# Work surface that's resistant to wood glue.



## Fridgecritter

I have Googled a little bit about this, but I figure since this forum is specifically for woodworking, why not pose the question here? I am building a cutting board gluing jig, and I was wondering if anyone had some advice on the work surface for the best medium to use that will be the most resistant to wood glue sticking.

I am thinking plywood with melamine after my brief bit of research, but maybe someone has a better idea? I know you could just suspend the work with clamps, but I really would like a make a jig that also keeps the bottom slats of endgrain wood level while drying, and be able to pick up the work off the work surface without it sticking.

Any ideas?


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## Grandpa

wax paper


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## Fridgecritter

Yeah I could put wax paper down each time, or even use the sticky side of painter's tape. I was more looking for a permanent solution that glue will not stick to. I guess my predicament is not unlike one that my old high school science teacher posed to us… He says, how do you find an acid that will eat through everything? What are you going to hold it in?


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## Grandpa

Melamine is not glue resistant but glue can be scraped off it many time before you need to replace it. Wax paper is good because you don't have to scrape it. roll it up and trash it.


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## Fridgecritter

Well I got my answer for the melamine… thanks. I guess it's gonna be wax paper or blue painter's tape unless there exists some kind of surface I can use… maybe a silicon paint over the work surface?


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## Loren

Just apply paste wax to melamine and I think you'll 
find yellow and white glues pop right off with a chisel.


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## Fridgecritter

Another good suggestion. That is still an extra step though. My question is more of a no-step non-stick surface (if one exists) that maybe someone else is using already?


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## mrg

Try one of those silicone cooking sheets. Nothing stocks to them and the new silicone paint brushes are all the rage.


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## Fridgecritter

That is an awesome idea! I will cut one or two to fit the bottom work surface of the jig and screw it down, ensuring the screws are recessed enough so they don't hit the wood. Amazing idea.


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## mds2

The top of my workbench is hardboard. Glue really doesn't stick to it, or if it does it pops right up with a chisel. I've never had clamp down pressure between a work piece and the top directly, I'm just talking about drips and squeeze out, etc. I use wax paper too.


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## Fridgecritter

Jonathan I like that material too. I will see if they sell it on Amazon. 10 bucks a square foot is not bad at all.


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## MT_Stringer

The top of my workbench is white Formica installed over a solid core door. I use a razor blade scraper to easily remove glue from glue up projects.


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## Fridgecritter

I will probably go with this product here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FPD638


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## Fridgecritter

After reading the reviews, I think I will stick with a couple pieces of flexible silicon rubber like mentioned above. Thanks all for the ideas.


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## wormil

Yes melamine is glue proof and the glue will pop right off with a putty knife: yellow glue, white glue, contact cement, and spray glue (the last two wash off with solvent). Melamine is resistant to most any chemical you will use in a wood shop and by resistant I mean you can wash the stuff down with acetone/MEK/toulene/xylene/water/whatever 1000x and it won't affect it. Melamine is also heat resistant to 400-something degrees and doesn't melt until 600-something. I say all this from personal experience and decades working around melamine in the printing trade.


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## AlaskaGuy

+1 for Rick M.

I've been use melamine for 20 years. Works as Rick says.


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## bladedust

This may sound stupid, but it actually works quite well. I use cheap roll up window shade..you know the ones you pull it down to cover the window and give a slight tug to get it back up.

Cut the spring end, remove the bottom bar, lay it accross the table and you're done. Works like a charm.

Long story short, been using it for a couple of years and nothing sticks to it. The glue just peels off without having to scrape. Cheap and effective.


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## oldnovice

UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) sheet stock that is very durable, slippery, and nothing sticks to it.

A 48" X 120" X 1/8" is about $220, this is a full sheet.
A 48" X 48" X 1/8" sheet is $107. This stuff is very durable.

Supplier and information U.S. Plastics

You can also check HDPE (High Density PolyEthelene) and other plastics on the web site above.

I make a lot of fixture out of both listed above and they need to be doweled and screwed together as no common woodworking glue will work. Good for gluing fixtures as the glue won't stick to the fixture.

If these are too expensive I would use melamine. Melamine can also be used as a note pad as pencils write on it and come off with soap and water … I have a couple of scrap pieces just for that purpose. The only problem with Melamine is that deep scratches don't go away easily!


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## renners

I'd be move concerned about squeeze out spreading over the bottom of your glue up if you have the glued pieces in contact with a solid bottom.
If you can suspend the piece in cramps while gluing, the squeeze out will be confined to the joints. This might not matter if you have a drum sander.


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## lumberjoe

I have a cheap "bench" with a 3'x 6' piece of melamine on top of it that I use for glue and finishing. Glue comes off easy. If I don't take care of it right way, it pops off with an old chisel. If there is a lot, I just gently pass a belt sander over it. When the top gets too nasty, I just flip it. The nice thing about melamine is it's good and flat, and it doesn't sag. 
Like Loren, I hit is with some paste wax every now and again.

