I am a Titebond fan. The only gripe I have about it is it's short open time.
Haven't tried Elmers.
Tried the poly glue when Gorilla intro'ed it. I quit using it.

 

Craig, There's no ONE glue that will suit all your needs. Glues have different properties for different situations. A poly. glue can fill in a sloppy joint where a yellow glue won't do such a good job. A poly. is also good for humid applications. If you're gluing glass to wood, then an epoxy or silicone may be your best choice. If you are gluing mitered corners, then Titebond has a glue particurlarly formulated for that application. It has other properties such as a quicker drying time too. You need to define your application before the question can be properly answered.

If you are talking about a straight up wood to wood, parallel grain joint that isn't going to be stressed, then most any yellow glue will suffice. Glues, nowadays, are for the most part overkill to the task. If all is done properly(tight joint, etc.), then the wood should break before the glue joint does.

 

Make sure you realize that there is regular Gorilla glue and there is also Gorilla wood glue. For woodworking applications the Gorilla wood glue is very good (albeit expensive).

I'm a fan of Titebond II but I switch to Titebond III if I need a water resistant bond and/or I need a longer open time.

 

I used Elmers products for YEARS - because of brand identification that started early.
What kid didn't use good ole Elmers Glue All for school projects.
Like Craig - their wood glue products always met my rather basic needs.

In recent years I have become a Titebond convert-seems to have a faster tack time.
Haven't tried the Gorilla products yet-but plan to.

Rance makes a very important point. There ARE different products made to meet different specific needs-read the label closely.

As for the powder mix you mention-can't say it rings a bell.
SOUNDS sort of like Durham Rock Putty-but that's a wood filler - not an adhesive.

 

Weldwood plastic resin glue is a powder that you mix with water. Long open time, rigid bond. Good for bent laminations and other things where a non flexible bond is desired.

 

I prefer Titebond for yellow glue simply because I always have had good luck with it. I have never deviated to any other kind. I also like Gorilla Glue for poly.

 

Well I have been sitting here idle and the verdict in. There seems to be more of a preference to Titebond. But you know "MyFathersSon" does have a good point and I have also been using it for years and that is Elmers. The Polys when it comes to Gorrila vs. Elmers Utimate is quite a bit of a price difference. I have used both and I dont see the difference. Perhaps I will do test piece using both. Gorrila may react more when adding more water to the joint? I will see. And maybe I will bye a bottle of the Titebonds (I , II and III). It may sway my preference. Thanks for your imput. This site helps to hear other peoples opinion. I'm still a rookie.

 

I'll cast a vote for Tightbond (II or III) for wood to wood applications. I've been very happy with joint strengths across many different varieties of wood. Between this, epoxy, and a variety of CA glues, I generally have what I need on hand.

 

I like Elmers Probond. It's thicker and doesn't run like Titebond. As for results, I see very little difference in any of them.

 

titebond. FWW did a test a year or so ago, gorilla glue was actually weaker than titebond, it was just waterproof.

 

I use TB III, but my next build will be with KA glue - it is really good and cheaper. Give it a try.

 

I mostly use Titebond II. However I also keep handy J.B. Weld, 5 min epoxy, and slow setting epoxy for gluing dissimilar materials ( metal to wood for example). I also use Elmers white glue for repair work of small slivers and pieces broken off because white glue cures completely clear.

 

It depends what I'm gluing

 

Titebond III.

 

The Feb/Mar issue of Woodsmith magazine (#181) has an informative article on "alternative" glues.

This issue also has plans for a neat trestle table with extensions.

 

Lately I'm using hide glue for most indoor projects. Liquid hide glue (happens to be the Tightbond brand but you can also a formulation from Patrick Edwards - "Old Brown") for joinery and hot hide glue for small parts and veneering.

Long open time with liquid hide glue so no frantic moments during glueup if you suddenly realize you need another clamp! The flip side to this is you must leave things under clamp longer, minimum 6 hours, 12 is better. The exceptions are rub joints and hammer veneering, both rely on forming a vacuum between the parts, thus atmospheric pressure becomes your clamp.

Potentially very SHORT open time with hot hide glue. Can be as short as a few minutes.

I'm just teaching myself how to do hammer veneering and some basic marquetry/parquetry with the hot hide glue. Amazing stuff.

The liquid hide glue is plenty strong if your joinery is good and just in case you screw something up (like put something in backwards DAMHIK) you can soften the glue, remove the part and start over without damage.

