This is last call for free shipping. Last chance to get a letterpress poster of “By Hammer & Hand,” a bottle of our Piggly No Wiggly Glue or our new book “Cricket Tables,” with zero shipping.
We’re trying not to nag anyone. But this post is to remind that guy who will whine to us tomorrow morning: Couldn’t you just extend it one more day for me?
— Christopher Schwarz
A few weeks back I promised a panel glue-up primer… and today is the first time I’ve needed to glue up a panel since. The basic stock prep for the panel pieces is the same as the rest of the prep, until it comes to sticking the two (or more) pieces together. So that’s where I’ll pick up. And as always, it’s best if you can surface your lumber then do any glue-ups within a few hours. The less time the wood has to move, the better – even if you’ve properly acclimated it.
If I’m using yellow glue or liquid-hide glue (which is almost all the time), I rip both edges of pieces for a glue-up; I want those outside edges flat and level so the clamps have a good, parallel surface on which to close. If I’m using hot hide glue and doing a rub joint (which is almost never), there are no clamps involved, so the outside edges don’t matter.
Regardless of my approach, the first steps are the same. Lay out the panel and mark it with a cabinetmaker’s triangle.
You want to joint the edges so that you cancel out any non-perfect-90° angle from your electric jointer or jointer-plane work. If you’re jointing by hand, match-plane the two while clamped together in your vise. This will cancel out any error in your angle. If using a electric jointer, mark one edge “I” (inside) and the other “O” (outside). I runs against the fence, O runs not against the fence. This cancels out any error in the jointer’s fence.
I carefully joint each mating edge, fairly slowly, and at the same, steady speed. Then I immediately proceed to glue up.
Let’s dispense with the rub joint first. For a panel glue-up, the only glue I’d use for a rub joint is hot hide glue (though some sources will say other glues work, too). With the two mating edges freshly jointed, simply coat both edges – quickly – then rub those two edges together lengthwise until the glue starts to gel, doing your best to keep them aligned across the thickness. Then set them on end against a wall and give the glue time to completely dry. No clamp necessary. (The few times I’ve glued up panels this way, I’ve left them a little thick so that I can level the glue line after, and not end up with a too-thin panel. Typically, I use the tack-ability of hot hide glue only for glue blocks and veneer.)
I use liquid hide glue (preferably the the Old Brown stuff) for most things in woodworking, but for typical panel glue-ups, I reach for the yellow stuff. It sets up more quickly, so the clamps can come off after 30 minutes (which means I can get more glue-ups done more quickly – and every minute is precious when prepping stock for classes).
I’ll have a glue-up station ready to go on my bench before I bring stock in from the machine room, usually with a piece of paper underneath an odd number of clamps, because I always want one in the center (and if my prep is good, I can dispense with putting every other clamp on top of the panel). Along with the glue bottle, I have a bucket of water (hot water if I’m using hide glue) and a rag.
First, I run a bead of glue down the center of one board.
Then I spread it evenly with my finger (which is fast) or with an old toothbrush (which is slower but less messy).
I want enough glue that I can rub the wet edge on the dry edge and get enough glue on the mating board that its edge is also fully wetted. But no more than that.
Then I wipe the excess glue off my finger before tightening the center clamp. I keep a finger or two of my non-clamp hand on the seam so that I can feel if I need to exert downward pressure on either board for a perfect mate. (Usually, doing the glue-ups immediately after prep obviates this problem.) I don’t tighten all the way – just enough to hold the joint closed as I repeat at both ends. Then I snug them in the same order until the joint is fully closed and I see a line of glue beads down the seam. That tells me the joint is closed tightly enough, and that I used enough (actually, just a tiny bit too much!) glue.
Next I reach for the bucket and rag, and with an almost-completely wrung-out rag, wipe off the excess glue with small circular motions along the seam. Rinse, re-wet and re-wring the rag often (you don’t want to simply spread thinned glue over the surface). And don’t forget to do the other side. You’ll have a little squeeze-out under the clamps, but it’s easy enough to knock off with a scraper, chisel or plane after the glue is completely dry. Note that none of us in this shop has ever had a problem with glue-size interfering with finishing. Any residual glue is planed away.
The last task is to check the clock and write the time on the edge of the panel. After 30 minutes, you can take the clamps off and move on to the next glue-up. With multiples, I usually stack them up to dry (another reason to remove the glue on the surface), and let them sit overnight before ripping to final size and squaring the ends.
I know there are all kinds of charts, studies and special clamping doodads to help you achieve ideal clamp pressure. I’m sure those are useful. For someone. Me? This simple approach has served me well for more than a decade.
— Fitz
We’ve had a couple people ask what tools they need to make the cherry tool chest built by Whitney Miller in “Make a Swedish Tool Chest” (available at introductory pricing of $35 until Aug. 26) So, below is a list of every tool Whitney picks up on camera. To those you could add a jointer, planer and table saw if you’re going to prep your own material with the aid of power tools – though you could also carefully choose 3/4″- or 7/8″-thick S4S stock at the lumberyard, and glue up panels from that, resulting in minimal prep.
I think I got them all – if I missed any, my apologies (and I’m sure someone will let me know).
– Fitz
Update: Comments are now closed. Chris will check in to answer sometime today, tomorrow or Monday the questions I couldn’t , and you’ll be notified of the response. Thanks for a fun Saturday!
Concurrent with making more Piggly No Wiggly glue and packing Anarchist Square Kits, I’ll be hosting Open Wire this week all by my lonesome – at least that’s the plan. But because Chris just can’t help himself, he’ll probably chime in from time to time, even though he’s supposed to not be working today (he’s visiting with old friends).
So, ask your woodworking question in the comment field, and I will attempt to answer it. And if I can’t answer (i.e. it’s a stick chair head-scratcher), odds are good Chris will be along at some point to do so – though it might not be until Sunday (you’ll be notified if/when an answer is posted).
Comments will close early today, at around 4 p.m. I, too, am hanging out with old friends this evening, and have to scurry home first to wash off any spilled glue and make a dessert.
– Fitz
We get asked (a lot) if we could please add a “book ribbon” to all our titles (a shiny ribbon that helps you mark your place in a book). We would love to, but we cannot add one without dumb price increases and unacceptable delays.
Here’s the truth: Neither of our printing plants can add a ribbon while our book is being manufactured. They don’t have the equipment. To add a book ribbon, we have to make the book, then ship it to another plant. There it waits its turn for a ribbon. Then the books are shipped back to the plant for QC and final wrapping and tagging. Then shipped to us.
This adds considerable expense and time to a book – one that we do (begrudgingly) for “The Anarchist’s Design Book.”
But I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness. So here’s a quick tutorial on how to add ribbons to a bunch of books for about $12.
These ribbons are ideal for books that are about 9” tall or so. The ribbons will stick out of both the top and bottom of the book. But you can use them with bigger books, too.
You could also staple/glue/otherwise affix a piece of ribbon to a piece of cardboard and insert the cardboard into the gap between the book block and cover. There are lots of tutorials on how to do this with a piece of string, a paperclip and a sturgeon’s swim bladder.
— Christopher Schwarz