CA glue *will* bond to it though. I have a few chips on the edges from freeing glued up pen planks where some CA snuck out. A quick tap with a mallet will separate the melamine from the particle board.


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## Fridgecritter

Yeah Jonathan I think has the right scenario here. I want something I can sit a glued up and squeezed cutting board right on top of, and when it's dry, pull it right off the surface and sand any excess glue off. I think the silicon will be necessary based on what you guys are saying about having to chisel small bits off the melamine.


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## bondogaposis

I think just about any slick surface will work like melamine or formica if you wax it and keep it waxed. I have a plywood outfeed table that is varnished and waxed and glue pops right off. I can tell when it needs waxing when it takes a little more work to pop the glue off.


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## a1Jim

I too use a melamine with a little wax on the surface glue scrapes right off.


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## Fridgecritter

I'm having trouble picturing the even coat of wax on the melamine surface. Can you explain the application method and what wax product you use?


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## gawthrrw

I made a table out of plywood than put a sheet of hardboard over it. I then put a coat of urethane followed by some johnsons wax and have had no trouble with glue sticking to it. I keep a small one inch putty knife near and if anything does stick to it, it just pops right off. Its very durable too.


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## JesseTutt

I use these equal pressure clamps from Woodcraft for when I need to glue up many pieces and want the sides to be aligned. I coat the wood with several coats of finish to keep glue from sticking. (Although I am getting more unhappy with woodcraft each day).


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## wormil

Can you explain the application method and what wax product you use?

Open a can of Johnson's floor wax, grab a small glob with a paper towel, smear on on.

If you want completely non-stick then a silicone baking mat might be ideal, I've never used one. Teflon sheets are cheaper and I have used those. Both are thin and you wouldn't want to use sharp tools on them. A disposable solution is baking parchment paper which is processed to be non-stick.

baking mat and book binding glue:


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## Fridgecritter

Ahh floor wax makes sense. I have permission from the wife to cut up one of her silicon baking mats. I'll post photos of what I'm doing with it after the device is finished.


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## Grandpa

melamine will take stain. After the finish begins to wear off it stains so it gets ugly fast. I spilled some on my work surface.


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## slimpickens

I use visqueen plastic on a roller like a blind. Roll it out, use what you need and if it gets too messy cut off the used portion. I have reused mine several times, the glue pops off before rolling the plastic back onto the roll.


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## wormil

I've been using the same sheet of wax paper for a year. The glue must just fall off because I've never removed it and it has hardly any on it but I just place it under stuff to catch drips.


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## oldnovice

To stop cauls from sticking to the glue up I use alminun foil between the caul and the glue up.

I use it in case there is any excessive squeeze out that may run I form the aluminum into a catch basin so it doesn't drip on floor/bench/whatever.


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## Fridgecritter

My issue isn't drips at all. I will have slats of wood glued together, sitting on the surface in question.


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## Tokolosi

Possible problem with the silicone is that it may give under clamping pressure and allow the strips to move. My jig is melamine. Works like a bomb!


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## Fridgecritter

I need to be able to cut a few pieces of it, and have no way in my garage shop to cut SS. That would be great though. When I post the photos later tonight you will see what I'm talking about and see why I'm going with silicon.


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## Dal300

I'm cheap.
I have a nice roll of butcher paper, a couple of rolls of waxed paper, but the cheapest method I have found is to just cut the sides off a plastic grocery bag and spread it out.
Do the glue up, the plastic will stick until I want to remove it. A minor tug and Dulcimer! or Banjo! or Piano! or `Viola! ....... it comes right off.

Besides, it don't get cheaper than that and if you leave grocery bags together with other grocery bags, they breed uncontrollably!


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## RetiredCoastie

For building cutting boards I use a clamping jig and I apply heavy duty packing tape to the surface and the cauls. Use the heavy mil tape, not the cheap stuff and it holds up well. Glue doesn't stick to it. Another option is the rotary cutting mats that quilters use for cutting material. Glue peels right off.


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## Moai

I work as a cabinetmaker for a shop in Naples Fl and all of our benches are covered with Formica. It takes a few minutes to clean the whole surface with a wide chisel once the glue spills have dried.


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## RockyTopScott

If I wanted to glue a melamine panel to plywood for an outfeed table top, what glue would I use to make that bond?


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## PurpLev

Phenolic and UHMW will not let glue adhere to them. you are mot likely to find phenolic in sizes of work surfaces (there is phenolic plywood which is plywood with a thin layer of phenolic on both sides)


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## wormil

Scott, contact cement or 3M Super 90 to glue down melamine.


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## RockyTopScott

Thanks Rick, I think I will wait to spring to open the windows and doors to do contact cement.


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## SamuraiSaw

+1 on plain ol' formica. I've used it on assembly tables for years and glue pops right off with a putty knife.


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## Purrmaster

Could you simply wax a melamine surface with Johnson's paste wax?


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## oldnovice

Yup, I completely forgot about *Formica*!

I used to buy counter top sink cutouts just for use as glue tables for $1.00 each at Minnesota Plywood back in the Midwest!

