# titebond III vs titebond extend



## seriousturtle (Apr 13, 2009)

I know there are other topics about slow setting glues, but I wanted to post this anyway. Recently I've lost 6 (that's right, SIX) cutting boards due to my titebond II setting up before I was finished adjusting them in the clamps. Now I thought I was being efficient by *trying* to glue 3 at a time in some 48" parallel clamps and then using cauls on top to keep them relatively flat, since I don't have many clamps. Well, twice now I've lost the whole bunch. Long story short, my wife talked me into spending some $ on some different glue. I've ordered both titebond III and titebond II extend, which supposedly has a longer open time. If anyone has compared the two, what are your observations. When they arrive in the mail, I will use both and let you know what I think.

~turtle


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

I use TB lll alot and there is no lingering with that glue at all. I too would like to try something that is as slow as I am!


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

prep work for gluing is a must ,

either make a jig , ( back and end stops ,
with plastic cover ) ,
or some stand offs for the clamps .

have everything ready as a dry run .
no walking around the shop looking for a clamp or to 
the scrap bin for a caul .

have everything ready and adjusted first ,

the glue is the last thing !


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Greetings: I use TiteBondIII alot, as do most of us, and I also use the TiteBond Extend, which is a little longer to get to glueing. But if I have a large panel or long wide top to glue up, and it's going to be a big job, I reach for the "hide glue".... You can take your time with this glue, cause it takes a while for it to start setting up. That's why instrument maker use it so much…...slow setting…., and you got time to get the glue spread on good. Try it….... you might like it…. keep on keeping on !!!


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## closetguy (Sep 29, 2007)

I agree with patron. You should have everything sitting there and ready to clamp as soon as the glue gets spread on. I dry fit to make sure everything is flush, and if not, I will joint the edges to ensure a tight fit. With TB II or III, you have about five minutes to adjust for any slippage.


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## seriousturtle (Apr 13, 2009)

I thought about hide glue, but for cutting boards? I thought that hide glue will "unglue" with water? Is that the case? Is there a down side to TB extend?

~turtle


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## douglas2cats (Mar 31, 2008)

The extend does give you a bit more open time but not much. I've used it for years and otherwise cant tell the difference between it and either tb2 or tb3 (except it may be just a tad thinner). There is a workong temperature difference though. I think the 2/3 will let you glue up at slightly colder temps. The extend does help on complicated glue-ups but you'll still have to have everything laid out and ready to go.


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## seriousturtle (Apr 13, 2009)

Yeah, I've noticed the colder temps, which froze my glue on those lost cutting boards. My wife suggested that I move my glue-up stations into our tiny basement which I did. Pretty cramped down there, but at least its a place that I can continue my projects, at a minimal hassle.

~turtle


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## gmerteng (Nov 17, 2009)

I have used gorilla glue for cutting boards, you have 20 minutes of working time.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

According to an article I read on TB III it does not set up properly below 47* F, however the cooler the room temperature the slower it sets. 
I find Gorilla type urethane very messy for that type of project. It sets slower if the wood is quite dry and the temperature is cool. You can spray on some water after clamping to speed up the curing process. Yes it needs moisture to cure well.


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

TB III & only one board at a time. I have done 2, but as you know you take the chance of them not being perfect. A very expirenced woodworker once told me, " take your time son and do it right the first time." I have to remind myself this constantly, as I tend to want it done right now!


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## CTMike (Jun 7, 2019)

If it'll fit into the microwave heat it 30 seconds with a wet paper napkin wrapped around it. When it comes out it'll be blazing hot, apply firm pressure and it'll pop apart.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I have not thought about microwaving wood to break a glue joint.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

Why not use some slow setting epoxy. Of course, you will have to keep it warm during curing.


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## Kudzupatch (Feb 3, 2015)

Since TB3 is waterproof/resistant I think you would want to use it on cutting boards anyway.


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## gdaveg (Aug 1, 2020)

I had never heard of "extended" TB before this post.

+1 for every thing Patron said.

I had a difficult glue up with many strips (10) that must be glued at the same time. I went to the Franklin website and found that TB-3 has about 40% longer open time than TB-2.

On my dry fits I not only have all the clamps, wet rag, paper towels etc that I will need but get the clamps near the width they will need to be. Saw that tip on YouTube couple years ago.

CTMike - first time I heard of zapping wood in a microwave to break glue joints. May try if the need arises in the future.


