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Glue Choices for Tight or Loose Joinery
Question
Forum Responses
From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor: Keep in mind that epoxy requires a thicker glue line, so that if you would have a tight joint originally and then apply pressure, you might have too thin of an epoxy glue line for the strong joint. I would encourage you to consider using a jointer on the joints just before glue application to get the perfect gluing surfaces, and then use TB I.
From contributor B: If you are having trouble cutting beech, you need different cutters (new or sharper ones) or a heavier shaper with a power feeder. I stick my beech parts in one pass and do not climb cut. Cuts like a dream. I use a shim kit with my cutters to get the exact fit I want. From contributor A: TiteBond 3 gap fills almost as well as epoxy. From contributor I: I agree with contributor A. Although I am a big fan of West System epoxies, I recently read an in depth comparison of glues done by Fine Woodworking Magazine. I was quite surprised to find the Titebond 3 outperformed all other glues in every category, including filling small voids. The only exception to this was maple, where epoxy was stronger. I have switched over to Titebond 3 exclusively, except when I need extended open time, when I will use epoxy with a slow hardener, or Titebond Extend. From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor: Many adhesives will fill a gap, but only a few will remain strong. TB III will not remain as strong as epoxy when used in a joint that is not tight... that is, a joint with substantial gaps. On the other hand, epoxy used in a tight joint will not develop as much strength as TB III (or TB II or TB). The same is true for a loose joint that has high pressure. In a test such as run by a FW magazine author, one must be very careful, as the test may favor one adhesive over another (for example, epoxy on a tight joint or high pressure joint will favor other adhesives). A thread a few months ago mentioned some of the shortcomings of the tests used in this particular article. Unless the joint is extremely loose (dry fit), then it would probably be best to use TB rather than epoxy. In many cases, there will be enough strength imparted by the regions where the joint distance is perfect, so that the few spots of gaps and low strength will not affect the overall performance and the overall strength (most joints exceed the strength of the wood and also are stronger than the load applied when they are made properly). Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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