They are also nice for hot melt gluing as *Formica* is also quite temperature (~350°) resistant!


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## Fridgecritter

Here is a photo of the work surface. I should have taken a photo before I put the project on there, but I will try to describe the issue… There are four pieces of wood on the tabletop vise that I installed to extend the capability of the vise table. So the bottom of the cutting board that's on there right now is only coming into contact with those two narrow pieces of wood, and those top two pieces you see there that are just to keep the wood pieces flat while it dries.

So I have already cut up a silicon mat, and I am going to use very small screws recessed into the bottom pieces of wood and I am also going to find better looking and more permanent top braces, and screw two pieces of the silicon strips to the bottom of those. Right now you can see there is wax paper between the pieces that come into contact with the wood and the project.


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## Fridgecritter

Here is a better photo. You can see that the project will only come into contact with those thin strips of wood, so it doesn't have to be a huge piece of silicon. I definitely need to put something on it though unless I want to keep using wax paper since it's unfinished wood.


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## gfadvm

If you are only needing to protect those thin strips under the glue up, just tape them with blue painter's tape. As for a work surface that glue doesn't bond to, Formica works very well for me.


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## RMcIntosh

I have found that glue does not seem to stick to the slick side of what is sold at "markerboard" at big box suppliers, intended for use with dry erase markers like in a conference room or something like that. I have also found that a surface painted with a couple of coats of counter top paint (also sold at some big box suppliers) tends to resist glue.


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## tvrgeek

Melamine pretty much. For even more, give it a coat of wax.


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## brtech

The Peachtree Silii Mat https://www.ptreeusa.com/gluing_sili_products.html (bottom of page) is pretty awesome.


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## oldnovice

If you can afford it, try *paper*!
I mean paper countertop like *Paperstone* or *Richlite*, paper and binder squeezed under high presuure. 
Also god for projects as it machines like cold butter and can be finished from satin to high gloss.


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## Be58pilot

I have an assembly table that I coated with polyurethane. Dried glue pops right off with a scraper.


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## LesB

I'm not sure it was pointed out but Melamine comes on sheets of MDF or plywood starting at 1/4" thick. I like to use in bathroom and kitchen drawer bottoms because it is so easy to clean.

Also you can go to any big box store and get formica counter tops already made up in various lengths. As Loren suggested if you wax it the glue will come off even easier.

The top of one of my work benches is MDF coated with poly and I have noticed the glue does not stick but I do have to pop it off with a chisel sometimes.


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## MrUnix

There is a guy on Youtube named Jason (Epic UpCycling) that has an assembly table he does glue ups on directly, and the finished work just seems to pop right off without much fuss. I have no idea what it is covered with, but it looks like some kind of sheet metal maybe? He also has a really cool way of clamping large panel glue-ups using wedges, that I thought was pretty neat.

Anyway, the Youtuber in question is "Epic UpCycling" and his assembly bench can be seen in most of his videos. Here is one that shows him making a giant reindeer from recycled pallet wood:

Giant Christmas Reindeer Made Out Of Scrap Wood

To make the 'blank', he just glues up strips right on the table, squeeze out and all. Here is a picture showing all the run-out on top, so you can imagine what it looks like on the bottom where it is resting on the work surface:










Even with all the run-out and being loaded down with weights to keep the panel flat against the table, they still just pop right off after drying. Anybody have a guess as to what that surface is?

Cheers,
Brad


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## KLF

My son used to work at a place that makes that black grille mat stuff, before it was sold as grille mat. They sell it to McDonalds and Burger King as mats to cook burgers on. He gave me the end of a roll, maybe about 50' long, and I've been gradually using it. NOTHING sticks to it. Duct tape, epoxy, Gorolla glue, even Zip flashing tape… falls right off. I keep a piece in the bottom of my oven, if something like a fruit pie overflows and drips on it, all I have to do is let it cool then shake it off.

Now I want to make a pie.


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## gerrym526

I've built glue-up tables out of MDF (3/4" is very rigid) and simply put 2-3 coats of hand applied paste wax to the surface.
The glue doesn't stick.
Hope this helps.
Gerry


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## metolius

I lay 6mil plastic sheet on the glue-up table, the type of sheeting normally used for a vapor barrier and is sold in 100 ft rolls. Glue has zero hold on it. 
It gets replaced with a new sheet once or twice a year.


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## bondogaposis

Glue pops right off a plastic laminate surface. I have an assembly table surfaced with it, wood glue pops right off however epoxy does not.


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## therealSteveN

Brad, that's just 1/4" tempered hardboard. Make sure to get the tempered. Paint will adhere, but glue comes off easily.






You get a good look at it right at the start when he is putting the stock on it. Then again you can see a good side view when he is gluing it up.


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## david2011

A friend who is a cabinet maker with over 40 years of experience likes Formica or a similar laminate for workbench tops. He has a workbench at his house that he has used for building composite fiberglass/Kevlar/carbon fiber RC airplanes on for 30 years and the glue still pops off of the laminate.


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