glue

Squeeze Out

Extra adhesive that gets forced out of a joint once clamping pressure is applied. Squeeze out serves as a good general indicator that you have enough glue in the joint. Some folks will clean up squeeze out using a damp rag or sponge, but this tends to drive the adhesive into the wood grain, which can cause staining/finishing issues later. Others will scrape the glue off once it dries, but this can pull wood fibers off the surface. My preferred method is to wait for the glue to skin over (about 10-15 minutes), then carefully scrape the glue off using a card scraper.

glue

Aliphatic Resin Glue

Aliphatic resin glue is what we commonly know as “yellow glue” or “carpenter’s glue”. It is similar to PVA (white glue), but has been modified to make it stronger and more moisture resistant. Titebond Original is one of the most common aliphatic glues sold in the US. Very inexpensive and and great choice for a go-to interior wood glue. Read more

glue

PVA Glue

PVA (Polyvinyl acetate) glues are what most of us know as good old “white glue”. Common brands would be TiteBond All-Purpose White Glue and Elmers Glue All.

Why you should use it:

• Dries quickly.
• Easy water cleanup.
• Generally food-safe when cured.
• Inexpensive and economical.

Why you might not want to use it:

• Requires good clamping pressure.
• Designed to work on porous materials only.
• Most are not water poof.
• Not gap filling.
• Dries too quickly.
• Working with non-pourous materials.

What about Titebond II and III?
Titebond II adhesive is a water resistant “cross-linking PVA”. In other words a modified PVA glue that gives better water resistance.
Titebond III adhesive is a waterproof “advanced proprietary polymer”. Sounds like another modified PVA glue, but with even better water-resistance.

glue

Cyanoacrylate

Cyanoacrylate is the generic name for cyanoacrylate based fast-acting glues such as methyl 2-cyanoacrylate, ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate (commonly sold under trade names like The Original Super Glue and Krazy Glue), n-butyl cyanoacrylate (used in the veterinary glues Vetbond and LiquiVet and skin glues like Indermil and Histoacryl). 2-octyl cyanoacrylate is the medical grade glue encountered under various trade names, e.g. LiquiBand,SurgiSeal, FloraSeal, Dermabond, Nexaband, and others. Cyanoacrylate adhesives are sometimes known as “instant glues”. The abbreviation “CA” is commonly used for industrial grades.