Hey Marc I have a really dumb question for you. Is there any real significant difference between Titebond Original, II, and III wood glues? Is one really better than another? Thanks for your time.

Not a dumb question at all Jason. Everyone has this question at one point or another. There are actually a number of differences between the three glue types if you dig into the details. But in my opinion, there are only a few factors that really make a difference to the average woodworker.

Price:

The first one you probably already noticed is the price. Looking at Rockler’s current pricing on quarts, we have $8.59 for Titebond Original, $10.49 for Titebond II, and $13.99 for Titebond III.

Water Resistance:

The second difference is water resistance. Titebond Original is for interior use only, Titebond II is water-resistant, and Titebond III is waterproof (well, technically its MORE water-resistant). So if you have a project that will be exposed to light water (cutting boards, outdoor furniture, etc..), Titebond II will suffice. If you have a project that will be submerged for short periods or exposed to ambient moisture for extended periods, consider Titebond III.

Open Time:

The third difference is open time. Titebond III offers twice the open time of Titebond II and Original. So for those complex glue-ups, Titebond III would be a good choice. As an aside, you might also look at Titebond Extend if you need even more open time.

Strength:

Strength-wise, there are some differences as well. But in my opinion, not enough to justify paying the cost difference between the three varieties. Check out the PSI strength ratings below.

I recently had someone give me crap for using TB III on a project when all I needed was Titebond Orginal. And then I used TB II on a project where TB III would have been stronger. Well I don’t know about you guys, but I am not about to stock three different types of PVA glue just for the sake of a few hundred theoretical PSI. A properly-fit joint with the appropriate amount of pressure will create an incredibly strong and reliable bond using any of the three glues.

So bottom line is for indoor projects, all you really need is Titebond Original. If you occasionally make outdoor projects and cutting boards, stock up on Titebond II instead. And if budget isn’t a factor and you don’t mind paying significantly more, you may as well just go with Titebond III and cover all the bases.

And speaking of Titebond glues, you can pick up all of your glue supplies and accessories in our Amazon Store. Its a great way to get the stuff you need while helping support The Wood Whisperer!

This video is an accompaniment to my column in the April 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. The article serves as a general review of common woodworking glues and when to use them. The video, however, focuses specifically on urea resin glues. These glues definitely have their advantages: low water content, gap-filling, long open time, and rigid glue lines just to name a few. But keep in mind the one big disadvantage: safety. These glues are pretty nasty and you might be best served considering other options. But with proper precautions (gloves, goggles, and respirator), this glue can be a nice addition to your shop. The two brands I use are DAP Weldwood, and Unibond 800.

Download the PDF of the article.

Hey Marc…Found your site while looking for a good cutting board “how-to”. Went through the site and watched all the videos to catch up and they are great. Anyway, my question is this: I watch New Yankee Workshop and every time Norm has a squeeze out of glue, he cleans it instantly saying it could affect the finishing. I see glue squeeze out of your work and looks like you let it dry and scrap it out. Does that not affect the finish? Keep up the good work and love the site.

And this was my reply:
Thanks for the kind words Nick. Well, here’s the deal on squeeze out. I hate to say it but this is one area where I have to disagree to some extent with His Normness. Wiping the glue away, especially with a wet rag, could very well increase your odds of having a finishing problem. Since the glue is water-based, the water in the rag dilutes the glue as you rub it into the wood grain. This could easily lead to an area near the joint that is partially sealed, and as a result won’t accept stain as well as the rest of the piece. Now if you wipe thoroughly enough and sand afterward, chances are you’ll get enough of the glue off the surface that it won’t be a major problem. This is why Norm probably doesn’t have issues with this (that we know of). But personally, I would rather not take the chance. So instead of wiping with a wet rag right away, I let the glue droplets set up for a little while (about 20 minutes). At this point, the glue has skinned over and you can easily scrape the droplets away with a card scraper or some other type of scraping tool. You’ll know you are scraping too soon if the little glue bubbles start bursting easily. And you’ll know you waited too long if the glue is hard to remove and starts pulling out wood fibers. Once the bulk of the squeeze out is gone, I will clean off the scraper and take one final pass. Once the area is pretty clean, then and only then will I take a damp rag to the area and do a final cleaning. Any glue that was left on the surface will now be wiped away, or simply diluted so much that it makes no difference.

