In 2018, I shared this trick that David Savage used to improve dovetail joints. He called it “Juicy Lucy,” and it involves flooding the exterior of a joint with extra hide glue to swell the fibers and improve the joint cosmetically.
We continue to use his trick with dovetails with great success. And at some point I started using it with the wedged through-tenons on my chairs. Here’s how I do it.
After I glue the joint and assemble it (but before wedging), I paint a thick coat of glue around the show surface of the joint. Then I paint glue on the wedge and knock it in place.
Once the glue has gelled, I remove the excess with a dry rag and let the joint continue to set up overnight.
I’ve been real happy with the results.
— Christopher Schwarz
Drenching all parts of the joint with glue and during before assembly……..
What a brilliant idea!
I’m learning a lot about making chairs.
In Minnesota, a juicy lucy is a burger with the cheese stuffed inside instead of on top, invented in Minneapolis in the 1950’s. I guess hide glue is edible, too…
We don’t have that here! Now I must go to Minnesota!
Had you investigated the depth of the glue into the post as a result of the capillary action when the excess is removed?
I know you have, or had, a cat named Henny Turkey. I know it’s not where the name originated, but my brain decodes it as Henny Penny and Turkey Lurkey. Now you have Juicy Lucy. I’d love to see if you can extend this more. With a children’s book, and illustrations by Katherine. Fitz will need a cool nickname.
You know. When you get around to it.
Dumb question I spose but how does it take to a finish?
After you flush off the tenon and scrape the surface smooth, no finishing problems.
So you probably wouldn’t want to do this on say a protruding tenon on like a bookcase or table leg?
Probably not.
Please comment on the pros and cons of this depending on the finish you anticipate using on the chair. I assume glue absorbs into the wood and prevents stain impregnating as well as other non-glued area.
i mostly use shellac and blo over hide glue. i also sometimes add lockwood dyes to the shellac. I’ve never had any issues. you can also come back with a wet toothbrush days after the hide glue dries and clean it up. try that with pva, or any other glue.
The hide glue doesn’t give me any trouble. I saw the tenon flush, then plane and scrape the arm smooth. That is more than enough to remove any glue size on the surface. So no problem in all my years of working with hide glue.
This is something I have practiced with PVA glue on projects for years (sometimes with a bit of sawdust as a thickener/filler). But why before wedging? Wouldn’t excess dried glue get in the wedge slot and make wedging more problematic?
I want the maximum amount of glue in all the mating surfaces. Between the tenon and mortise. And between the wedge and the tenon.
Putting it on before wedging lets the glue get into any open crack. And I wedge it while the glue is wet.
Ah, wedging it while the glue is wet explains everything. No worries then. I like the method!