What glue is best to use for segmented turning?

Hello Ron,

I've always used Titebond II and highly recommend it. With this glue, I've never had a glue joint break. I have with most of the others.

Fred Holder

Hi Fred, have you had a glue joint break with Gorilla Glue? I've heard that recommended quite a lot, but just bought my first few ounces yesterday for testing.

thanks david

But will such testing tell you:

• Ability to hold up to whatever contents the form will have? For example, if you make salad bowls, will they stand up to oil and vinegar?

• Will the glue line "creep" with time? Titebond often, over time, leaves a ridge at the seam that you can feel with your fingers.

When faced with a choice I choose to use Titebond II. I like the water resistance and fast set. Pro bond by Elmers would also be a good choice, the mfg. has upgraded the glue to make it meet the same water resistance specs. as Titebond II. The Pro bond is less runny than Titebond. You can even find Pro Bond at Wal-Mart. Good for a late night run. My segmented turning site.

I use Titebond II exclusively. I've read some complaints about glue creep but have never experienced any. Some of my test pieces have been sitting in my barn for several years. It reaches 100 F sometimes in the summer & near 100% humidity, drops lower than -10 F sometime each winter with 0% humidity - also in winter the temp will climb to

70-80 then drop back to whatever the overnight low is on those days I'm out there working. Haven't had a single joint failure yet.

Both are aliphatic resin adhesives. (fyi: adhesive is the proper term that applies here, not glue) I've glued up turning blocks and then cut very think bowls from them. I have some that are 18 years old. About the time aliphatic resins were introduced. Dan

Thank you all for your help. It looks like I have to try Titebond II. I live in Israel so it gets very hot and dry here. I have several pieces that over the years just disassembled. I don't think I'll find the Titebond II here so I'll have to order it from the good ol' US.

Warm regards,

Ron

Actually, neither are aliphatic resin glues. Titebond II is a polyvinyl acetate glue (PVA) and Probond is a polyurethane glue. The original Titebond is an aliphatic resin glue. I have found that Titebond II is the best glue for segmented turning.

Kev>

Kevin Neelley

TBII is a PVA!? Geez, that's the same as old Elmer's glue. I don't recommend it for turning. Use TB, the aliphatic. Aliphatics have almost twice the shear strength as PVAs and the one I've had perfect success with over 20 years of turning. Dan

I am one of the Odd Men Out in the Segmented world. I use Hot Hide Glue. Now mind you, I do not make Segmented Bowls that would be used for Food. Hot Hide Glue has been around about 4000 years, and works.

Mark

What causes this -- movement of the glue itself or movement of the wood around the joint (caused by seasonal humidity fluctuation or whatever)?

Abe

Abe's question is something that puzzled me also. I remember reading articles about biscuit jointing where the glue from the biscuit swelled the wood and then it was quickly sanded. When the water from the glue left the wood shrank back down and was then uneven in the glued area.

So that gives us three options Glue creep wood movement due to moisture changes with time - seasonal movement- in particular different movements with different kinds of wood wood movement due to drying out after and excessive mositure change due to glue.

If it's due to swelling due to glue and then shrinkage this should only happen once and then could be avoided by allowing the glue joints to dry for a few weeks before final turning or sanding. Any other opinions/solutions/data??

Greg > >

Greg,

I don't think you are going to find too many segmented woodturners that completely agree on the causes and cure for glue creep. I have never had a problem with glue creep. Why? I don't know, but I do a number of things that I think minimize the opportunity for creep to occur. Here's my thoughts on the subject.

Most segmented woodturners will tell you that if you have a bowl that has a creep problem, once the bowl is sanded and refinished then the creep doesn't come back. So it stands to reason that if you let the bowl sit for a little longer before its turned and finished then maybe creep won't happen in the first place. That's what I do.

Most segmented woodturners don't have a creep problem and most use Titebond II wood glue. I do too. Franklin, the manufacturer of Titebond, doesn't say anything about the creep properties of Titebond or Titebond II glue, although it specifies that its hide glue has very little creep. I don't think I'm going to change glue just for an experiment.

The tighter glue joints, the less glue you have for creep to happen. That just makes sense. Most experienced segmented woodturners don't have creep problems and I would assume they have tight glue joints.

Maybe using wood with low moisture content makes a difference. There's no telling what your wood moisture content is unless you check it. Personally, I just let the wood dry out in my basement for a year or so.

Maybe the finish affects glue creep. Personally, I use sanding sealer and lacquer which dries almost instantly. It could be that a slow drying finish penetrates the glue and cause creep.

My thoughts are just food for thought. Like I said, I have no idea what causes creep, just guesses.

Kev>