I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic and
my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather enjoy
it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
Anyone else?
stoutman wrote:
> I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>
> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>
> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic and
> my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>
> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather enjoy
> it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>
>
> Anyone else?
The way I was taught was to do a dry fit and clamp up to identify any
problems first.
Then make notes of what clamping order is required.
Remove the clamps from the dry fit.
Then glue and clamp.
In a very complex setup or if there are problems getting all the clamps
in place I will glue in sections with the other components dry fit to
keep things square.
Use a glue with a reasonable work time.
Get's a bit heated at my house also during even simple glue ups, I
think a check list on the wall just before being done would help too.
I always forget to check square in one direction of another too.
David Marks uses the plastic resin glue a great deal in his woodworks
show for the up to 1 hour open time. Although you have to leave the
parts in the clamps for 24 hours, I am going to buy some for the extra
peace of mind tomorrow while I get a couple of pipe unions to extend
some pipe clamps for a curio carase I am having trouble gluing up.
<img
src="http://www.webbyhome.com:8080/ia5/photos/curio_shell_small.jpg">
Alan
Picture this situation...
A curved irregular shape hand rail 33 feet long, comprised of 14 pieces of
odd shaped material. Now add to that the fact that not only does the rail
have to curve, but it also has to twist to keep it aligned with the
staircase.
You wanna talk about SWEAT!!!!
In actuality it came off like a breeze. All it takes is six people and a
lot of hustle. One guy at the top end with a six foot pipe clamp providing
both pull and twist. Three people placing clamps and blocks starting from
the bottom and working feverishly towards the top. Two people following
washing the excess glue and inspecting the seams to insure a tight glue
joint in all 13 seams.
At the time we were using Tightbond II as it provided a longer working time
than regular Tightbond. I now use Tightbond Extend for all my curved or
difficult glueups.
While we had to work fast we also worked smart! Do it right the first time
and you won't have to fix it later. It looked like the proverbial Monkey
and the football, but we did know what we were doing.
I do a lot of bent glue ups and as all the others have said, DRY FIT, DRY
FIT, DRY FIT!!!!! That allows you to identify the problem areas and address
them without fighting the glue setting on you.
As for the number of clamps, you can never have enough. my web site shows
several examples of extreme clamping. I NEVER use a brad I can't cut off or
hide. I built a kitchen this year that has no visible fasteners at all with
the exception of the top crown which is fastened with a micro pinner.
For curved glueups I use stainless steel bands torqued to about 150lbs. This
applies even pressure along the entire blank and eliminates the point
pressure irregularities caused by individual clamps.
Well good luck to all.
Keep the joints tight, and the fasteners few.
Tom in Oregon
www.resourcecreations.biz
"stoutman" <.@.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>
> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>
> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic
and
> my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>
> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather
enjoy
> it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>
>
> Anyone else?
>
>
stoutman wrote:
> I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>
> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>
> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic and
> my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>
> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather enjoy
> it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>
>
> Anyone else?
>
>
G'day Stoutman,
I understand exactly what you are going through. With pieces slipping,
padding pieces falling out before you get the clamp tight,Wondering why
in the hell we haven't another couple of hands, and why the clamp
manufactures always put stops in the wrong position.
It brings out the best in me also. :)
regards
John
> The way I was taught was to do a dry fit and clamp up to identify any
> problems first.
Few of us could provide better advice. When you do a dry fit and test you
will have all of your materials and clamps at hand. The procedure is in you
mind.
Your next step, especially with more challenging assemblies, is just to
focus on the task. If you have a phone in the shop, temporarily disable it.
If your wife isn't helping you, let here know you will be occupied with a
glue up. My wife has helped with several and understands completely.
RonB
stoutman wrote:
>
> I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>
> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>
> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic and
> my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>
> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather enjoy
> it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>
> Anyone else?
Do sub -assemblies, square them up if they're suppose to be
squared up, angled to the desired angle if they're suppose to
be angled and use set up "blocks" that can be placed inside
or outside and clamped. Make them out of 3/4" MDD and
if they need special angles, cut them on the miter saw or
SCMS if they're really tricky.
Example: Holes are for one side of the clamp
to go in. Also cut off the corner so
you don't glue the block to your piece
+--+
/ ( ) |
/ |
/ |
| ( ) |
______/
Use traditional joinery - they're self aligning - AND self
supporting - if you do them right.
