Woodworker's Journal 1994-18-5, страница 16

Woodworking Basics

1

Simple tools, careful preparation, and a little planning take the stress out of sticky work

by Roger Holmes

hew woodworking operations spark more anxiety than gluing up a complex project. Weeks of preparation- surfacing, joint cutting, routing, carv ing—arc all on the line as you apply glue and then race to assemble and pull everything together before the glue sets. For the beginner (and. truth be told, for more than a few older hands), gluing up even a simple tabletop can be a daunting prospect.

1 don't know that it's possible to eliminate nerves from the process entirely. Alter gluing up woodworking projects for 25 years. I still get butterflies in anticipation, it is possible, howev er, to channel the anxiety into a useful rush of adrenalin. Also, well-machined snug-fitting joints case a lot of the tension. Whether you're building a three-board coffee tabletop or a Chippendale annoire, glue and clamps cannot magically cure ill-fitting joinety.

That said, choosing and correctly using the right glue and clamps, along with thorough preparation and a little planning, can make all the difference in how your projects go together. In this article. 1*11 outline the glues, tools, and procedures that have helped me avoid glue-up ulcers.

Glue—Making the Selection

For most of us, woodw orking offers a welcome escape from an increasingly complex world. Many of the tools we use and the constructions we employ have remained virtually unchanged for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years.

16 Sepicmber/Ocmher 1W4

Not so woodworking glues. Although you can still get by w ith animal-hide glues that differ little from those used by ancient Egyptian carpenters, most of us select one of the more technologically sophisticated adhesives perfected within the last 5(J years or so. These glues surpass their farebearers in strength, durability, and ease of application. Technological advancement doesn't necessarily make glues "better." however. Countless pieces of superb furniture remain soundly cemented together by hide glues.

Technology may create more choices, but this in turn makes the choices more difficult. I'd like to say that my choice of glues rests on a thorough study of all the available options. In fact. I've generally followed the examples of the masters I trained with and other woodw orkers whose judgment and experience I trust.

For most of w hat I make, which includes household furniture and fittings. I use timer's Glue-All, a white polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glue (Photo A). Jt forms a bond stronger than the natural bond between wood fibers. At shop temperatures of 65-85°, it sets up slow ly enough to let me assemble and clamp most complex constructions. (This period of w orkability is called "open assembly lime" or "open time."') This glue cures sufficiently in an hour or so to permit unclamping (its "closed assembly time"), a real advantage in a clamp-poor shop. Squeeze-out can be wiped away w ith a damp cloth: the glue dries clear and won't discolor the wood.

Woodworker's Joumu!