How's everyone take care of Glue Clean up?

You glue your projects together?

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Doesnt everybody glue their projects together? Please tell me you dont use screws or nails, Karson. And I do the same thing you do Schroeder, I usually wipe it off with a wet rag before I run them through my drum sander, or chisel it off preferably before it sets, and usually dont think far enough ahead to tape.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

I went to an Amish Cabinet shop on a little tour today and He glues up his door panels leaving the raised panel a little lower that the frame and styles.

He then runs the doors through the drum sander (even cross grain) and then uses a random orbital sander to make it smooth again.

It was real interesting to see a shop in operation that doesn’t use electricity. Air motors or hydraulic motors on all of the equipment. A diesel power plant running hydrauilic pumps and air compressors. two 2000 gal compressed air tanks out back and a dust vac system all running on hydraulic. Air screw guns, Air radial arm saw, chop saw, Blum hinge drilling machine, all air driven.

He does use a 10 battery Million CP spot light and propane lights if he needs to finish something after it starts to get dark.

The diesel power plant also runs a freon pump to ship cooling to his house for refrigeration.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Schroeder,
I leave it. Let it dry, then scrape or plane it away. I have tried various methods of wiping it off whist wet and it never really helps.
For some components I pre-finish then you can pick the glue off later without problems.
Hope this helps
Philly

Thanks – these are all great ideas, I guess I just keep hoping someone will tell that there is some “magic” formula that they couldn’t believe I hadn’t tried yet…here’s to hoping! -cheers

-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe

Like Philip, I leave the glue to dry then scrape and sand it off. Ideally, I should scrape it off when it is semi hard, but usually I have left it to dry overnight.

I have heard that wiping the glue off with a wet rag basically spreads it out in a thin coat over a wider area, sealing the fibers. If true, then you will have to sand to get it off as well. No easy way around it no matter what you do, unless you do not use glue.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

I’ve always been disappointed with the result when wiping with a damp cloth.

You think you’ve got everything, but in fact, all you really succeed in doing, is smearing it around and driving it into the open pours of the wood.

It is much harder to clean later, and later is usually after you have tried to finish it. That’s when you notice that the wood won’t accept the finish because it has inadvertently been sealed with glue.

So, I know either use a masking tape to create a barrier to avoid the glue from getting on the wood, or I let the glue skin fairly hard and remove it with a scraper, and/or carefully with a chisel.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

There is no worse enemy to the mission stain process. Glue stains can add hours and hours to the process I use for staining shows up as long yellow streaks. Its impossible for the dye to soak in.

Trust me I know. Been there sanded that. The worse problem is now you have pores like Don referred to that are destroyed. That causes all kinds of other problems.

I found there is one simple answer.

Don’t get it on the wood to start with.

I don’t mean to sound flip. What I am referring to is I have to really pay attention to my gluing.

I limit the amount I use, most people use way to much) how I apply it-what type I use, and NEVER rub or spread it until completely dry. Then carefully scrape or use a product like “Glue Gone”. Although expensive, they are designed to break down chemicals of the glue. Not just dissolve them.

If you choose to use a tape – use like a good quality of painters tape so the adhesive on the back of the tape wont stay behind – when you remove it – and cause more problems.
I found one of the hardest things to master in woodworking is the gluing process.

Its both an art and science.

-- Dusty

I’ve found that even letting the glue”skin” over it still soaks into the fibers of the wood, so I’ve come to the conclusion that, for me, it’s all about putting a coat of some sort of finish on it before I glue up. As much glue as I use, it’s easier to keep the stain or oil off of the parts to be glued than it is to keep the glue off the parts to be stained.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

I try my best to mask, have had mostly good luck chiseling off semi-hard glue. I’ve only had bad results by wiping… I don’t believe the books that say you can – just keep rinsing out the rag, It’ll be fine – I don’t think so. I know I should pre-finish, but I generally am to anxious to wait (even though finishing can be a chore that way) or more often the case – I don’t have the room to finish all the parts unassembled. (The kitchen table has become a good spot for glue-ups and finishing!)

As for that Amish shop… sure they’re not using electricity… but it sounds like they’re cheating to me. If I was going to live off the grid, (or work in the shop of an historical reenactment village) I’d grab my handtools and be perfectly happy.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

I think it was Scott that asked me about the Cherry Magazine table , but there was a place where the glue had dried in a corner, and when it came time to stain it, even though I’d used a chisel to chisel it out, the stain was lighter than everywhere else. When i put the ends on it, I stained it prior to glue up, but left the points where the glue was, and it was much easier when it came time to finish. A lot of the things I make are doweled, so that part can be finished after I dowel it. The problem I have is in the corners.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

I too will use a masking tape to help eliminate a glue stain:)

-- http://rjoneswoodworks.com/

I use masking tape to make sure squeeze out stays off the wood. Wiping just seals the wood. I also try to use the right amount of glue. If you’re getting tons of squeeze out, it’s either too much glue or too much pressure.

Even with the tape, when the glue sets I scrape it off. the tape makes sure I’m not spreading the glue and makes sure I’m not marring the surface.