# Glue Chuck



## narrowboater (14 Dec 2011)

I have been tasked with making a cheese board. I have a chunk of wood (not sure what it is) and the plan is to end up with a 12" circular board. The top needs to be flat, unlike a platter, and I don't want to loose too much thickness. The blank is about 2" thick. 

My plan is to proceed as if it were a bowl or platter, Mount it by the top, Turn the bottom, with a recess to fit my chuck, Reverse it and turn the top, then reverse again in my large cole chuck and turn off the recess. 

I saw a video the other day of someone turning a bowl using a glue chuck, ie attaching the blank to a scrap of wood using hot melt glue, Question is what would you think about using this method on a blank 12"x2"? 

The alternative is either a screw chuck of faceplate, what sort of depth of screw do you think would be acceptable? 

Regards 

Rod


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## jpt (14 Dec 2011)

Glue chuck would work well how I use them is here http://www.woodturned.co.uk/html/glue_chuck.html

john


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## Aled Dafis (14 Dec 2011)

I regularly turn 10" dia x 2" thick pieces of beech with nothing more than a few dabs of hot melt glue, so I wouldn't hesitate to go a little bigger and turn 12". The guy that introduced me to using hot melt glue on the lathe used to turn 16"+ offcuts of oak kitchen worktop into very nice chopping boards.

My only tip would be to make absolutely sure that the glue is piping hot before gluing up, luke-warm glue cools far too quickly to develop a secure bond.

Aled


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## jumps (14 Dec 2011)

for what you are doing here you could also simply glue a block of scrap on with Titebond , then turn it off later, if it makes you feel a little more secure!

hot melt, used correctly, is strong and of course quick - but when I have no hurry I tend to glue, clamp and leave a day.


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## CHJ (15 Dec 2011)

Hot melt glue should be fine, make sure surface is free from dust.
For best alignment of work piece mount glue block on lathe and true up glue face. Aim for fractionally concave rather than convex,
As said above make sure glue gun is well and truely soaked, you want the glue to be free running in quantity.


To aid alignement of glue-up mark centre of blank on outer face, apply glue to mating face and use tailstock to align and clamp it firmly for a few seconds.

Alternately prepare and use glue block, with screw chuck hole or dovetail, and align this way:

Starting with a Suitable Blank and not wishing to penetrate the surface with fixings I attach a scrap block to take a worm screw.
First action is to determine the centre of the blank if not previously marked during cutting.



 

 

 

I use OddLeg callipers and scribe centre or place pattern discs visually in centre and mark through centre hole. I then use a spur bit to drill some scrap and using the drill bit locate the scrap on the centre and mark the blank and scrap with a pencil witness marks to aid location. 



 

 

 

 



I then apply Hot Melt Glue to the blank and using the drill bit as before press home the scrap wood, applying a little extra glue along the edge joins if felt necessary.

This results in a blank that runs true when mounted on the screw chuck, requiring little truing up.


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## boysie39 (15 Dec 2011)

Rod, hope you dont mind me hijacking your post.   

Can someone suggest a type of glue gun that is good ,also the type of glue sticks or are they all the same.

The reason I ask is that I bought a cheepo gun and as soon as it got hot ,glue came out from everywhere.

what removes glue from clothes and shoes by the way :roll: :roll: :ho2


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## narrowboater (15 Dec 2011)

Thanks as usual guys.

Eugene, no problem, having got some replies I now need to go into the tip that is my garage/workshop and find the glue gun and glue that I put away carefully when I moved nearly 5 years ago, so I might need some advice on guns and glue. :duno: 

Regards as usual, and a happy Xmas to all.

Rod :ho2


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## chipmunk (15 Dec 2011)

I bought an Arrow TR550 glue gun recently and it's pretty good.

Axminster have it for just under £20 but Toolstation also sell it, although it's more money from them.

Contrary to Chas's photo post, I'd glue the chuck on with a good weld of glue around the edge of the block for two reasons. Firstly, it's easier to see when the glue is beginnning to fail and second it's much easier to remove the glue chuck with a hot air gun afterwards because all of the glue is accessible.

Hot melt glue will dissolve in cellulose thinners.

Another glue chuck I've used is one made of a couple of brass plumbing fittings back to back - turned to fit the jaws of my chuck on one side and have a flat face on the other for the glue. The nice thing with this is that you can warm it on an iron or electric hot-plate which means it gives a more reliable hot melt glue joint to begin with and is easier to remove at the end with the same hot-plate/iron.

HTH
Jon


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## narrowboater (15 Dec 2011)

I Started the job this afternoon using the method reccomended by John. It worked very well. I have turned both top and bottom of the board, and finished with food safe oil, two coats so far, one more to put on then reverse it in my cole chuck and finish the bottom, after the worry about not loosing to much thickness it looks a bit heavy, so might turn some away I will try and finish it tomorrow.