Ultimately, both methods will work. But scraping while the glue is just skinned over is less messy, and in my opinion, the safer bet. And of course, tape your joints off whenever possible to prevent squeeze out from being an issue in the first place.

This is just the way I like to handle squeezeout. I’d love to hear how everyone else deals with it?

The first picture above was taken from a Popular Woodworking article, “Prevent, Remove, and Disguise Glue Splotches” by Bob Flexner. The second image was taken from the Benchcrafted Blog.

I have been at this hobby affectionately referred to as woodworking for about a year and a half now, and I’ve made some pretty decent projects. No substantial furniture, but some nice smaller things. I was in the process of making my most recent project, a box to hold pictures and sit on a coffee table, and I had an epiphany. Every project I have done has had the same problem. GLUE!!! I think I have been making the rookie mistake for WAY too long and thought I would see if you had any input on it. I ALWAYS use entirely too much in my joints. I use blue tape and allow it to skin over and scrape it away, but it is still normally a pretty big mess. I’m always scared that I’m not getting enough glue in the joints when I try to use less, so then I worry myself until I put more. So as a request, could you include a couple of close-ups of your next glue up so that I can get an idea of how much is the right amount? I know as of now that I am using too much, I just don’t want to use too little and have my projects fall apart. I’ve heard time and time again that a thin film is plenty on the joints and I realize that squeeze out will occur…but not as much as I am experiencing. Also, the word “thin” is relative. What I put on is a “thin” coat…until it squeezes out and runs all over my blue tape. Lol thanks for any help you can throw my way.

And here was my reply:

Hey Adam. In the Steamer Trunk Pt. 3, I believe I showed a good shot of a rabbet joint being glued up, and you can clearly see the squeeze out. If I recall, that joint was a little wetter than I usually like. But it was a pre-finished piece so the squeeze out was easy enough to clean. Now as a general rule of thumb, as long as each adjoining piece is coated completely, you have enough glue on the joint. You are right in that all you need is a thin film. And from what I understand, the thinner the film, the stronger the joint.

Now let’s talk about how thin the coating needs to be. Think of painting a wall. You don’t slop the paint on real heavy, right? Instead, you roll it out into one smooth continuous thin layer. And that’s what you should do with your glue joints. In general, you want to make sure each part of the joint has glue from edge to edge. And if you want to add a smidge more for good luck, go ahead.

Oh and here’s another way to think of it. I just love food analogies! Let’s talk bagels: butter vs cream cheese. When it comes to butter, most folks like a nice thin coating of butter from edge to edge. And with cream cheese, people tend to like a more generous helping. Some crazy people actually like so much cream cheese that its more like having a bagel with their cream cheese instead of the other way around. (I am qualified to speak on this topic because I spent a full year working at a My Favorite Muffin in Princeton, NJ). So glue should be spread more like butter, instead of like a schmear of cream cheese. Now I’m hungry! Lunch anyone?

Hey Marc, I have the following question, and could really use some advice. Do you know any way to clean the bars on the Jet Parallel clamps? They are supposed to be coated so glue doesn’t stick. Mine, however, stick. In fact, I can no longer open nor close my 24′ ones! Any ideas? Thanks.

And here is my response:

Hey Jeff. Very good question. This is a dilemma that all clamp users face. Although the manufacturer may claim they are resistant to glue, you and I know different! First off, any new clamp that comes into the shop gets waxed immediately with paste wax. That will definitely help repel glue. However, once the damage is done I usually get the heavy stuff off with a putty knife. That usually takes care of the bulk of it and gets the clamp working again. For the textured area on the top, you can use a steel brush to knock the glue out of the crevices. If you are in a rush, just pick up one of those wire wheels that chucks into your drill or a Dremel, and carefully knock the glue out of the grooves. Just don’t be too aggressive or you can smooth out the texture and the ridges. And, of course, the best practice with these clamps is prevention. That means covering them with a sheet of newspaper, craft paper, wax paper, brown paper, or even sheets of plastic. Although I need to practice what I preach. Most times, I don’t think about prevention until after the glue is drying, haha. Good luck!