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## brtech (May 26, 2010)

As another option, Elmer's wood glue has a longer working time than any of the TB's. I will always use one of the TB products unless I am worried about my glue up and then I use the Elmer's. Haven't had a joint fail, but not a whole lot of experience yet. I have used TB II Extend on several project that were complex (20 dowels between two rails for a crib for example) and that wasn't too tough. I do dry fits and have my clamps ready to go before I open the glue. I'll get my wife to help spread glue or hold things if I need to. Another tip is to use painters tape or wax to avoid glue cleanup. It lets you be a little sloppier without a big cleanup process, which lets you rush glue spreading without serious consequence.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

> " take your time son and do it right the first time." I have to remind myself this constantly, as I tend to want it done right now!
> 
> - Ken90712


I was listening to the Mortice & Tenon podcast this morning and they said jokingly "hurry up and get that done so you will have enough time to do it over" The cast was about focusing on the task at hand.

To the OP, anything beyond simple I rehearse. Even getting your clamps adjusted to the proper notch and open helps. My favorite go to is to hand plane my cauls to fit and take clear package tape on the side touching the glue, no bond and no staining. Gives a little slip for hammer taps to adjust too.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

Cutting board/slat glue ups are the worst for time management in my experience. Second is mitered corners (boxes) that have no "key" for alignment, takes time to get all these aligned and clamped before things seize up.

The prepare everything before mantra is a golden rule. Also of help is to lay out all the parts with the glue sides up and use a roller or small painting "sponge" roller to spread the glue out en-masse.

Having the non-glue surfaces well waxed or masked ahead of time also allows you to apply an excess of glue (which really helps with open times) and get everything properly clamped up with the glue still able to flow. The inevitable squeeze out is then a lot easier to remove.
I like to let these things sit in the clamps for 30 minutes or so, then remove the clamps and scrape away all the excess while it is still pliable. Back into the clamps for a good 24 hours of drying since it can take a while for things to dry that are deep inside the project and not exposed to air.


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## CaptainKlutz (Apr 23, 2014)

+1 prep is important.

You must also learn how to apply glue very quickly. Squirting glue from a bottle and then spreading it out is a huge waste of time. How do you think commercial shop applies glue? Look Here, or Here, or Here. 
Using rollers and/or large brushes matched to surface size is only solution to maximize open/clamp time. I use glue bottle with roller head for home shop glue up's.

I use either; white glue (longest), TBII Extend, and/or TBIII on my shop. 
I find TBII extend to have same clamp working time as TBIII (about 20min). Where TBII excels is longer open time. Get an extra 5 minutes of open time with TBII extend, compared to TBIII, .vs. an extra 10 min with white glue. 
The problem with cutting board; is any board actually used for chopping and cleaned often, needs an ANSI Type 1 water resistance glue (TBIII). For decorative cheese boards, an ANSI type 2 water resistance (TBII) works fine. Both white glue and hide glue are not recommended for kitchen use items that see hot water, as they will soften and come apart.

I use a extended open time PVA anytime I use PVA adhesive. 
It's required here in Arizona due single digit humidity levels, and this slow old retired body. My stored lumber typically measures below the 3% RH that my meter can measure. The dry wood sucks the moisture out of any glue very quickly. 
One trick I have learned with large glue ups; is that I can extend open and working time for PVA glue, by wiping a wet rag on surfaces just before adding glue. This technique has proven as only way to avoid to dry joints or clamp issues when making long lamination's similar to those used on work bench or kitchen countertops. By pre-wetting the joint, I can stack almost double the number of lamination's in each clamp cycle.

YMMV


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## WoodenDreams (Aug 23, 2018)

Old post started in 2009, which comments started again.

I've purchased titebond Extend, thinking of trying to get a longer glue-up assembly time. It gave me a longer glue-up time. Titebond Extend is a much thinner glue (very runny) vs. Titebond III. So, expect the glue to run!!!

My results were very disappointing. You had to wait longer to unclamp and work with the assembly. The cure time is much longer. I needed to wait about 24 hours to unclamp the glue-ups. I had one glue-up that I unclamped after ten hours, that come apart when I went to clean-up and sand the panels. So, expect a full cure in 48 hours or longer.

Works good in a syringe, if you do some gluing with a syringe. Since it's a much thinner glue. Just needs a longer clamping time.


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks for the update, guess I'll avoid the extend. Been using TB III all this time, guess I won't change it.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

TBIII is notorious for the solids settling out. I usually need to use a stick to mix it back up in the quart bottles.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I've been using Titebond extend for my Roubo bench top. It's nice to use, but does take longer to cure. But that's okay.


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