If you're going to use any special hardware - like
knife hinges or ball catches make sure your joinery
selections will accomodate their installation.
http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/CooperedDoors/CooperedDoors4.htm
DRY FIT
For mortise and tenon joints, bevel the top edges of the
mortise and the end edges of the tenon - they'll give you
some slop in initial alignment and then go together nice
and snug. Bevel the end(s) fo dowels and, where it
won't show, the hole they're going into.
Work out a clmaping orientation that'll let you see
critical joints so you can verify that they close
completely.
Here's a narrative of my biggest glue up "challenge"
to hopefully make you feel less alone.
http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/MT/CBbench18.html
And to make you feel better, James Krenov finds
glue up the most stressful part of his work.
charlie b
"stoutman" <.@.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>
> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>
> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic
> and my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>
> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather
> enjoy it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>
Hide half of your clamps. It is well-known that possessing more clamps
leads to more ambitious and time-consuming glue-ups.
Some people get things into register and shoot a brad in to hold it until
the glue dries. A real marriage-saver, that.
[email protected] wrote:
> On 18 Sep 2005 17:54:32 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>
>
>>stoutman wrote:
>>
>>>I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>>>
>>>Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>>>
>>>Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic and
>>>my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>>>
>>>I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather enjoy
>>>it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>>>
>>>
>>>Anyone else?
>>
>>The way I was taught was to do a dry fit and clamp up to identify any
>>problems first.
>>
>>Then make notes of what clamping order is required.
>>Remove the clamps from the dry fit.
>>
>>Then glue and clamp.
>>
>>In a very complex setup or if there are problems getting all the clamps
>>in place I will glue in sections with the other components dry fit to
>>keep things square.
>>
>>Use a glue with a reasonable work time.
>
>
>
>
> yeah, basically what he said. do as many dry runs as necessary to be
> sure that al of the parts fit right together, that you have room
> around your assembly table to pull it all off and that you have enough
> clamps of the right sizes within reach as you do the balancing act
> with lumber.
>
> yellow glue and white glue are closely related. there are some
> differences, but one of the biggest ones is that white glue has a
> longer open time. it's fine for indoor woodworking projects, so if you
> need more assembly time, consider white glue.
The biggest difference is that white glue will
creep especially with a higher temperatures. May
not be important on most things but white glue
shouldn't be used on a joint that has continuous
pressure and will tend to separate with that
pressure. With yellow glue, work at a lower temp
(50-60 degrees) for a longer open time, also, even
after the first tack, parts can be moved with
pressure and that is ok.
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> The biggest difference is that white glue will
> creep especially with a higher temperatures.
>
AFAIK, so will yellow glue. But maybe less.
For a long open time, there's always hide glue.
--
BNSF = Build Now, Seep Forever
John B wrote:
> stoutman wrote:
>
>> I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>>
>> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>>
>> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken
>> lunatic and my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im
>> insane.
>>
>> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather
>> enjoy it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>>
>>
>> Anyone else?
>>
> G'day Stoutman,
> I understand exactly what you are going through. With pieces slipping,
> padding pieces falling out before you get the clamp tight,Wondering why
> in the hell we haven't another couple of hands, and why the clamp
> manufactures always put stops in the wrong position.
> It brings out the best in me also. :)
> regards
> John
I think you have to be a saint to not come
"un-glued" when doing a difficult glue up,
especially when you have a big piece and long
clamps and stuff is moving around and it just
isn't square. Anymore, I just keep shifting
clamps even if one has to be pretty crooked to the
clamped edges to get things square. If I can't
possibly move it by hand cause the glue has set up
and it pops and snaps when tightening a clamp to
get it to move into alignment, I am no longer
bothered. The glue joints always solid anyway.
Course I'm not talking hours, I'm still talking
about a frantic 15-20 minutes.
The whole thing may have to be assembled and
clamped at one time to make sure everything is
aligned and square, but not all joints have to
glued at the same time. So look at it and see how
to glue it in two stages if assembly and clamping
is going to take a long time.
My analyst told me that type of behaviour is a result of not having enough
clamps and/or having a shop that is too small.
Both are easily treatable conditions and can be accomplished with minimal
side effects.
Should you seek treatment, be careful in selecting a practioner.
