work it can be fettled to work okay. Or trust to the 'Bay if you're feeling brave...?

Considering putting masking tape prior to glueing and then pulling off but think glue creep under tape could be even a bigger problem.

Better to tape the joints and apply the finish, then wipe the glue off the finish.

Cheers, Alf

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks for the advice Alf , put on order this morning together with a set of wet and dry papers upto 2500 for sharpening!!!!

 

[SketchUp Guru]

I'm probably too late to add my suggestion but I will anyway.

I like to dry assemble the joint and rub paraffin on the exposed surfaces. The paraffin won't allow glue to creep under it like masking tape will.

I leave any squeezed out glue alone until after it has hardened. Then it is a simple matter to pop it off with a scraper. The scraper will also clean up most of the paraffin and what it doesn't can be removed with mineral spirits.

The nice thing about the paraffin is that if your finish is not a water-based one, the paraffin will dissolve in the finish and soak into the wood.

I don't know if you can get it in the UK like this but I buy it in the local grocery store in the canning section. It's food grade and used in making candy, too. A package of parrfin is less than a dollar here. It comes 4 bars to a package.

The paraffin is also useful for lubricating screws, rubbing on the bottom of a hand plane to reduce friction and ....

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Dave R.

You're not too late, I have 5 drawers and haven't started glueing up yet.

We have 2 types of parafin to my knowledge in the UK one is an old fashion lighting fluid for oil lamps and heating stoves.
The other was a medicinal product sold at chemists although modern regulations I bet have finished that one . (I think it was a b ow el remedy )

Does anyone over here know of this product referred to by Dave R.

By the way I wanting to use pva type glue.

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Here's a picture of the package I get. Maybe that'll help.

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Dave R.

Alf suggested candle grease.

Dont fancey your stuff for making candy though :twisted: :twisted:

I reckon I will either put some furniture wax polish or candle wax on areas not being glued prior to glue then use my nice new block plane to clean the wax off.

If this current gale we have down here in the south would cease I would get out in the workshop and have a trial run on a scrap piece. Otherwise I am going to have to read a good book for the rest of the day.

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Paraffin in candy doesn't appeal to me either. I guess it is used in chocolate to make it harder.

Candle wax is good but don't use a colored or scented candle. They might leave stuff on the wood that you don't want.

 

[Alf]

I think most candles are paraffin wax these days, aren't they? Anyway, good point about not using coloured or scented ones, Dave. I use a stub of white household candle for, well, just about everything really.

Cheers, Alf

 

[devonwoody]

Did a trial run on 4 different glue maskings as per picture.

Danish Oil =nbg glue does not remove from the top of coat.

Silicone wax polish =The glue would not settle on the wax polish.

Atrixio hand cream=Oddly enough glue scraped off after set easily.

Candle wax= Same as Atrixio.