All Replies on Cutting board glue up nightmare

You might try cauls on the top and bottom too.

Edited to add a better picture.

-- Scott Smith, Southern Illinois

I’m not familiar with Marc’s video on this but it sounds like you glued it all up at once . Maybe if you glued half or a third at a time you would have better success. Scott’s idea about cauls is a good idea too.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

You may have applied too much pressure. If you use too much it can force the wood to move out of alignment. There is bound to be some movement and it is unrealistic (at least in my experience) to expect things to come out of the clamps perfectly smooth, you will always have to do some post glue sanding. To aid alignment you could use biscuits when doing the final glue. The biscuits will help keep everything aligned. If you don’t have a biscuit jointer you could also just use some splines although you would see those on the ends of the board. If you used a contrasting wood it might not be bad though. 30 minutes w/ 60 grit paper does seem like an excessive amount of sanding, maybe someone else will weigh in with another solution.

I did glue it up all at once. I used cauls on the ends across the cuts.
Those are good suggestions!
Thanks

Glue is slippery and it is common for wood to slip as pressure is applied. It might be better to tackle the glue up in stages instead of all once.

-- Bondo Gaposis

I think it’s really strange that you had that much of a problem when using cauls. Stupid question but have you checked to make sure your cauls are flat? Maybe next time add more cauls and clamp along the length of the cauls as well as at the ends.

When I make cutting boards I glue them up all at once and have never had any trouble doing it that way.

I have also read about people applying the glue to the strips, then pinning them in place with a 23G pin nailer (just until the glue sets) and, finally, clamping all the pieces together. The pins (one at each end of the strip) prevent the slippage you experienced. I have never done this, so take it for what it is worth. :)

-- Art

I noticed on the Wood Whisperer video that OP refered to that he hardly uses any clamping pressure. I think because he went to so much effort to make sure all pieces were true that it wasn’t necessary to bear down on the clamps. Most people over tighten the clamps, causing wood to slip out…plus using a variety of clamps makes for unequal pressure application. On the video, he uses a minimum of clamps and they match.

I actually did joint the cauls. The unevenness was further towards the center of the board.
The more I think about it, the more I think it was too much clamping pressure. I re-watched the WW video, and I didn’t position the clamps like he did either.

One other thought, it appears that you only clamped the cauls on the ends. Unless your cauls have a convex edge, any pressure at the ends will cause them to bow up in the middle, or at least provide less clamping pressure there than at the ends. That, combined with excessive clamping pressure on your pipe clamps could cause movement before the glue sets. Wood under pressure, like water, follows the path of least resistance. Good luck with the next one!

-- I used to be all thumbs......'til I got a tablesaw!

First time I made an end grain board, I blew it at the clamping stage. I overclamped it to the point of making some very nice firewood.

-- http://www.heartofsackville.ca/

Yeah, I think I overdid it too. I was able to sand the hell out of it so it is level now. I just don’t want to have to go through that every time.!

if you jointed your cauls, but only clamped them at the ends – they could bow, leaving the center area un-clampped (by the cauls) which would then be free to move out of alignment, especially if you apply a lot of clamping pressure.

you should either make sure your cauls are convex properly and clamp on their ends, or if you use jointed cauls, make sure you clamp all along them.

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

I’ve gone to cutting hardwood 5/4 pieces very flat and using them in three places to clamp the wood down flat while I’m gluing them up. There is going to be a little unevenness but nothing like what I had without it. Just a couple thick walnut pieces cut absolutely straight with shipping tape on them to keep them from sticking to the glue.
Try it.

-- Failure does not stop me, it makes me try harder..... because I'm crazy.

Would a thickness planer and the cutting board stabilized on a plywood sled not also work? Once the top is flattened, flip it over and plane the other side (sans plywood), then sand with the ROS.

Is this crazy talk? I’ve been known to speak it from time to time. :)

-- -Sam

http://www.bowclamp.com/

Cauls from Bow Clamp rock.

I know you shouldn’t send end grain through the planer. But I guess you could after the first glue up because it will still be long grain. The thing I was wondering with that is if the all the glue squeeze out would damage the planer knives.

I feel your frustration, My first cutting board turned out the same. Then after a few frustrating attempts and some research online, I started to pin everything with little dowels.. Works Perfect—-:)