Words of wisdom that have been previously given to me are:
Buy quality once or buy crap continuously.
Should you choose treatment, good luck.
"stoutman" <.@.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>
> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>
> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic
> and my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>
> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather
> enjoy it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>
>
> Anyone else?
>
tom wrote:
> RonB wrote:snip_ If you have a phone in the shop, temporarily disable
> it. _snip. Seems it never fails to ring
> during a glue-up! Tom
>
So? you don't have to answer the phone. I told my
in-laws that I answer the phone only when I want
to and never when it is inconvenient. Seems they,
like many people, think that answering the phone
is mandatory. Hell, I also believe than answering
the door bell is optional.
Thanks for the input. I have clamped in sections before, but i never
thought of dry fitting the other components to help with squareness.
I'm gonna try that next time. If that doesn't work I'm gonna look into
getting a third arm cloned :)
Thanks!
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> stoutman wrote:
>> I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>>
>> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>>
>> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic
>> and
>> my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>>
>> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather
>> enjoy
>> it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>>
>>
>> Anyone else?
>
> The way I was taught was to do a dry fit and clamp up to identify any
> problems first.
>
> Then make notes of what clamping order is required.
> Remove the clamps from the dry fit.
>
> Then glue and clamp.
>
> In a very complex setup or if there are problems getting all the clamps
> in place I will glue in sections with the other components dry fit to
> keep things square.
>
> Use a glue with a reasonable work time.
>
On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:38:09 GMT, "stoutman" <.@.> wrote:
>I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>
>Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>
>Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic and
>my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>
>I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather enjoy
>it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>
>
>Anyone else?
>
On complicated glue ups, I've found it helps to do a dry run and time
it to see if there will be enough glue open time. Then I take a
couple of pictures of the clamped work from different angles with the
digital camera. Print them off and have them for reference when I do
the real thing.
Frank
"stoutman" <.@.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Anyone else?
I don't dare involve my wife in glue-ups. I tell her to steer clear if she
hears me shout "I'm glueing". The Titebond Extend glue helped me get
through some rather large glue ups by my self.
Bob
On 18 Sep 2005 17:54:32 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>
>stoutman wrote:
>> I am a 3-year rookie at furniture making and glue ups still freak me out.
>>
>> Does anyone else out there freak out during glue ups?
>>
>> Every time I glue up a piece of furniture I turn into a freaken lunatic and
>> my wife (my glue up assistant) just looks at me like im insane.
>>
>> I keep my cool during the other aspects of furniture making and rather enjoy
>> it, but glue ups....ugg moan.....!!!
>>
>>
>> Anyone else?
>
>The way I was taught was to do a dry fit and clamp up to identify any
>problems first.
>
>Then make notes of what clamping order is required.
>Remove the clamps from the dry fit.
>
>Then glue and clamp.
>
>In a very complex setup or if there are problems getting all the clamps
>in place I will glue in sections with the other components dry fit to
>keep things square.
>
>Use a glue with a reasonable work time.
yeah, basically what he said. do as many dry runs as necessary to be
sure that al of the parts fit right together, that you have room
around your assembly table to pull it all off and that you have enough
clamps of the right sizes within reach as you do the balancing act
with lumber.
yellow glue and white glue are closely related. there are some
differences, but one of the biggest ones is that white glue has a
longer open time. it's fine for indoor woodworking projects, so if you
need more assembly time, consider white glue.
lgb wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
>
>>The biggest difference is that white glue will
>>creep especially with a higher temperatures.
>>
>
>
> AFAIK, so will yellow glue. But maybe less.
>
> For a long open time, there's always hide glue.
>
>
I like the AFAIK. In tables of glue properties, I
have never seen in included for yellow
(carpenters) glue, only white (polyvinyl) glue. I
have never had a yellow glue joint creep, break if
poorly glued or break the other wood near the
joint, but never creep. Oh, the other big think
is yellow glue sands well, white doesn't,
> As for the number of clamps, you can never have enough. my web site
> shows
> several examples of extreme clamping. I NEVER use a brad I can't cut off
> or
> hide. I built a kitchen this year that has no visible fasteners at all
> with
> the exception of the top crown which is fastened with a micro pinner.
Nice drive-by gloat - in one shot I counted no fewer than 16 K-bodies!