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Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board
Re: mahogany glue-ups
Posted By: Bill In Response To: Re: mahogany glue-ups (Capt Patrick McCrary)
Date: Wednesday, 8 June 2005, at 11:05 a.m.
Being a cabinetmaker in my former life, I have had good results with both gorila glue and titebond II for outdoor projects. I think titebond may have even come out with a third generation water proof glue.
Certainly anything exposed to water on a very consistant basis will benefit from epoxy.
The key to strong glue joints is surface glue area and the fit of the joint. Dadoos, biscuits,laps etc all increase the gluing surface and thus the strength of the joint. But the real key is the fit of the joints themselves. For edge glued items, ideally the surfaces should mate perfectly with with no visible gap. A very slight gap in the center of the joint is accepptable and the joint could be clamped with one clamp in the center.
Clamp pressure with conventional glue should be just enough to close the joint and have some squeeze out along the entire length of the joint.
Adding screws to a well fitting joint with gorila or titebond will certainly increase the strength.
With epoxy, the same principles apply you just have to be careful not to squeeze to much glue out of the joint. If I were to add screw to an epoxy joint I would do it after the epoxy fully cured as reinforcement.
Another key to the longevity of the joint, especially when joining two different types of materials like plywood and solid wood, is to completely seal all exposed surfaces of the wood. Plywood and solid wood will expand and contract at different rates and any moisture intrusion will only increase this.
On a helm station I would certainly cover it when not in use to cut down on the UV's breaking down the finish and the glue joints.
A properly prepared glue joint will almost always exceed the strength of the actual wood.
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