# How long to leave clamped with titebond III



## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

I'm making about 6 cutting boards for Christmas gifts and like usual I waited until the last minute. Actually I was working a lot and then seemed like everyone in the family needed their car fixed. Anyway, I have off this week and started working on them yesterday. My first time but turning out OK. I only have so many clamps and each board needs to be glued up once and then cut up and glued up again for the end grain. And time is running out. The bottle says a minimum of 30 minutes in clamps. How long would you guys leave them in clamps. Can I clamp them up and wait an hour or two or three and then unclamp them? I can wait for them to dry overnight before working with the pieces but I just don't have enough clamps to let them sit in clamps overnight. So what would you guys say is a safe time to have them clamped up? Will 2-3 hours in clamps be enough and then set them aside overnight to fully dry?


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Unless the joints are under a lot of stress, 2-3 hours is plenty of time. For just simple gluing tasks I often take clamps off in 30-60 minutes.

George


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## Masterjer (Nov 6, 2012)

Yes you will be fine unclamping after a couple hours. If you can wait overnight to machine them after removing clamps, that would be ideal.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

I make a lot of cutting boards. I usually leave the boards in the clamps a minimum of 1 hour. I also use Tite Bond III. Never had a problem. I do let them set over night before sawing again or sanding. If your shop temperature is less than lower 60's I would leave them clamped longer.
Tom


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## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

Masterjer said:


> Yes you will be fine unclamping after a couple hours. If you can wait overnight to machine them after removing clamps, that would be ideal.


That's my plan. I can wait until tomorrow to run them through the planer but just don't have enough clamps to leave them all clamped up overnight.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll start cutting up my next round of boards to glue up and in a few hours I'll clamp them up to sit overnight. Then tomorrow I will rip them all again to flip them for the end grain. Then go through the glue ups with them. Then Wednesday I will sand and treat them with mineral oil and hopefully be ready for Christmas day.


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## BioNerd (Dec 7, 2014)

ponch37300 said:


> Will 2-3 hours in clamps be enough and then set them aside overnight to fully dry?


yes:thumbsup:


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The clamp time varies depending on temperature and how well fitted the joints were. Two hours would be fine for a well fitted joint even at 55. If it were 100 degrees thirty minutes would be enough.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Unless I need my clamps. I leave them on until machine the glue joint. But if I need my clamps I leave them on less than on hour.


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## Paarker (Mar 20, 2013)

I've did the first glue up in the morning and later in the afternoon done the second and had no trouble doing it using titebond 3. The second glue up involved planing and cutting to get the endgrain.


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

TomC said:


> I make a lot of cutting boards. I usually leave the boards in the clamps a minimum of 1 hour. I also use Tite Bond III. Never had a problem. I do let them set over night before sawing again or sanding. If your shop temperature is less than lower 60's I would leave them clamped longer.
> Tom


+1 What Tom said.

Set your watch or smart phone or whatever for an hour and then pull 'em from the clamps and glue up another set. Plane 'em tomorrow.

When you are busy, an hour can go by pretty fast.


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## BaldEagle2012 (Jan 25, 2012)

I know it is over kill, but when I clamp something up, I leave it overnight.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

We used to leave it clamped over night but I like to push it and I live in the sub tropics so I can get by with a few minutes. 

Clamp one up and clamp up a couple of same pieces. Give it 20 minutes and then unclamp the "test" pieces and see if you can pull it apart or make it pop working it. 

Al


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Please trust me on this, leave them clamped over night. With that much of a glue surface it takes longer than a few hours to dry to the point where it can stand up to the forces of boards moving. If there is any bowing to the pieces you used, your glue joints will come un-done.

Better safe than sorry.


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