Titebond III Glue Lines

[Stevie-Raw]

Been using this glue for couple of years now and quite happy with it - particularly its low application temp (very handy in my workshop!) However I've just completed a cabinet in ash and just starting two in elm and I've noticed with these lighter woods that my edgejointing on panels is showing a glue line. I've been satisfied with the joint in its dry assembled state but once glued I can see it. Its not terrible and I'd have to point it out but I know its there. So is it the glue I'm using or is it my jointing?


Cheers
Steve

 

[Ironballs]

Could be your jointing, however you could always switch to a light glue

 

[woodbloke]

I think this is one (possibly the only one) of the down sides of using TBIII, namely it will leave a dark glue line that can be seen on lighter timbers. I think if I were using something like ash (or similar) I'd go for the II variant rather than the III.
I've just started to use TBIII (on teak) and so far have found it very good stuff. I might just have a little play around though with some lighter timbers (off cuts of pine and oak) just to see what the glue line is really like - Rob

 

[plymouth pirate]

Woodbloke, do you de-oil the teak with any spirits before jointing?

Regards, John

 

[woodbloke]

Woodbloke, do you de-oil the teak with any spirits before jointing?

Regards, John

I give the joining surfaces a scrub with meths using a stiff cut down paintbrush (rather like a stencil brush) just before the glue is applied (let the solvent evaporatate first though) Acetone can be used as well but it goes even more quickly than meths - Rob

 

[plymouth pirate]

Hi Rob.

Thanks for that.

John.

 

[wizer]

Isn't it Epoxy for invisible glue lines?

 

[Stevie-Raw]

Thanks woodbloke - I was hoping that was the case. If it was my jointing I don't honestly know how I could improve. As I mentioned the joint line is spot on when dryclamped and I've never had a problem using oak or walnut. I'll try the titebond II, I'm only one surface into the project so its not to late to change - only 10metres of jointing to go!

Thanks
Steve

 

[Stevie-Raw]

Just as an update for anyone interested. Having now used the Titebond original I now have glueline free joints - couldn't see 'em myself and I put them there! Also having taken a look at titebonds website it would seem that the chill temp of the original glue is actually lower than the Titebond III and their new titebond Extend glue is as low as 40 deg F. So for those of us feeling the cold in our joints this time of year, titebond orig and extend would seem to be the way to go.
Steve

 

[woodbloke]

The problem with the original yellow Titebond is that it's not water resistant, so if you use water (damp brush) like I do there's a little bit of concern that the joint will fail if too much water comes into contact.
I did some veneering once with it and used a lot of water to scrub off the sticky tape...after a short while the veneer lifted
I always used to use a D3 PVA which was water resistant but I think that the TBIII is excellent.
Interestingly, Axminster have got a good deal on at the moment that runs out at the end of the year, so my intention is to get hold of a gallon of TBII and III before it ends - Rob

 

[Aled Dafis]

On a slightly different subject, I find that TB111 is very runny, so much so that any squeeze out ends up as long runs that make even more of a mess when I clean them up. On jobs that are pre-finished this isn't so much of an issue, the excess glue just pops off, but when working on unfinished wood I find TB111 a bit of a pain.

Is TB11 any more viscous?? I need to order more glue, so which is it to be?

Cheers

Aled

 

[Ironballs]

I also thought that TB 1 was creep resistant whereas TB 2 and 3 allowed a little creep with seasonal movement, hence why TB 1 is popular amongst musical instrument makers but made it less suited to furniture making

 

[Boz62]

As it was mentioned above, I'll add that Titebond Extend also gives clean glue-line on pale woods. Here it is on my beech worktop lamination:


I can only compare it to Evostick blue, but one thing that surpised me was the way it squirmed under clamping. Rather than being all over the place for a long while, the Extend gave me about 10 seconds of free movement to line it up then went quite stiff - enough to need a mallet for final tweaking. In practice that worked very well. It is fairly runny - more so than the Evostick, so easy to spread for large areas, but the squeeze-out drips everywhere :evil: After 20 mins the squeeze out continues slightly, but is gloopy by then, until it stops at about 30 mins. This was at 16C so might be different in a colder workshop.

Boz

 

[woodbloke]

On a slightly different subject, I find that TB111 is very runny, so much so that any squeeze out ends up as long runs that make even more of a mess when I clean them up. On jobs that are pre-finished this isn't so much of an issue, the excess glue just pops off, but when working on unfinished wood I find TB111 a bit of a pain.

Is TB11 any more viscous?? I need to order more glue, so which is it to be?

Cheers

Aled

I like TBIII 'cos it is a little runnier (viscous?) as it means that you can spread it more economically. On unfinished projects it just cleans off with a damp brush. I'd use TBII for veneering though and on paler timbers, so short answer is...
...you need both - Rob

 

[wizer]

TBII is indeed more viscous but has a darker glue line. I prefer it over III tho.

 

[Mattty]

I don't really get the obsession with Titebond that some people have. I have used I & II and yes it's good glue but IMO no better than some of the cheaper brands. I use this- almost all the time now, i find it superb and it costs abou £18 for 5L. I also use PU glue a lot for joinery as the drying time is so quick.

 

[Cicero1529]

You could try the horses mouth......

http://www.titebond.com/IntroPageTB.ASP ... ?prodcat=3

 

[Stevie-Raw]

The titebond original isn't waterproof so removing glue squeeze out with water would be a concern. For edgejointing unfinished wood I tend to wait for it to become rubbery and then scrape it off rather than diluting it and having it penetrate the grain. The first few swipes of the plane once dry and it you're back to bare wood. I recently finished a cherry veneeered cabinet which was prefinished with shellac before glue up but found that the glue squeeze out when removed lifted off the finish. Now I always use masking tape just shy of the joint line just in case. (remove before the glue hardens and make sure you don't mask too close and trap the tape in the joint - don't ask me how I know that!)

Cheers
Steve