# Glue-Up Question....



## Seth (Mar 23, 2010)

I bought a very basic dowel jig today and I'm practicing on some scraps before I go to town on a desk top I have in mind. I drilled the dowel holes and inserted the pins, applied glue along an edge and clamped my pieces together. My question is, how do I handle the glue that squeezes out? Should I wipe it off immediately or is it easier to deal with if I just let it dry as it squeezed out and I scrape/plane it off later? (see my attached photo). 
Thanks!

-Seth


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Wipe it off with a wet rag (water). :smile:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

mdntrdr said:


> Wipe it off with a wet rag (water). :smile:


+1. I agree. But wipe it off real good.












 







.


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

I use a 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water. Don't ask why, got the tip from and older woodworker. Something about the acidic vinegar help neutralize the glue. Anyway, it's been working for me.:icon_smile:


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## Just Bill (Dec 29, 2008)

What they said. Any glue that gets into the surface and is not sanded off will show like a sore thumb at finish time.


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

What they didn't say is:

*DO NOT RUN THE GLUE THROUGH YOUR PLANER*

TB & TB-II will chip your planer knives.

(DAMHIKT) :wallbash:

I generally go with the wet rag thing. If I can't get to the area with the wet rag I use a SUR FORM
http://www.stanleytools.com/default...=21-115&SDesc=7-1/4&#34;+Surform&#174;+Shaver
after the glue has dried. Then sanding or planing.


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Damp(you can blow the water out to whatever level with air nozzle),green Scotchbrite works great.Its scrubbing action gets more glue up,quicker....with less dampening.BW


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## Guitar Maestro (Jun 18, 2011)

I have always found that letting the glue dried and harden then scrapping it off (with a hand planer or chisle) was easier than spreading the glue around trying to wipe it off. RRich, have you seen TB & TBII chip hand held planer blades? or just the high speed thickness planer? My big planer seems to be dulling quicker than it should, and running the glue tips through may be the cause. Thanks for that bit of info.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Seth said:


> I bought a very basic dowel jig today and I'm practicing on some scraps before I go to town on a desk top I have in mind. I drilled the dowel holes and inserted the pins, applied glue along an edge and clamped my pieces together. My question is, how do I handle the glue that squeezes out? Should I wipe it off immediately or is it easier to deal with if I just let it dry as it squeezed out and I scrape/plane it off later? (see my attached photo).
> Thanks!
> 
> -Seth


Maybe I'm over zealous, but i usually get a bit more squeeze out than that... be sure to apply enough glue and spread evenly before clamping... :thumbsup:

As for removal, I do both of the mentioned above... just depends on what i'm working on. The main reason I ever wipe while wet is to keep my tool / clamps clean. Other wise a normally just pass a sharp chisel over it...


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

Guitar Maestro said:


> RRich, have you seen TB & TBII chip hand held planer blades? or just the high speed thickness planer? My big planer seems to be dulling quicker than it should, and running the glue tips through may be the cause. Thanks for that bit of info.


I have a DeWalt 733. I thought that if I ran a glue up through it I could bring it down to thickness and remove the squeeze out. Well I did but it left me with a nicked planer blade.

At school they use one of those yellow SurForm scrapers. Just the small one from Home Depot for about $6-7. I use them to knock all the squeeze out off now and it is a big help.

And no, I've not seen either TB or TB-II chip chisels or hand plane blades.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

I use a painters 5 in 1 tool to take off any larger dried drips of glue and then run it through my planer (Dewalt 734). I've been doing this for years with never a nick in the blade. I do this most often on cutting boards, which I make 12-16 of every couple of months.


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## SargeVN (Jun 26, 2011)

I don't touch it until it drys. I leave glue up's in the clamps for 4 hours b-4 pulling them out. The squeeze out has not completely set up (almost but not quite) at that point so I immediately scrape the glue line with the back side of a hand plane iron. Several passes gets it all as it has not spread by attempting to wipe with a wet rag and missing some.

To check to see once completed and after final sanding... lightly wipe naptha or mineral spirits on the piece. It will not only high-lite any glue.. it will also show any sanding swirls.. scratches.. etc..

Good luck...


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## TGRANT (Jan 25, 2011)

Let the glue dry then you can scrape it off with a cabinet scraper, though many of the other devices mentioned above work well. Using water might work, but will raise the grain. If you use enough water there is a potential for the joint to ‘sink’ after you sand it. Water can swell the wood enough to raise it into a barely perceptible hill, then when you sand, it looses more water and shrinks, leaving a small valley. Obviously you have to get it pretty wet for this to happen, but you also have to use plenty of water to get all the glue out of the pores.

I usually pre-finish pieces if possible .Then glue squeeze out is less of a problem.


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