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Gluing up outdoor panel

Gluing up outdoor panel (post #167436)

brookbend on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 13:24 (updated 06/03/11 - 06:16)

Joinery

Planning to make a 22" x 34" outdoor panel using polyurethane glue on 1x6 mahogany. The board edges are square, coming from a lumber yard. I have a tabletop tablesaw, only. And I have no planer nor jointer. I own a belt sander and orbital hand sander. This project will not be repeated in this life.

I've done something similar in the past with lousy results. But knowing my limitations, maybe someone can tell me how to control the atoms as much as possible. Thinking of using brads to nail down the boards onto a flat, wooden surface to control movement and hoping I can remove the panel when it dries.

Luckily, one can get away with murder in certain quality aspects for outdoor furniture, which this panel is dropping into. It'll be a shelf inside a cabinet, observable only when taken out of the shipping box and upon opening the doors of the cabinet. The panel will not be finished.

To hold the glued boards (post #167436, reply #1 of 5)

by SteveSchoene in reply to brookbend [original] on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 17:07

To hold the glued boards together you NEED clamps. Three or four bar or pipe clamps should help pull these boards together. You can't over clamp. This is particularly necessary if the boards haven't been precisely jointed. Before gluing anything do a trial clamping the boards together. If the joints pull together without gaps you are fine. If they don't want to stay flat, you want to use something called cauls. These are a couple of cross boards (like 2x4's that you clamp over the boards you are gluing to keep them lined up. You may want to glue 2 boards at a time and then glue together after the first joint has cured.

Forget the polyurethane glue. Use Titebond III if it needs serious water resistance, otherwise Titebond II. These will be much easier to use--they don't foam up, the mess can be cleaned off your hands with water before they cure, and to top it off they make stronger bonds.

Test your finish on scrap, FIRST, or risk having to scrap your finish.

ok (post #167436, reply #2 of 5)

by brookbend in reply to SteveSchoene [original] on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 06:13

The cauls are interesting. And gluing 2 boards at a time also interesting. Probably do both, thanx. TB III that's new to me. Yes, if it does not foam and push out the joints during glueup that's a benefit. I thoought the polyurethan would fill in gaps in the joints, but actually it's better for this application to just get the joints right.

Polyurethane glue does foam (post #167436, reply #3 of 5)

by SteveSchoene in reply to brookbend [original] on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 07:45

Polyurethane glue does foam into gaps, but that foam contributes no strength.

Test your finish on scrap, FIRST, or risk having to scrap your finish.

Clamping (post #167436, reply #4 of 5)

by Westchester in reply to SteveSchoene [original] on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 08:29

Brook

Methods for limited resources :

Another way to clamp is to screw down wood strips on either side of the boards you are joining. Hammer in wedges to force the boards together. In lieu of clamps of course - Polyurethane or exterior yellow glue will work. There is also a waffer nail called a corrugated nail that can be used to join the boards - you can hammer them in from either side.