Which Titebond glue do you use?

Tom Baugues

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After reading a thread started by Rennie it got me thinking that I need to go buy some more glue. I know that there is a lot of different glues out on the market. I have used Titebond glues with good results so I will probably continue to buy that brand. However they have Titebond I, II and III. For those of you that use Titebond glue, do you keep different types on hand or do you always just use one or the other, and if so...which one?
 
When I was making a fair number of cutting boards, I used Titebond II, largely because it has better water resistance than Titebond I. I also used it on other flatwork, but that's because I was buying it by the gallon, so it's what I had handy. I did try Titebond III, which is the most waterproof of the three, but it seemed to have less open time and I didn't like it as much. I believe Titebond I has the longest open time of the three, so for things other than cutting boards, that would likely be my choice.
 
I use either Titebond original (I) or Elmer's carpenter's glue, whichever is cheaper in gallon quantities (I use more than a gallon per year). I cannot tell the difference between those two.

I have made cutting boards with Titebond I and have had no problems, although theoretically II would be better. II is water "resistant" but not waterproof, which means that I cannot fix the accidental glue fingerprint that I missed until late in the project.

III is waterproof, and claims to work in colder temperatures, but if you read the specs, it is only 4 degrees F colder.
 
I use the original most, but keep the extended formula on hand for complex glue ups and the dark on hand for working with walnut. I have no idea why I use the dark because, if I'm doing things correctly, no one will ever see the glue anyway.:huh::rofl::rofl:
 
The world is lucky. There is only one of me. Therefore I am an Original.

However, next time I purchase, I am going to get the stuff that has more open time. Original, sometimes, has me going faster than I want to.

Enjoy,

JimB

You can extend the open time if you put a slight water mist on the wood before applying the glue (or even after). The glue starts to cure when the water evaporates. so if the wood is moist, it is slower to wick water away from the joint, and gives the greater open time. I use a spray bottle of water, so it is not enough to dilute the glue and thin the glue layer, just enough to slow the evaporation and wicking of water away.

If I am looking for long open time, I use plastic resin glue (the polite name for urea formaldehyde - since it has so little formaldehyde that I cannot detect it). That glue dries rigid, so is also great for bent laminations and veneer, and will not creep like the PVA glues.
 
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