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Glue

Ron Solfest

Ron Solfest

Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
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Location
Crossville, TN
What type glue do most segmenters use?

I haven’t fallen into the segmenting vortex because of an aversion to end grain joints from flat work. But have been doing a lot of pieced work where I glue up side grain to side grain. I really like the arcs that are exposed when turning bowls, and interesting patterns that can be achieved in bowls and platters with different woods.

With that background, I have a question about glues. Most all of my glue ups have used Titebond3. I’m very happy with this except then gluing two light colored woods together, or when a light color wood is toward the bottom of a bowl where the glue joint is cut at a very shallow angle. In both those cases the glue joint shows more than I’d like.

I just ordered a gallon of Titebond2 Extend because of it’s translucent color and still some water resistance. I usually finish with Watco and then buff/wax. Most of my bowls are candy bowl size, and probably won’t hold liquids for extended periods but I still want them to be durable. I think T2 will be fine, but curious about others experience (after I’ve already purchased...).

Thanks
 
I'm not a segment er Ron but Titebond is the only wood glue that I use. I've been using Titebond for years and I have never had it fail.
 
Normally, I use Titebond II. It sets pretty fast and I've never had a joint fail in a segmented piece. I'll use Titebond III if I need extended working time like when I'm gluing up a segmented ring with 48 segments.
 
We have about 10 in our club that do a lot of segmenting with a couple doing really high end work. All use Titebond Original. The reason is its cheap and works!

A couple of years ago we were discussing different glues in our weekly get togethers. I did an experiment gluing up maple rings in the same project with different glues. I think maple shows the glue joint worse than any other wood so that's why it was picked. I used Titebond Original, Elmer's Glue-All, and Gorilla PVA Wood Glue. None of us could see much difference.
 
Consider the end use of your piece before selecting your glue. If your piece will reside outside, Titebond 3, inside, Titebond original. I usually use original as it wash’s out of my t-shirts nicely!! I’ve never had a failure with endgrain gluing because of staggering joints.
 
TBIII, started using it for gluing cork rings for custom fishing rods. Always keep a 16 oz. bottle on hand for WWing and turning.
Edit- To give an idea of its "adhesiveness," I used it to glue the bottom two steps in our split foyer. Couldn't get under to run screws up through the boards. Held them in place for about 10 years. Had to cut them in sections to replace them which will use TBIII again.
 
Gary Beasley said:
Dont let your aversion to end grain joints stop you. Segmentation mostly uses side grain gluing with a brick stack pattern that will overcome any weakness in the end grain bond. Even so the end grain bond is pretty strong, my first segmented form was straight stacked and held together quite well.
Click to expand...

Gary - thanks, I agree. I'm only half-joking about the end grain aversion as I know that segmented bowls built up brick style have plenty of side grain jointery to hold together well. Still, I've come to really like the arcs I get turning what I call "pieced" instead of the more intricate/detailed segmented bowls.

I guess my real question boils down to "Is Titebond2 Extend good enough for bowls that may see occasional liquids, plus normal washing?" I believe the answer is affirmative, but just double-checking other's experiences. The last gallon of Titebond3 will have lasted me 8-12 months. If I only use the gallon of Titebond2 Extend I just ordered on light colored joints etc it will probably last at least a few years (too long). On the other hand, if I use it more liberally and essentially buy every other gallon T3 vs T2 I'll always have both on hand to use preferentially as needed and go through each gallon in a year or two which I believe is acceptable.

I find it much more economical to buy gallons of T2/T3 at $40 each instead of pints at $10-15 each. I also always have a pint or two of regular Titebond around for flat work or ornaments etc but haven't used that in a long time for any bowl turning because of T3 superior water resistance.

As always, thanks for your comments and assistance.
 
I always used tb3 when I was doing segmenting but I most always put a finish on with at least some color, so the darker of tb3 looked better to me. I would not be concerned about tb2 holding up. I just did not like the lighter look of the glue joints. Some segmenters prefer the uethane foaming type. If clamped properly they dont foam in the joint, are more translucent, and do not creep. Any pva will creep some with time, creating a bump at the glue line that can be felt. All segment pieces of mine have creep but not all joints. Since I started turning wet wood I havent done any segmented work.
 
Titebond 2 and 2 Extend will offer plenty of water resistance for your application. Do you need the extended open/working time? If not, you will get tired of remixing the 2 Extend every time the solids settle out. You can alleviate the situation by storing the bottle upside down on alternate weeks.
 
Not a lot left to say! The end grain joints should be dry fitted first and checked for alignment, then if any of the joints are open inside the circle or outside then trim and dry fit again. The quality of the fit probably has more to do with the joints showing then the glue. The saw should be checked for square with table and the blade should be sharp 60 tooth and no set.
 
segmentCutting.jpg This jig can be used to repeatedly cut accurate segments. The jig is made for 8 segments therefore the saw is first set for 22 1/2 degrees then the jig is mounted and the depth stop is set. In this case the jig was taken out of storage, mounted and cut 8 test segments as shown on the left. The test proved that the angle is good so no fine adjustments were needed. The segment still clamped with it's offcut demonstrates another handy feature that can't be done with a table saw sled. The toggle clamp draws the work piece toward the stop and the fence as it is operated.
In the previous post I said to dry fit and trim if needed, however I don't do that because it is just about impossible to trim end grain accurately so please disregard the trim part.
 
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