# Gluing up cabinets or book shelves



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

:thumbdown: I hate glue ups. I know it's part of the process, and I'm way better at it than ever, but I still dread it. It's not the panic it used to be, but you still have to be totally organized and if you have helper it's much easier. I make my teenage helper wear ear plug because there may be some &^%$^&**& during the clamping. Fortunately they weren't necessary this time. :no:

The clamp risers help. The blocks under the dados keep the shelves from slipping too far down. The corner clamps pretty much keeps the unit squared up. I did check it afterward and it need 2 whacks with a dead blow to get it on the mark. It's impossible not to get glue on the inside....... :thumbdown: :furious:


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

Well one thing having plenty of clamps sure makes the process easier. Looks like your good in that department I could probably use a few more.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Looks good bill. I'm sure we all can relate to glue ups can suck!!!! Doing a dry fit with clamps will surely improve your clamping time. Looks like you handled it pretty well.


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## sonofbuster (Mar 28, 2010)

*newb question*

trying to learn a thing or two here so sorry for the newb-like question. in a project like this, why wouldn't screws be appropriate? is it strength or aesthetics (or something else)? just curious b/c i'd like to build a small bookcase for my son's room to replace the cheapo thing he has in there now and would like to do it right the first time. thanks!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*back in the day... 50 yrs ago*

When I made my first book shelf, maybe it was a micro wave stand .... I used pine boards and finishing nails. Eventually it racked and collapsed because the joinery wasn't strong enough. The dado and glue and a glued on back as you see in the photo of a completed unit, make for a very strong cabinet or shelf. This unit will hold magazines and they are heavy. 
Screws into end grain aren't the best practice as they may pull out over time. A back will strengthen the unit far more than the fasteners. I did not use any fasteners in the shelves, just brad nails on the back. A proper fitting dado really locks the shelf in and prevents it from moving.


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

What type of joinery was used on this case?... Rabbets? Dados? Grooves? Ruts? End Rabbets? Edge Rabbets? Through Dados? Ploughs? Cavities with parallel sides? :detective:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Yes*



mdntrdr said:


> What type of joinery was used on this case?... Rabbets? Dados? Grooves? Ruts? End Rabbets? Edge Rabbets? Through Dados? Ploughs? Cavities with parallel sides? :detective:


hmmm.:blink:


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

I agree Bill. I hate glue ups too.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't believe I've had one that big. I would want some help with that. And as already has been mention, you can't have too many clamps! Looks like its going to be a nice bookcase.
Tom


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Thanks for the compliments guys*

I wasn't really looking for compliments, but I'll take 'em! :yes:
These are not fine cabinets rather, bookshelves for workspace.
I used Araucaoply from my local family owned lumber yard. It's 3/4" thick and beautiful knot free pine. This link explains the sources: http://www.araucoply.com/informacion2.asp?Submenu=1514&cat=0&fin=0&idioma=44 About $45.00 per sheet!

It's a joy to work with with no voids, checks or knots. The edges plane cleanly and can be faced with pine veneer, the next step in the build. Not sure on the finish yet, natural or painted...?
I'll wipe them down with shellac for sure either way. May just leave them like that, we'll see how they look. :smile:


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

Wood my man, make yourself some of these, assembly corner blocks. You could glue up a case like that on it's side. The assembly blocks are clamped to the shelves and the side with C-clamps. They will hold everything rigid and square. Glue in the dadoes only, not on the ends of the shelves or a mis will put glue where you don't want it. Either put stand offs on your bench or use saw horses so you can place the pipe clamps. I use small pieces of pipe insulation on my pipe clamps so the metal pipe won't touch the wood. Certain approaches to glue ups can go much easier and faster. In your case, being on a side will keep everything aligned and in place until you get the clamps on.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*doing "on side" glue ups*

Not a bad idea, wouldn'a thought of that myself. There is something along those lines that rang my bell for a easier method. As you could tell I had to block up each shelf to keep it from sliding down in the dado, a PITA, because they had to jump around the bottom clamps and couldn't be one long piece.

I wonder if pre-made clamping boxes wouldn't be a bad idea. I don't like things that can fall over on their own because they always do and due to a genetic flaw I only have 2 arms, when it's obvious a woodworker needs at least 3. :laughing:

This is an interesting topic and I wish others would post their suggestions as you did. Thanks, hammer1. :yes:


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

Thanks for the tips. I was going to get some pipe clamps at my local big box store, but they were $14 each. Then I saw they sell for $5 at harbor freight. I figure that HF can't mess those up, so they are on my list the next time I go there.

Hammer, I made a corner clamp jig out of a couple of pieces of scrap pine a ply for something I was doing, but it was clunkier than yours. In the future, when I need more, I will probably use your design. How thick are they?


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

The ones in the picture are 1" thick fir plywood. This makes them able to stand on their own, about 10" on the long side but I cut them or make larger ones depending on the project. They can be used for jigs guiding a drill, screwed together thicker or to make a corner, only limited by imagination.

