Wood glue

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GrahamIreland

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I've been using the gorilla glue wood glue for my general projects, table tops etc.. and I've also used the polyurethane gorilla glue when I need extra sticking power or gluing to metal.

The wood glue seems decent. Dries quickly and clear colour. I'm not sure it's good value for money though and maybe targets the hobbyist.

What wood glue do professional shops use?

Thanks
Graham
 
well, if we can open up the discussion a bit. I am not a pro, but my go-tos are the everbuild d4 for general purpose gluing, or anything that needs a lot of glue. I struggle between autumn and late spring with temperatures, so firstly I tend to avoid big projects during that time, but if I do glue something I use the titebond liquid hide glue (they seem to have rebranded it as "real hide glue" now). This is what I tend to use for smaller jobs all year round. it gives a reasonable open time and doesn't cause issues with finishes if I miss a spot. it is much more expensive though than a litre of the overbuild.

I have used the Gorilla PU glue. I would probably use that for outdoor projects if I had some*.

*I usually start with new d4 each year so that there is no risk of it having got too cold. if I have PU on hand, and haven't bought any d4 yet I would use it.
 
Ever build D4, that looks like it might be a bit more economical, as it's about 3/4 the price of the gorilla stuff. I think gorilla glue is targeting the average user so can up the price a bit.
I've used Evostik as well which I found very good, similar price too.

There was a woodworker near me back in Ireland and he was using a polyurethane glue - German brand I think...
 
Ever build D4, that looks like it might be a bit more economical, as it's about 3/4 the price of the gorilla stuff. I think gorilla glue is targeting the average user so can up the price a bit.
I've used Evostik as well which I found very good, similar price too.

There was a woodworker near me back in Ireland and he was using a polyurethane glue - German brand I think...

I use tool station- just over £8 a litre. The titebond may well be better- there must be a reason that the pros use it- but I have found the overbuild to be good enough.
 
Ive stuck with titebond. I started buying titebond 1 and 3, but now just buy and use 3 for everything.

£16 for a litre
 
Im not a fan of foaming glues, as ive pulled joints apart and found the aerated glue to be the weak link. It's all those bubbles.
If you glue up a sloppy joint, where it foams out and scrape it off when dry ,you can see in the joint gap the holes in the glue line. No way is that adding any strength.

I think ive also seen some pic at one time of the capiliary action of glue as it is absorbed into the pores in the wood fibers, and PU didnt penetrate as far as pva.

Plus here for titebond :cool:
Or epoxy.
I love epoxy, though its open time is so short, it really does what you want a glue to do- ie form a super strong bond. The 2pack syringe ones, even from the pound shop are a householders dream. Works quickly, cures quickly and leaves a bond thats like iron.
 
I've been using the gorilla glue wood glue for my general projects, table tops etc.. and I've also used the polyurethane gorilla glue when I need extra sticking power or gluing to metal.
While polyurethane glue can adhere to substances that PVA glue does not in some joints it is weaker than PVA, for example long grain joints it is not as strong. In end grain joints it is stronger but just using glue for an end grain joint is a poor choice anyway.
 
I've got some Gorilla pva, works great and £8 litre at Jeff's place.

Recently switched to TB3 for it's lower temperature usefulness - I struggle to find that for less than about £20 a litre.
 
Does anyone else cheap out and use bog standard builders PVA at £10 for 5L? I've been using it for the past 2 years and never had any problems with joint strength.
 
I do mainly guitar and instrument repairs and use Titebond 1 and 3. I also use Fish Glue and the Titebond Cold Hide glue. I would like to master Hot Hide glue but it's quite a hassle and the working times are not suited to my patience level. I tend not to use epoxy because the golden rule for musical instruments is that there is always a possibility you may need to dismantle the joint/repair, but have use it on Ovation guitars (the round plastic backed ones) as they are basically all wood and epoxy construction. I use CA glue for some finish repairs and also super thin CA with wood dust for filling.
 
I do mainly guitar and instrument repairs and use Titebond 1 and 3. I also use Fish Glue and the Titebond Cold Hide glue. I would like to master Hot Hide glue but it's quite a hassle and the working times are not suited to my patience level. I tend not to use epoxy because the golden rule for musical instruments is that there is always a possibility you may need to dismantle the joint/repair, but have use it on Ovation guitars (the round plastic backed ones) as they are basically all wood and epoxy construction. I use CA glue for some finish repairs and also super thin CA with wood dust for filling.

Hot hide glue is easier than most people think, because it reactivates with heat. I began building instruments using hot hide glue for some forgotten (probably romantic) reason, and tend to use it for most joints. To glue on an instrument back, for example, you just glue up and apply clamps at the critical points (neck and tail blocks) then work your way round, heating and clamping, until it's all done. It can be a more leisurely process than, say, Titebond because you can stop for a cuppa half way through without jeopardising the joint's integrity. Plus glue clean-up is the easiest possible.

If I were building furniture I'd probably use bottled glue though, because it's generally more convenient for that application. And I don't use hot hide glue throughout - Titebond and CA are appropriate for some things, even epoxy on occasion for something which won't ever need to be taken apart or which can't be repaired effectively with another glue.
 
Hi,

For many years I used Evo Stik wood adhesive weatherproof but on a big glue job I found I was too weak to squeeze the glue from the bottle so about a year ago switched to Titebond premium which I find a lot easier to use.

For restoring vintage radio cabinets and clock cases also wood veneering I use genuine hot hide glue having the correct cast iron double container to heat it in; hot hide glue is wonderful but is a real pain to a novice because of its short setting time and it doesn't like to be heated often so just mix what is needed.

Kind regards, Colin.
 
Evo stick weatherproof – the blue one, always used it and never had it fail except for once when it was an outdoor job and I should’ve used gorilla PU it’s slightly dearer than ever build. I triedTtitebond once to see what the fuss was about, but found it quite messy compared to Evo stick, didn’t like it really so went back to what I was used to. Ian
Ps hi Retired, I know exactly what you mean so I use the 1 L purely as a container and also bought a tiny little one which I just refill all the time that’s the easy way to do it.
 

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