So if you missed Demo Night last night, you missed A LOT! I started by discussing polyurethane durability and glue shelf life and showed some interesting examples of both. I then gave a little feature review of the Festool Kapex. And finally, I showed off the sweet lumber I just received for the upcoming Gadget Station. I then got into a discussion about mail order lumber and the company I have been working with lately, Bell Forest Products. And this is just a small sample of the session that ran about 2 hours and hosted nearly 100 people.

And please excuse the camera work. I pretty much did the best I could by myself. You should notice much improved video and audio though, so that’s a good thing. If you want to attend future Demo Nights, just check the Calendar periodically for updates.

And here was my reply: “Hey Knothead. The recommended shelf life on PVA glue is generally a way for the company to cover its butt. One year is simply the length of time they will guarantee the quality level. But most glues can go for two years or more if stored consistently at room temp. And fortunately, the glue will show signs of problems when it is bad. So if it still flows nice and smooth and its not clumpy and stringy, you should have no problems using the product. Here is a link to the Titebond FAQ where they cover these topics extensively.

From Titebond: “…as long as products like Titebond Original, Titebond II and Titebond III remain fluid, without drastic change in appearance, they will continue to perform as intended. Most of our yellow and white glues, including Titebond Original and Titebond II, remain usable beyond two years. Should Titebond Original become thick and stringy, or Titebond II turns into an orange colored gel, these changes signify that the glue is no longer usable.”

“Quick question on joining treated pine – I would like to face glue surfaced 2×6 treated pine boards. Does the fact that i am using treated lumber reduce the strength of the joint or make the glue less effective somehow? This is for an application that will have to be waterproof.”

My reply is actually an excerpt from an article I found a while back from Iowa State Univeristy. Full Article Here.
Deposits on the surface of treated wood present problems in gluing. Oil-type preservatives typically present more problems than waterborne treatments. Wood treated with very high retentions of creosote or pentachlorophenol in heavy solvents is essentially non-gluable. Low retentions of penta in light solvents may be somewhat more readily glued than wood treated with creosote. Wood treated with waterborne chemicals usually can be glued without major problems, if properly dried. Planing or sanding the surface before gluing is recommended to enhance bonding. Select the adhesive appropriate for the exposure condition among conventional wood adhesives. Only resorcinol resin glues provide completely waterproof gluelines with wood; urea resin glues and polyvinyl resin adhesives generate only modest water-resistant glue bonds. Some types of elastomeric construction adhesives offer good resistance to moisture and are much more tolerant of high wood moisture contents and low temperatures than conventional wood adhesives.

If anyone has anything to add, please do so in the comments section. I personally have very little experience gluing treated wood.

I noticed on your cutting board tutorial, you put glue only on one side of the joint. I’ve always glued both sides, whether it’s a cutting board or table top. Is that overkill?

In my opinion, gluing both sides of a joint is absolutely not overkill. In fact, I consider it a “best practice” and I nearly always apply glue to both sides, whether it’s a panel glue-up or a mortise and tenon joint. In the case of the cutting board, I only glued one side because it made things much faster. Since I knew it would take a lot of time to get my cauls in the perfect position, I needed to save time wherever I could. Had I not taken this precaution, I would have been sweating bullets and racing the clock. The fact that I have dry Arizona air really speed ups the dry time of woodworking glue. So that’s really the only time I put glue on only one side of a joint: when I need to save time.

If you’re ever going to try this, there are a couple things to keep in mind. First is the amount of glue. Normally I put a light coating on both pieces, so it only makes sense that when coating only one surface, we should use a little more glue. When the two surfaces make contact, the glue will spread to the second surface and any excess will squeeze out. You can improve the effectiveness of the glue transfer by rubbing the joint. By rubbing the two pieces back and forth, not only will the glue distribute nicely, you’ll also pull the pieces together via a phenomenon known as cohesion. With good even clamping pressure, the joint should suffer no ill effects of initially having glue on only one surface.

To sum up, I recommend putting glue on both sides of every joint. But if you’re pressed for time and dealing with a tricky glueup, you just might want to consider putting glue on only one side and following the steps outlined above.