Woodworking

I'm doing some projects that require a lot of glue ups. As you wood wizards are aware any place you touch the wood with glue it shows when stained or linseed oil is applied. What problems can I expect if I finish it first then glue up? Stupid question for you guys but the extent of my woodworking knowledge is knowing how long to cut to fit in the stove. In my defense, at least I'm smart enough to know how dumb I am... I think.
 
Bob, what kind of glue are you using? Normally with woodworking glue, if you clean off the excess with water, then after everything dries, sand off the raised up grain and whatnot, there will be no stain when a finish is applied after. With an epoxy, pretty much the same, but although you can clean up with hot water (hot water also works better than cold water with white or yellow woodworking glue to remove excess), isopropyl alcohol or acetone works better to remove excess epoxy. There should be no stain to interfere with the finish if you remove excess well.

You can finish things first before glue up, but a finish shouldn't be where you will apply glue to join or it can minimize the strength. It seems to me that cleaning off glue over a finish or stain already applied is more likely to cause problems. Not really advisable. If you do want to go that route, after removing the excess glue and it dries, lightly sand after. You may need an additional finish application if the linseed oil or whatever turns whitish or the water or sanding has messed it up in some other way.

Fine steel wool made for woodworking (#0000) is good to use to blend and buff out a finish and remove irregularities. Good to use before a finish too, as it buffs up and smooths the wood very nicely. I usually use sandpaper to 380 or 4 something, then steel wool. Wool works magnifico on end grain.
 
May need to plan another trip Willie. What's the best fishing time. I'm missing my little fishing buddy too.
 
Sorry for the late reply Jay, I was having a geezer moment. White glue I guess Jay, Titebond III. Anyway I think I have that problem figured out. I started using a hypolergic needle to apply the glue on this last project and it worked good.
Now for my next noob question. I have some fretwork to do and don't know what would be the best choice of wood to use. Everything is going to be 1/4" thick. I have red oak, cedar, cherry, walnut, redwood to choose from, for now. I've never done any fretwork but it looks like it needs a species that's strong both with and across the grain.
 
Bob, of those hardwoods that you mention, I'd choose Walnut over the others. The others might well be ok, but tend to have a greater tendency to be somewhat warpy in thinner thickness if in wide dimensions as well. Quarter inch is thin, even Walnut might cup a bit unless it is tenoned into something or held in place by other means. Particularly straight grained Walnut is considered a fine wood to work, both with machinery and hand tools. Cedar is soft, and you might find the end grain crumbly if doing anything there with hand tools. White Oak is a better wood in terms of quality than Red Oak, and stability wise, if you had the option.

Isn't Titebond lll the brownish waterproof one? I use it, and the other types. It's a good glue but does tend to start to set up quick. As per my earlier reply, any of the types of Titebond should clean up and not interfere with a finish applied after. Just be sure to get all of the excess off with hot water and do a little sanding after the water and glue dries. Over large areas a nylon brush works good to clean off if the glue has started to set up in the midst of things, or a hard bristled toothbrush in fine areas. You can get what is called "creep", where even when the glue is technically dry it can still press out of a joint and give a slightly raised portion glue line. A tight joint will help prevent that and adequate drying before sanding and applying a finish.
 
Jay, my last glue up worked out good with the needle and a very small artist brush. Any sanding after assembly would have to be with a dremel which would be time consuming. I just have to be more careful. I tried to send you pictures but the pm and email here wouldn't allow it.
 
Sounds delicate. Good if you can do glue ups with little excess. Mine tend to be messy with lots of squeeze out. Once worked in a shop that exclusively used heated up hide glue, the glue pot perpetually on the stove. Hides and hooves in there, who knows what else. Sets up almost immediately as it begins to cool, no time for dilly dallying. Stinky but you'd get used to it, and the deep brown stew even started looking a bit tasty around three o'clock. You couldn't clean anything off with water for fear of disturbing the strength, everything chipped or planed off later. A cool way of working if into tradition from the olden times.
 
I believe that the furniture found in the tombs in the pyramids was glued together with a type of hide or other animal parts glue. Stayed together for many a year.
 
A trick a friend showed me years ago:

I don't eat at fast food 'restaurants', but I do stop at Burger King once or twice a year and pick up a few of their over-sized plastic straws. They are great to slide along a joint and scoop up squeeze out (especially at a 90 degree joint), as they deform to match the surface and the thin, sharp edge cleans off the glue without spreading it further. They clean up with warm water and last a good while.
 
Hell of a thing. I know it's the far north approach, but if he trued up the outside first it wouldn't be bouncing around so much and he wouldn't have to so much fear it flying of and him possibly being decapitated. :\:
 
So pretty much I have no woodworking skills whatsoever. Never built something in my adult life that I can recall. I'm just not good at it. But Courtney has been talking about a herb box to hang on the deck rail lately. So I tried my hand. It came out ok so I tried to make a matching planter box to go with it. Before anyone laughs, remember, I'm terrible at this stuff.
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Imo the birch trim and legs show great artistic creativity to go along with basic carpentry skills to put together the rest of it. :thumbup:
 
Nice, Chris.

Love the little branch suppoorts on the legs.

Next time, use a more durable wood than birch.

Bermuda cedar comes to mind.
Fiona sent me a piece that had been part of a leg for a planting bench ( Or whatever you call it in English) for a generation.
Still sound and healthy and smelling strongly of Cedar.
 
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