# Gluing Tigerwood...



## BammBamm (Nov 27, 2009)

Hey all,
Was hoping someone has worked with Tigerwood in the past, and has some pointers about glue up. I've been told to wipe down with solvent or lacquer thinner prior to gluing…but am just curious if that statement is correct, and if there are any other special considerations to consider when gluing? I currently use alot of Titebond II and Titebond III glue…Will these work, or do I need to go to a different glue? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have not started yet, want to get my ducks in a row before forging ahead.

Thanks all! Great place to find answers!


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## beckerswoodworks (Dec 26, 2009)

I've worked with it a bit and have a project that's close to completion that I hope to be posting in the next few weeks. I glue it like any other wood using normal titebond. The wood does have a slight oily feel to it so I can see why someone would recomend wiping it down but I have had no trouble with it. If you're unsure, do a test. Glue up a couple of scraps without any wiping and see how well it holds.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

When working with Tiger Wood, you have to hit it with a golf club first…then it will be easier to work with. With a name like BammBamm, you should know that.


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## Tony_S (Dec 16, 2009)

Ive built 6 or 7 circular stairs out of Tiger Wood over the years, and have learned to err on the side of caution when laminating. For the most part, you can 'get away' with wiping down with Lacquer thinner and using yellow glue…but over the course of the first couple of stairs, had run into a couple of minor problems. Changed protocol, and now wipe down with Lacquer thinner, and use epoxy for all laminations. Never had a problem since.


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## KMJohnsonow (Feb 16, 2010)

Didn't know this.


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## ellen35 (Jan 1, 2009)

I've used tiger wood in cutting boards as a decorative area (and they seem to sell to golfers well) and it glues up just fine. A wipe with acetone wouldn't hurt but I've never had a problem.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

I recently made 2 cutting boards…one with just tiger wood, and the other is tiger wood and ipe. I used TB3 glue and splined all of the joints. I didn't wipe down the wood first. They seem well glued, but they are new, and haven't stood the test of time.


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## BammBamm (Nov 27, 2009)

Thanks for all the humor and tips…

Tony_S….when you switched to Epoxy, which did you use?

Thanks again all.


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## Tony_S (Dec 16, 2009)

Hey Bamm…

Tried a few different kinds over the years….West System is the best no question.


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## Abbott (May 10, 2009)

*I've used tiger wood in cutting boards as a decorative area (and they seem to sell to golfers well) and it glues up just fine. A wipe with acetone wouldn't hurt but I've never had a problem.*

*Ellen,*

You will probably need to use Cheetah wood now.


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## BammBamm (Nov 27, 2009)

Thanks Tony….will keep that in mind.


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## awoodnut (Sep 25, 2009)

Whene I was working with some wood I had concernes on I emailed the folks at tightbond and they got back to me fairly quickly.

The wood was brazillian Redwood and because of the silica or oil or whatever they recommended a wipe down with acetone and glue with tightbond III. Seemed to work well.

Good luck
Mike


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## steveNy (Oct 13, 2016)

I have heard that if you use acetone or lacquer thinner to wipe down oily wood it can actually draw more oil to the surface due to the fast evaporation rate. Has anyone heard of this ?


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## BammBamm (Nov 27, 2009)

I used acetone to wipe down my sections of tigerwood just before applying Titebond III, Was building end grain butcher-block style island top, and it has held up well with no glue issues. I did test glue ups of both unprepped with TBIII, Acetone prepped with TBIII, and Acetone wiped with 2part epoxy. Didn't really see any noticeable difference on the initial tests, but since I already had the TB3, and was familiar with working with it, I stayed with that and it has held up well to the daily rigors of it being a kitchen island top.


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