Plus hide glue doesn't interfere with most finishes the way PVA does. So if there is a little squeeze out and you just wipe it off with a damp rag, unlikely there will be a white spot later. Some pigment stains may react differently to the glue density but then you aren't supposed to be leaving THAT much glue behind anyway!

Mix it with the sawdust (wood flour) and you have a spot on match grain filler. Again, no problem with oil finishes.

For outdoor stuff or things I want to take out of clamp quickly I'll use any of the Type II PVAs. Since I don't build boats, I don't have much need for Type III water proofness. Type II is water resistant so again, if you plan out the joinery so that water runs off and away instead of pooling up, it will be fine outside.

 

To all,
I have mentioned Sticky Ass Glue a couple of times on posts and wondered if anyone other than me has tried it.

You can review it at http://www.stickyassglue.com/ and it is available on Amazon and other places or direct. So far I think it is great and was suggested to me for laminations etc. It definitely does what it says it will do and is reasonably priced.

Your thought?

 

Any PVA Glue should work for general wood work. I used the generic glue from Meyer Laminates (loads cheaper then Titebond) when I worked with my dad before coming here and it works great. Here we sell Titebond I or III, I use TB I on my projects. When I'm turning I'll use regular two part epoxy or CA glue (both thick and thin). I rarely find a need for Polyurethane glue in my shop. I don't like it that much, it's messy and a pain to clean up. Bottom line is, there are lots of different glues available, obviously choose the right glue for the job, and go with the one that gives you the performance you need at the price you're willing to pay.

 

The Poly Glues, I find an easy cleanup like the for my hands anyway is denatured alcohol. Or If I am making something that doesnt require a fine finish quality when done. Like furniture. When it does dry it is easily sandible.
I cant find that Tite Ass Glue. Ooooops ! I must be mistaking that with Titebond. Neverthe less, where is that stuff locatied.
And CA glue. Isnt that cyan acrylic ? Super Glue. Esplain.

 

I usualy use white gorilla glue. Its easy to scrape off, it drys fast and I like the consistancy.
I also keep around some titebond 2, contact cement for veneering and various super glues. (usualy loctite gel these days)
How I want to try a box with some with some of these water activated glues.

 

Craig,
http://www.stickyassglue.com/ or Amazon

 

I pretty much, ahem… stick… (sorry) with Titebond II and Titebond III depending on if the project is going to be exposed to water or not. I have never tried the Elmers products beyond Elmers School Glue… Just not common around here.

I have used, and still occasionally use Gorilla Glue Poly glues for certain projects. I find it much harder to use, and it sets up in the bottle too fast for me…

My glue shelf has the following presently.
#1. Gallon bottle of Titebond II. Probably 3/4 empty now.
#2. Pint bottle of Titebond III
#3. Little bottle, I guess 3oz of Gorilla Glue Poly glue.
#4. Misc sub 1oz tube / bottles of various strengths of Loctite (thread locker) for machine screws / nuts that I don't want vibrating apart…
#5. Glue spreader kit bottle filled with Titebond II.
#6. 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. (Use this for bonding canvas to wood for panelling up paintings).
#7. 3M "Super Trim Spray Adhesive" (For upholstery projects / LOML stuff)

 

I am bit befuttled about POLY and CA, what is an example of each and what is the difference?

 

One other comment about hide glue vs. PVA:

Hide glue dries rigid, NO CREEP. All PVA glues creep, some more than others. Sticks (ha) in my head that TB III creeps the most but I can't find the references to back that up.

Other glues that have minimal or no creep would be the two-part urea-formaldehyde formulations. CA may also exhibit zero creep but it also exhibits near zero shear strength.

So really, it all depends on WHAT YOU ARE GLUING. There is no one perfect solution. For most people, a type II PVA covers 80-90% of what you need. After that, its the specialty glues. For me, I'm getting about 90% use from liquid hide glue mostly because of what I'm building and I like the side benefits it affords me. Plus I don't mind the longer clamping times, I'm not running a race or a commercial shop so I can afford 8-12 hour clamp times.

 

Last year for my birthday I asked for gorrila glue guess what? I got three big bottles. I found one yesterday all hardened up and useless so be careful ,that's alot of money wasted. It doesn't last too well when opened so I intend to use it and nothing else till the other two bottles are used up.Alistair