Popular Woodworking 2009-08 № 177, страница 49

Popular Woodworking 2009-08 № 177, страница 49
GLUES ; PART I

thejoint with some magic ultraviolet wand. Or imagine that someday we might have something called "peel and stick" glue for joinery. Sound weird?

Today, both of these processes already exist and are currently a common practice in the veneering and furniture industry.

It's possible that this technology could be heading straight toward us.

By the way, before we go any further, there are people who make a big deal about the definition difference between glue and adhesive. Technically, glues are biological productsder ived from an imal s or plants, and

Win' ft onefs) to choose. With the myriad glues available today - and I'm not talking about brand names-the glue or glues you select may be all that stands between failure and success of your glue pint and your project.

History of Clues

Glues have been used to hold items toget her for centuries. Some of the first glues were made from naturalgums.saps, plant resins, animals and fish. These early glues were used for everything from broken pottery to making longbows.

The Egyptians usedanimal glues to bond together everything from fine arls to their

adhesivesare man-made products that are derived from synthetic materials.

Usually the word adhesive is used as a broaderterm because it is more inclusive in that it would include mastics, sealants and cements. But the dictionary defines boih glue and adhesive as substances that stick things together. For Lhe sake of continuity I'll use Lhe word glue ihroughoulmosLofthis article because it seems to me to be a more

natural term for woodworking.

In orderto understand glues today and to make the best choice, there are a lot of issues

that need to be discussed. Strength, grain direction, dimensional change, durability, compatibility, dependability, the curing process, the effects of water, the quality of "lit" ofthe matingpteces, storage, handling, availability and cost are just a few matters to consider when making your choice.

So to answer your neighbor's question as to the best glue to use when makingsome-thingout of wood, the correct answershould be, "It depends"

pi>pularwt>adworl<ing.eom ■ 55