# Using salt with glue



## AcornLikelyWins (Feb 1, 2020)

So I am completely new to woodworking. I've been watching a lot of videos on starting out and one trick someone posted seems suspect. He said on large glue ups, with a lot of glue, that the wood may slide while clamping and that adding a little salt will help prevent this. He poured on quite a bit of salt too. 
It seems like this is a bad idea considering you want to get all the dust from sanding off before gluing. Is this really a legitimate trick or is this a bad idea?


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## wildwoodbybrianjohns (Aug 22, 2019)

It is an old "trick." If you search L.J.s for this topic you will get some hits, I think. If you ask the reps at Titebond, they will tell you that salt (or sugar) will alter the compo of the glue and result in a weakened joint.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Could use fine sand. Same result w/o damage to glue composition.


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

I've not used the technique, but it would seem that if you used a light sprinkling of salt you should be good. At least you would have a well seasoned joint.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

ive heard of it too,never felt i had the need to do it though,just learn to clamp things up properly and it wont be an issue.welcome to lumber jocks.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

It seems like one of those „secret tips" that "they" don't want you to know about. Even if someone didn't have clamps, they just used a rub joint.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I've heard of it, but never tried it.


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

You should know your clamping plan & whether you have enough clamps before applying any glue.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

I tried it a couple of times after learning about it. It works fine. Kosher salt works well as the grains are larger so you only need a *very tiny pinch* near the corners. You're not trying to season a turkey. The salt dissolves and Bob's your mother's brother. Naturally Titebond has to say that it affects the glue bond but 99% is still just glue. Not to worry.

I usually just use a pin nailer at the corners if I'm worried about sliding.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

I've done it, as well. It worked fine for helping to prevent the pieces sliding in the few instances, but I wasn't so enamored with the technique that I kept using it.


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## Thuzmund (Dec 9, 2013)

This guy seems to have tested it: 




Generally it seems like the salt (or even sand) seem to have little effect and is worth a try. We still don't exactly know if the joint is any weaker though.

The test of course needed to make some decisions about methods. I wish the fellow had not cut little relief areas to fit in a claw hammer. I wonder if he is getting more of a splitting action as the weaker wood gives way along grain lines that are a few mm's away from the glue joint. Force is really concentrated, and not applied directly to joint it seems to me.

Imagine if he had left 1" unglued, then hammered a fine chisel or similar into that gap, like if you were trying to split two glued boards right along the line. This would force a break the glue joint, I imagine, and give more interesting results.

But long story short it seems worth a go


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I think I originally saw this tip in Woodsmith magazine. I use it all the time when gluing 2 flat faces. Tightening clamp will often cause the 2 faces to slide out of alignment. A few grains of regular table salt will minimize or even eliminate the movement. It really doesn't take much. This glue up would have been much more difficult without it.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

My technique is to shoot pin nails into one face, leaving them proud. You can do that by shooting through some thin veneer or 1/8" plywood. Even cardboard will do. It only takes 3 or 4 pins to do the job. Then, using diagonal cutters, cut them just shy of flush. You want to be able to feel them with your fingers, but they shouldn't be sticking way up.

Then glue your faces as planned. The pin nails will prevent slippage, and are so short that they simply push into the mating piece and allow the two faces to come completely together for a solid glue-up.

My pin nailer can shoot 3/8" pins, so even thin pieces can be glued this way.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> My technique is to shoot pin nails into one face, leaving them proud. You can do that by shooting through some thin veneer or 1/8" plywood. Even cardboard will do. It only takes 3 or 4 pins to do the job. Then, using diagonal cutters, cut them just shy of flush. You want to be able to feel them with your fingers, but they shouldn t be sticking way up.
> 
> Then glue your faces as planned. The pin nails will prevent slippage, and are so short that they simply push into the mating piece and allow the two faces to come completely together for a solid glue-up.
> 
> ...


nice tip, just shows their are many ways to do what you need to do in woodworking,none are wrong.


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## Foghorn (Jan 30, 2020)

> My technique is to shoot pin nails into one face, leaving them proud. You can do that by shooting through some thin veneer or 1/8" plywood. Even cardboard will do. It only takes 3 or 4 pins to do the job. Then, using diagonal cutters, cut them just shy of flush. You want to be able to feel them with your fingers, but they shouldn t be sticking way up.
> 
> Then glue your faces as planned. The pin nails will prevent slippage, and are so short that they simply push into the mating piece and allow the two faces to come completely together for a solid glue-up.
> 
> ...


I'll do that or use my Bostich spring staple gun and clip the two sides which leaves a couple of sharp nubs sticking up.


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

> My technique is to shoot pin nails into one face, leaving them proud. You can do that by shooting through some thin veneer or 1/8" plywood. Even cardboard will do. It only takes 3 or 4 pins to do the job. Then, using diagonal cutters, cut them just shy of flush. You want to be able to feel them with your fingers, but they shouldn t be sticking way up.
> 
> Then glue your faces as planned. The pin nails will prevent slippage, and are so short that they simply push into the mating piece and allow the two faces to come completely together for a solid glue-up.
> 
> ...


I read that several times before I realized that when you said "just shy of flush," you mean't "just proud of flush"!

I was really puzzled how a sunk brad was going to work here…

Great tip!


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