Carpenter’s Glue
The most common type of glue used for joining wood (and many other materials) is common “carpenter’s glue” in either white or yellow – sold under a variety of brand names like “Elmers” and “LePage.” The actual name is polyvinyl acetate (pva). Here are some guidelines for gluing your project with common wood glue- Materials should be clean and not painted
- Materials should fit well together – the glue is not a good gap filler
- Avoid getting glue on surfaces that you want to stain or varnish – it fills the pores so stain or varnish won’t penetrate into the wood and will be an eyesore
- Wood glue is not waterproof so be careful in areas subject to high moister or humidity – unless it’s marked as “outdoor” or “waterproof”
- Clamping should be in place for at least 30 minutes
- Try to get the pieces clamped within 3 to 5 minutes after applying the glue
- If you don’t have clamps use weights or tape
- Clean up excess glue with water
- Full strength adhesion takes a full day but it’s quite good after a couple of hours
Epoxy
- Epoxy is a two-part adhesive that you must mix together thoroughly
- It has excellent strength, works with many materials and is water proof
- Epoxy can fill gaps so surfaces don’t need to be perfectly matched
- Clamping is not often necessary and too much clamping pressure can cause a weak bond