Titebond Wood Glues: Product and Application Technical Guide I

Wood Surface Preparation

For best results, we recommend the moisture content of the wood be between
6-8% and the relative humidity between 40-50%. Because Titebond
Polyurethane Glue needs moisture to cure, lightly dampen the joint with water
before gluing. (Moisture content can be determined with a meter.)

To prevent “stepped joints”, it is important to ensure that all the wood has
similar moisture content. This can be achieved by allowing the wood to
acclimate or sit exposed in your shop for 7 – 14 days.

When working with woods that are oily or high in tannic acid, wipe the joints
with acetone before gluing. Acetone clears the contaminants from the wood pores
on the bonding surface and dries quickly without leaving any residue. Sanding
or planing the wood before gluing will also help create a good bonding surface.

Care should be taken to ensure a tight fit between wood pieces with no saw
marks and no burnishing of the surfaces to be glued.

Clamping Guidelines

Appropriate clamp pressure is essential for a successful bond. We recommend
the following guidelines:

For softwoods (pine, poplar): 100-150 psi
For medium density woods (cherry, soft maple): 150-200 psi
For hardwoods (oak, birch): 200-300 psi

Clamp time is dependent on wood species, moisture content and environmental
conditions. For most of our wood glues, we recommend clamping an
unstressed joint for 30 minutes to one hour. Stressed joints, such as bent
laminations, need to be clamped for 24 hours. Do not stress the new joint until
totally cured – at least 24 hours. For Titebond Polyurethane Glue, we
recommend clamping for at least 45 minutes. The glue is completely cured
within 6 hours.

Clamps should be positioned a minimum of 1 1/2″ – 2″ in from the sides and
evenly spaced at 8″ – 12″ throughout the piece.

Application Tips

Allow projects glued up with water-based glues to dry for several days before
sanding or planing. This allows the swollen wood on both sides of the bonded
joint time to dry and shrink, thus preventing “sunken” joints.

Do not use metal tools with any Titebond Wood Glue. While it will not adversely
affect the strength of the glue, iron may contaminate the glue and darken the
glue line.

Apply a sufficient amount of glue to ensure adequate adhesion. You should
experience glue coming from the joint or “squeeze out”.
Glue joint “squeeze out” may make the area around the joint difficult to stain.
Although sanding the area will help, we recommend using masking tape to
cover the areas that you do not want exposed to glue.

Source: Titebond
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