Your equipment doesn’t need to be fancy to work!
Gluing wood together can be fun and makes an incredibly strong join. Here are some of the tools and tips I’ve picked-up along the way to make your glue project go smooth. The following example photos here are from a recent glue-up for a nearly 10-foot long desk as we were needing more work space in our office.
Tools I Use:
- Gorilla or Titebond wood glues work!
- Clamps I use (Irwin Quick Grip and simple long bar clamps)
- Blue tape
- Scrap pieces of clean level wood
Here’s my Typical Wood Glue Process
Start with straight boards. I try to pick boards that are consistent in shade and grain to make the staining process easier – less important if you’re painting or gel staining.
Trim boards for a tight fit. If your boards have an eased edge / slight bevel, trim it off so you have a square edge. I usually cut an 1/8th to 1/16th inch off each side. This ensures boards side together flush. You don’t have to do this to the outside edges of the outside boards unless you want a square edge.
Organize your wood. Lay your wood out on a level surface in the order you’ll glue together. This will help you see where you might need some additional cross supports to clamp the boards together.
TIP: A large wood planer will help level and smooth your boards by reducing cupping and warping. I have made it through my projects without, just means more sanding.
Prepare end board and mid-board leveling (vertical) clamps. You’ll need a minimum of 4 boards at least the width of your project, 2 for each end. These will go over and under your project and clamp your boards level. If your boards aren’t perfectly level (they almost never are) and to stop binding, you’ll have some mid-board clamps. On the adjacent image, the “stain test” board was my scrap I used mid-board to level them.
Prepare wood (horizontal) clamps. You’ll need to clamp your boards together along their width with your long bar clamps. I use 36-inch clamps as they’ll cover most projects – for longer projects, you can buy pipe from your local hardware store and pipe clamps. Next, lay some boards under your boards to provide clearance for your clamps.
TIP: Blue tape the scrap wood so it doesn’t stick. I cover the board faces that will contact the glued boards with blue tape so that I don’t inadvertently glue my braces and supports to my project.
Time to Glue! Stack the boards up and have a wet shop towel ready. Glue the edges running an ample bead along each board. As soon as you lay the board flat the glue will fall so I run the bead just above the center point. There are spreaders and brushes you can use if you want to be neater.
Time to Clamp! Once all the boards are pressed together, move quickly as it sets up fast. Wipe the excess glue from where you’ll cross clamp (don’t be perfect – use speed). Clamp the end boards tight and clamp the mid-boards tight together. Make sure to apply pressure where needed so the boards are level. Start clamping the boards together horizontally with the long bar clamps. Make sure to watch that boards stay level. No need to over tighten.
Wipe off excess glue and let dry. Wipe away any of the glue that pushed out of the joints – a wet blue show towel works great. This will reduce the amount of time you spend scraping and sanding it off your project.
