Clayton M. Rines - Woodworking for Beginners Guide (Volume 2): The Complete Manual to the Art of Woodcraft, Techniques, Tools, Tips and DIY Projects with Illustrations

Wood glue is any adhesive used to attach a piece of wood to another firmly. It would help if you had wood glue in almost every aspect of woodworking, whether for simple woodworking or major projects. There are so many to pick from, brands and even generic ones. It can be so hard to make a suitable pick, especially for beginners like you! This section helps you make a more informed decision as regards all that.

There are different types of glues, and in this chapter, we explore them all, highlighting their good sides and bad sides, the best glue type for different kinds of projects, how to use these glues, and what components make up their essence. In summary, I introduce you to the word of wood glues. Enjoy!

Polyvinyl Acetate Glue

Also called PVA, this is the most readily available and most widely used glue. Whether for arts and craft projects, outdoor or indoor woodworking, this glue simply cuts across all. Some of the brands of PVA in the market today include Titebond, Elmer, and Gorilla Glue.

Pros

• It is the most readily available and accessible glue.
• It is white and retains its color without changing to distasteful colors over time after it has been used.
• Its strength does not weaken, and it stays that way for a very lengthy period.
• It is nontoxic or harmful (Kindly desist from ingesting it and keep the tube away from children lest they swallow its cap or eat the contents).
• There is such a large variety of options to pick from, from their usage mode to their color. This means that you can even make your choice of blue color match the color shade of your furniture to heighten the aesthetics.
• In case you are making furniture that is bound to be exposed to a lot of harsh unfavorable weather, PVC comes with waterproof types that will be perfect for your outdoor furniture, making your furniture very durable and preventing it from falling apart.
• There are so many brands to choose from, and you might want to choose based on the consistency of the glue (how thick or runny it is), as this affects how fast it dries up as well.
• There are so many brands that there is a lot of competition when it comes to quality and pricing. It is, however, very certain that whatever the brands decided on, pick the one that favors you and the project at hand.

Cons

• It is quite difficult to make any repair once PVA is used to attach something. This is because of its strength and innate component, making it such that it is highly difficult to make any glue stick on its surface once it is dry.

Polyurethane Glue

In most markets, it is either referred to as Gorilla Glue or Excel. It is the second most common among woodworkers after the PVA glue. Chemically, they are prepolymers that have isocyanate groups at their ends. These isocyanates react with water when placed in a wet environment.

Pros

• Its very low moisture content doesnt make wood joints swell as other water-based glue does.
• It has very impressive adhesive properties, so most woodworking professionals love it.
• It is one of the few types of glue with which you can glue assembled pieces together instead of gluing from time to time like other glues work. Its chemical properties allow for instant gluing, unlike the others.
• One other way it is considered highly special is its ability to bond with even the most difficult surfaces that even strong glues like PVA have trouble bonding with. This is because curing it stems from having a chemical reaction with moisture.
• This glue is one of the few that is not solely reserved for wood. It is used to glue varying items made of different materials like metals, glass, rubber, ceramics, and textile fibres.

Cons

• It takes a long time (over 24 hours) to finish curing.
• You might have to leave the pieces together after gluing for a very long time to ensure that it properly binds.
• You would most likely have to spend time cleaning up afterwards because it tends to seep out during clamping. This might require the use of a scraper or sandpaper. Some might consider this extra work.

Hide Glue

This is a type of hide glue, and it used to be the most desired glue by woodworkers. As its name indicates, it is made from the hide of animals. They are still commonly used, although they have been modified in a lot of ways. You would mostly find them being used by woodworkers who have stuck to traditional woodworking ways or are into traditional weapons like arrows and spears; traditional instruments like flutes or trumpets; and antiques.

Pros

• They do not seep out like other glues after using them to glue materials, so they give a neater finish and do not require extra time to clean.
• Unlike other glues like PVA, they are very easy to correct, which are impossible to repair once hardened.
• They now come in liquid form with urea to increase the time it takes to dry and prevent hardening when left under normal room temperature.
• They are produced in different forms with different strengths and hardening times, making them versatile as they can be used in almost all fields and for almost all woodwork.
• It is highly nontoxic when inhaled and even ingested. This is not an incentive to eat a jar of hide glue; we just want you to know that if it ever mistakenly happens to land in your mouth, you wont need a trip to the nearest hospital.