May even post a pic for critique.

Regards
Rod


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## CHJ (15 Dec 2011)

I never bother with trying to remove a glue block off a work in progress by melting the glue, if it's thick enough in the first place to be re-usable I part off near the workpiece, if it's not then I just reverse chuck and turn it off.
It only takes a few cuts and is much quicker than trying to heat it up and remove.


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## narrowboater (15 Dec 2011)

Good point chas.I I removed the glue chuck using a hot air decorating gun, didn't take long but left a mess on the face of the board. Oh well we live nd learn, thanks for the tip.

Regards

Rod


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## Jonzjob (15 Dec 2011)

As I have said before, I have a 4" cast face plate that I screw a piece of pine, about 2" thick, to it. Turn it down to the size of the face plate and true it, then score several circles with the toe of a skew chisel. This makes it easier to aligne anything smaller than 4". Get the glue gun good and hot whilst making sure the blank is as flat as it can be. If it's bigger than the 4" then find the center and draw a 4 1/4" circle on the center. Put a circle of glue on the wooden face of the face plate and center it as well as I can and put my weight on it to stick it properly.

By the time I have turned and walked to the lathe, mounted it on the spindle and sorted out my spindle gouge it is ready to turn. I have turned a 17" X 2" thick piece of pine fr the lazy susan that I featured short time back in this way with no difficulties.

Removal. I just aligne the grain vertically and give the work a belt with a soft faced hammer away from the headstock whilst holding the work and it comes away. Occasionally it will brind a small bit of the pine face plate with it. No problems, just turn it down flat and re-score it. If, as normal, it comes clean apart form a little glue then just turn the glue off of it and reface as needed. No mucking around with remelting or waiting. The vertical aligning is so that there is no chance of splitting the work along the grain with the shock.. Any glue on the work is removed when you turn that side..

It works for me and that is all I can say!


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## Lightweeder (21 Dec 2011)

Sorry to but in, but I've tried hot glue a couple of times without success - I find, it doesn't matter how hot the gun is, by the time I've got a decent amount on the surface, the first bit has gone off. I thought I had got away with it recently, but the join came loose during turning. It might be easier dripping a bit more around the edge once it's on the lathe.


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## Jonzjob (21 Dec 2011)

You don't need a lot, just a strip around the edge of the glue chuck. What are you using? Wood or metal?


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## Lightweeder (21 Dec 2011)

Wood.


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## CHJ (21 Dec 2011)

Lightweeder":3e647058 said:


> Sorry to but in, but I've tried hot glue a couple of times without success - I find, it doesn't matter how hot the gun is, by the time I've got a decent amount on the surface, the first bit has gone off. I thought I had got away with it recently, but the join came loose during turning. It might be easier dripping a bit more around the edge once it's on the lathe.


What gun are you using? I don't use on metal faceplate only wood, but I find I have ample time to locate and apply pressure to a 50-75mm square block without any problems at all, in fact have to be careful and not be tempted to switch on lathe too early if I do it on the lathe else I get a stream of hot glue fibres flying off.


There are some 48 seconds between these two shots for instance and that was a heavy chunk of chestnut.


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## Lightweeder (21 Dec 2011)

The gun is a cheapo, but we've established in the past that the gun is just a means to heat the glue, and if the glue is piping hot and dripping, the gun's OK. For me, however, it does seem to cool almost immediately, before I have time to finish applying the stuff.

Chas - you too seem to be applying on the lathe. Maybe it's the tailstock acting as a clamp. I don't know.


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## CHJ (21 Dec 2011)

Lightweeder":1d45s144 said:


> ... For me, however, it does seem to cool almost immediately, before I have time to finish applying the stuff.


 It is about quantity available, something like can be seen on the above is extruded in a mater of a couple of seconds at the most.


Lightweeder":1d45s144 said:


> ...
> Chas - you too seem to be applying on the lathe. Maybe it's the tailstock acting as a clamp. I don't know.


I do both on and off the lathe, don't think pressure has a lot to do with it as the 'off lathe' pieces have only hand pressure contact.


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## Phil Pascoe (10 Feb 2012)

I also use glue chucks, but I have never used hot melt- I use interior " resin w" and brown paper. 
Just glue the chuck, glue the wood put brown paper in between and allow to dry. When you come to remove it, just put chisel on the joint line and give it knock- the paper will split. Soak the paper for a few minutes and rub it off : as lomg as you've used an interior pva you can wipe the glue off without the need to plane or sand any further. Make sure you put the chisel between the chuck and the paper, not the turned piece and the paper, and you won't mark the piece.


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