Glue to use on cutting boards

[Darren Wright]

Been thinking about making a few boards for gifts this year. I'm just curious what glue(s) work best on cutting boards that can withstand getting a little wet and maybe a little warm, if used as a trivet?

 

[Dan Noren]

titebond 3, is the water resistant one.

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

Titebond II is rated to be waterproof, but it's also a bit prone to glue creep. Titebond II is water resistant and has less creep. Original Titebond has even less water resistance but has the least creep. The majority of the cutting boards I've made were done with Titebond II, and they can easily withstand washing in warm soapy water. I wouldn't recommend soaking it in water, though.

 

[Tom Niemi]

I’ve used tightbond 2 for every board I’ve made, never a problem, as long as you are not soaking in water to clean (tightbond 3 requirement then). Best not to soak anyway

 

[Jim DeLaney]

For water AND heat resistance - a powdered resorcinol glue. Otherwise, Titebond II, like the others have said.

 

[Mike Stafford]

Almost all of the yellow glues will creep. Because of this a year or two ago I was discussing the problem of glue creep that I was experiencing with layered bowls I had turned with an English turner and he suggested a product called Cascamite. It is a plastic resin glue that you mix with water. I bought a tub of it and used it to glue together blanks for layered bowls. In the past I had used Titebond and within a year the glue creep was very evident. After several years none of the turnings glued up with Cascamite have shown any creep.

If you decide to try it make sure to follow the directions and use the water/powder ratio prescribed by the product. I actually used stainless steel measuring spoons to very accurately measure both the water and the powder. Mix it thoroughly and spread it real nice and thin with one of these tile adhesive applicators using the smallest notch 1/16". Worked like a charm. It does require overnight clamping.

 

[Darren Wright]

I don't want to accuse any glue of being a creep, but what is it?

 

[glenn bradley]

TB-III on cutting boards and trivets. No failures with years of use.

I don't want to accuse any glue of being a creep, but what is it?

Post glue up, things still move a bit. Critical to avoid in laminations (spring back is another problem area) and seams under high gloss finishes.

 

[Mike Stafford]

I don't want to accuse any glue of being a creep, but what is it?

Glue creep is caused by the repeated deformation of the glue joint due to the natural swelling and shrinking of the wood in response to changes in humidity/moisture content. Some say this repeated swelling and shrinking can result in failure of the glue joint but I have not experienced that

What happens is that after you glue two pieces of wood edge to edge, plane or sand them smooth, apply finish and then put the item into daily use with exposure to the natural changes in humidity the glue joint can sometimes be felt i.e. is no longer level with the wood on each side of it. It will manifest itself as a barely perceptible bump at the glue line.

By the way, polyurethane glue is a waterproof glue that is also less susceptible to creep. However the glue line can be quite pronounced because of the color of the glue.

I always paid attention to creep on my layered and segmented items because they, being relatively small items, tended to be handled and people could feel the little bumpy glue lines over time. I have felt glue creep on laminated rolling pins that I turned.

 

[David Johnson]

Tite bond lll. It's food safe, water proof and easy to work with. Good open time.
Yes I have made a few and no problems. The wood will break before the glue line does. Sometimes spell correct drives me nuts. Had to retype some of this note 3 times.
David

 

[fred hargis]

I line up with the plastic resin glue thoughts presented above. I quit using PVAs on table tops because of creep. I've used the UF glue (plastic resin) on outdoor stuff which got plenty wet and didn't fail. Best of all, it's sandable. I would use it on everything if it wasn't such a pain to mix up and throw away the leftovers.

 

[Ted Calver]

What do the glue lines of these various suggestions look like. I know that Tightbond dries clear, but from my boat building days I'm remembering the glue lines on powdered resorcinol being dark brown. What kind of line does Cascamite make?

 

[Frank Fusco]

For glue effectiveness TB III is probably the best. But I prefer TB II. The III leaves an ugly glue line that often cannot be sanded away. Never had problems with II. Boards stay together. I don't believe there has ever been any 'creep'. In fact never heard of it until this thread.

 

[Mike Stafford]

What do the glue lines of these various suggestions look like. I know that that Tightbond dries clear, but from my boat building days I'm remembering the glue lines on powdered resorcinol being dark brown. What kind of line does Cascamite make?

Cascamite dries almost clear. You can see it but it is not dark. The powdered resin glue you can buy here from Weldwood is very good but it does have a brown glue line when cured. Not a problem if you are using dark woods but it is visible with lighter woods. I used it on oak and managed to get some into the pores on the top of the board. That was a problem. I shouldn't have tried to wipe it off; just let it dry and sand or chisel it off.

I haven't used any resorcinol glue in a long time. For some reason I have a recollection of it being sort of a dark purple when it was mixed. I do remember it would stain your hands and stay there for a long time.

 

[fred hargis]

I was able to get some powder for the powdered resin glue from Joe Woodworker that made it a lot lighter in color (years ago), almost white if you used enough. But the brown color can be a problem on lighter wood if the glue line shows. I was unaware you could still get resourcinol, it's probably been 30+ years since I've used it, but it was that purple color that Mike mentioned. the stuff I always used was the Elmer's brand.

 

[Dan Noren]

What do the glue lines of these various suggestions look like. I know that that Tightbond dries clear, but from my boat building days I'm remembering the glue lines on powdered resorcinol being dark brown. What kind of line does Cascamite make?

can you find any glue lines? titebond 3 used here.

 

[Mike Stafford]

Here are a few layered bowls that I glued up with Cascamite. I failed to mention that it works much like an aliphatic resin glue in that you can rub the joint to make it stick together so that the wood doesn't slide around as much while you are putting on the clamps.

Most of these bowls are in the 4-5 inch diameter range.

I also made a bunch of ort bowls which are 3 inches or so in diameter and about 2" tall.