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Gluing multiple slabs

1K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  RichT 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So I can joint something, I can set u my saw, I've got a rather nice glue up table for 16 bar clamps. But I'm really trying to glue more that 2 slabs a day.

I've seen people with professional edge gluing set-ups use bailing wire or strapping to hold pressure and move the slab/panel to a drying rack.

Anyone know what wire to buy or strapping? Suggestions? And how to get strapping tight enough to not drop clamping pressure. I want to push together a butcher block slab, put a strapping or wire on it immediately, move it to a rack and repeat
 
#2 ·
Define 'Slab', and how many slabs do you want to glue up in a day? The solution could be as simple as a fast set glue.
Never seen any type of production shop use wire or strapping for this purpose, although I'm sure somewhere…somehow, there is.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
I think that as long as it is not really cold, you are not using oily exotic hardwoods that do work as well with PVA wood glues and your joints are nice and tight, you should be able to unclamp it within a 2-3 hours so you can start your next glue up. If you want or need to keep it in clamps longer and do not have enough clamps to just move the clamped panel out of the way so you can start the next one, an option would be to make some bowed cauls (bow clamps) that only require 2 clamps to maintain a uniform pressure as it sits or leans somewhere else in your shop. The article I linked to shows them used across the panel but you can use them for edge clamping too.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
How wide a panel can you clamp at once? If you can do 2 at a time (30") by leaving the glue out of the joint between them, that will at least double your efficiency. If you leave them in clamps about 5 hours, you could easily get 10 of them done in just over 24 hours with 5 hour naps in between. While you are waiting for the first set to dry, make some 65" bow clamps and you can extend the clamping time once you take them out of your clamping table. (assuming you have 4 more clamps for the bow clamps).
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
You might want something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Strapping-Banding-Machine-Tensioner-Packaging/dp/B011BJV0IE

My guess is the tensioner stretches the plastic while you crimp it and when released the plastic contracts. I've seen stuff pretty tightly strapped but mostly boxes which have some give so maybe you couldn't get it tight enough for glue-ups. In that case you could use wedges to tighten up the strapping.
 
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