Wood glue

Wood glue is an adhesive used to tightly bond pieces of wood together. Many substances have been used as glues .

Types of wood glue

pva glue can be used along with prittstick

• urea-formaldehyde resin adhesives feature low cost, low cure temperatures, resistance to microorganisms and abrasion, and light color. It does not creep, and can be repaired with epoxy. Can rapidly deteriorate in hot, moist environments, releasing formaldehyde (a carcinogen);
• Resorcinol-formaldehyde resin glue is very strong and durable (resisting immersion in boiling water, mild acids, salt water, solvents, mold, fungus, ultraviolet light, etc.). It must be mixed before use (liquid resin and powdered catalyst). It has a dark purple color which may be objectionable in some uses. Toxic.. For many years, the FAA has stated that "Resorcinol is the only known adhesive recommended and approved for use in wooden aircraft structure and fully meets necessary strength and durability requirements" for certificated aircraft, however in fact the vast majority of wooden aircraft built in recent decades (mostly amateur-built aircraft) instead use other types of adhesives (primarily epoxy resin systems) which offer greater strength and even more importantly, much less criticality in perfect application technique. Most newer adhesives are much more tolerant to typical construction mistakes (such as small gaps or misalignments between parts) than resourcinol, which offers virtually no tolerance for such everyday construction situations. This can pose major difficulties, especially in complex assemblies. However, resourcinol is still used by some builders/restorers, and is commonly seen in vintage aircraft.;
• phenol formaldehyde resin is commonly used for making plywood. It is cured at elevated temperature and pressure.;
• Traditionally, animal glues were ubiquitous, especially hide glue, which is still used in lutherie and restoration. You can now find a liquid version of it, Old Brown Glue. Hide glue does not creep. Hide glue joints are easy to repair, by just heating and adding more hide glue.
• Hobbyists commonly use polyvinyl acetate (PVA), also known as "white glue" or "hobby and craft", and aliphatic resin emulsion, commonly referred to as "carpenter's glue" or "Yellow glue", which has similar relative ultimate strength. The two have different grip characteristics before initial set, with PVAs exhibiting more slip during assembly and yellow glue having more initial grip. PVAs are non-toxic and very easy to use, but hard to repair since nothing else sticks well to the hardened glue. PVAs will creep under constant load.
• Polyurethane glue (trade names include Gorilla Glue and Excel) is becoming increasingly popular, especially where water resistance is required. They bond to textile fibers, metals, plastics, glass, sand, ceramics, and rubber, in addition to wood. However, in water-saturating tests, polyurethane bonds "were much less durable than the resorcinol bonds on both [Douglas-fir and yellow birch]."
• Epoxy cures under a wider range of temperatures and moisture content than other glues, does not require pressure while curing, and has good gap-filling properties. Bonds to cured glue of most types (except PVA). Sensitive to ultraviolet light and salt water, can lose strength at temperatures above 101 F (38 °C) (some types are much-more heat-resistant), can be more prone to fatigue than the wood it bonds (though is often much stronger than the wood), can trigger long-term sensitivity (allergies) from overexposure, and is often expensive.;
• Cyanoacrylate (Crazy glue, Superglue, CA or CyA) is used mainly for small repairs, especially by woodturners. Bonds instantly, including to skin. Cured CA is essentially a plastic material. Versions are available that tend towards being able to wick into tight joints and bond instantly (at a reduced strength) or thicker formulations which can fill gaps and bond more slowly, usually with greater strength. Versions are also available that are foam safe (regular CA dissolves most plastic foams) which are usually also marketed as low odor. CA is stiff enough that normal wood movement can often break the bond, at least in some applications. Often, too much adhesive is applied which leads to a much weaker bond. CA has quickly become the dominant adhesive used by for builders of balsa wood models, where its strength far exceeds the base materials.;
• Contact Cement for veneers;
• Hot melt for temporary uses;
• Homemade glue for paper, wood, and internal uses.

Usage

Several wood glues have poor "gap-filling" ability (they bond tightly to wood, but not to itself). Therefore, woodworkers commonly use tight-fitting joints that need surprisingly little glue to hold large pieces of wood. Most wood glues need to be clamped while the glue sets. Epoxy resins and some other glues can be thickened with structural fillers (or with thicker formulations of the resin) to help fill gaps, however it's obviously preferable to try to minimize gaps in the first place.

PVA glue can also be used along with prittstick.

See also

• Glue
• Clamp (tool)
• Carpenter

External Pages

• DIYinfo.org's Wood Glues — A comprehensive wiki section on wood glues and their applications.