Buy Pony brand pipe clamps and forget about all the others regardless of price or doo dads. Only Pony has a true Acme style screw and it won't lock up and twist the clamp off the work like all the others. Since they will last your lifetime, the initial cost is nothing. Damages incurred while swearing and throwing other clamps can far out weigh the cost of Ponys.


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## Dave66 (Apr 6, 2012)

> why wouldn't screws be appropriate?


Often, they are. Assembly of any project should be done to achieve the necessary strength as well as a desired appearance. Joints which won't be visible can easily be screwed (or nailed) together to achieve both. When I build kitchen cabinets, for example, I don't concern myself with the appearance of two cabs that will be screwed together during installation. The sides won't be seen again until some future day when the cabs are demo'ed.

Some advance planning to decide what needs to be pretty and what doesn't can make gluing up a much easier job.


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## BernieL (Oct 28, 2011)

Gluing does - well you hit the nail on the head - it sucks! 

Hammer - those are a real good idea I'm sure I'll be making some of those. I have a few hand screws I use for my glue ups. Although I have my t-track workbench and screw down my hand screws into the track, you could possibly drill a hole through yours and screw them to the table. I use story sticks to keep things square.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> I wasn't really looking for compliments, but I'll take 'em! :yes:
> These are not fine cabinets rather, bookshelves for workspace.
> I used Araucaoply from my local family owned lumber yard. It's 3/4" thick and beautiful knot free pine. This link explains the sources: http://www.araucoply.com/informacion2.asp?Submenu=1514&cat=0&fin=0&idioma=44 About $45.00 per sheet!
> 
> ...


I am a HUGE fan of the *ARAUCOPLY* plywood. Our local menards has it, and I have used a bunch of it on projects around the shop/house. I even made my 3-sided mobile cart out of it. I Love the fact that the outer veneer is thick, so you would be hard pressed to sand thru it to get joints smooth.


Yep...Glueups suck, but after seeing a woodsmith show (link is to a pdf, but covers what was on the show) on how to prep for them, I really have gotten better. It is always a good idea to do a mock glueup first, so that you have all the clamps right there, and you aren't scrambling while the glue is drying to find that last clamp you "thought" you had.


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## bandman (Jan 15, 2009)

*glue-ups*

Have you ever thought about finishing the sides before gluing up? Works great, and if you get glue squeeze out on the clear finish it just wipes off. If you stain the shelves after you build the unit, the stain too will either wipe off or blend into the finish. I have a good sized shop but work by myself. I had to make two huge corner units for my new kitchen in my new house. The units were eight foot tall and five foot wide in places and were a pain to move around because they were corner units, not rectangular. I made the units (all pre-finished cherry) by myself. I did, how ever, have to hire my local moving company to move them from my shop into the kitchen at a cost of about $125, which I thought was quite reasonable. They only had to be moved about 125 feet, but they were awkward as heck. I pre-finish as much as I can because I too hate having glue where I don't want it.

Best Wishes,
Bandman


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## ryanw2427 (Feb 23, 2016)

*Question about your glue up*

Hello, I am about to tackle something EXACTLY like this and this thread came up in my searches. What was the method/sequence in applying the glue to the joints, in order to get them clamped up in time? Also, were you able to prevent the glue from "running out" of the bottom side due to gravity?

Thanks!
Ryan


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*assembly order?*

I have no clue how I did those back then....:surprise2: I did start a new thread:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/building-shelves-my-methods-123314/

These shelves had no dados for the shelves, but I used equal width spacer blocks to get them level and parallel. 
I marked the glue lines whiles the spacers were in place, in red ball point as to where to apply the glue, then worked quickly to set the shelves and brad nails them in place. Yes, some glue escaped and you need a plan for that ...wet paper towels and a brush to get in the corners. These won't get stained so no worry about glue stains. 

It's always a question how to assemble them with dados. build one complete side, set the shelves in those dados and then add the opposite side OR build both sides and slide the shelves down in the dados... I donno? I've done it both ways. _I don't like glue ups._ If the shelves start to bind in the dados you will have a mess. If you make them too loose, then they don't look right. It's a fine line.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Silly me, I just nail the parts together.


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## WesTex (Jan 5, 2014)

Chris Curl said:


> Thanks for the tips. I was going to get some pipe clamps at my local big box store, but they were $14 each. Then I saw they sell for $5 at harbor freight. I figure that HF can't mess those up, so they are on my list the next time I go there.
> 
> 
> 
> Hammer, I made a corner clamp jig out of a couple of pieces of scrap pine a ply for something I was doing, but it was clunkier than yours. In the future, when I need more, I will probably use your design. How thick are they?



Yes, they can mess them up. The handle broke off one I bought as I began to apply a bit of pressure to the glue-up. On the bright side, it was replaced with no hassle. It was a 3/4" clamp.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ryanw2427 (Feb 23, 2016)

Thanks!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*yeah right....*



Steve Neul said:


> Silly me, I just nail the parts together.


I've seen your work on the interweb...


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I was just taught that cabinets were a different class of woodwork than furniture. I've never assembled a bookcase that wasn't put together with nails or staples. I do though spend extra time making the nail holes disappear when I finish.


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