Handling glue squeeze out.

Brent Dowell

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So, Just wondered how folks like to handle glue squeeze out.

I'm a pretty sloppy gluer. I quickly found that I did not like the 'Wipe it off' or 'scrape it off later' methods of handling it.

I've been using masking tape lately to contain it and I'm having better results.

Just wondering what the rest of you do.
 
To eliminate glue squeeze out on a M/T joint I use a real small spatula to put the glue in the mortise which is deeper than the tenon long.
Any excess will go to the bottom of the mortise so we will have no glue squeeze out when the pieces go together..
 
I do my best not to use too much glue in the first place but I also keep a damp rag on my assembly bench to wipe away the excess. Most of my glueups are panels or style and rail assembly. The style and rail assembly I use a brush to apply the glue and have learned how the glue migrates when the joint is assembled. I rarely get any squeeze out on the joint on the inside but will always want just a touch on the surface to make sure I'm getting enough on the joint. The wet rag works best for me but if the masking tape works it works.
 
I use all the usual tricks I suppose. The version varies with the joint in question. Like Brent, I have found the damp rag to remove most of the surface glue but, send some into the wood to appear like a phantom, waiting in the wings, to pounce, once the finishing starts. Application of a thin film (trim), slicing off with a chisel after about 30 minutes of cure (panel glue-ups), location of the application along the slide/assembly path (M&T and sliding DT's), painter's tape and functional grooves to trap squeeze out (butting faces of almost any non-housed joint) are all methods in my arsenal. I still run into squeeze out but, as I find a method that proves successful for a given situation, I continue to use that method for that situation and my occurrences continue to reduce ;-)
 
I too use all of the above methods depending on the situation.

For glue-ups that will be planed/jointed, a rag or wet rag...most other types of glue-ups won't get the wet version.
For working with veneered or open grain materials, I often mask with blue tape.
For fine/furniture/finish grade joinery, I take greater care to use the exact amount of glue, scrape after the fact, and sometimes mask.
I used chisels and scrapers for cleanup after almost every glue-up.

- Hutch
 
I try to avoid it at all, usually unsuccessfully. So when it's a flat surface, I let the glue skin over, ten scrape it off. To get it out of corners, I have a very stiff soda straw that I cut a 45 degree tip on. Using that as a squeegee, I can usually get it out of the corners, but you have yo do that fairly soon after the joint is clamped.It doesn't deal with skinned over glue as well.
 
with 95% of my shop production lately being cutting boards, I haven't worried much about it lately. I did a couple of boards where I was on hand to scrape off the squeeze out, and while it didn't make a Huge difference, not chewing up the planer blades any more than I 'had to' to remove the glue droplets was nice. Finish wasn't a big issue, since it was just mineral oil, and I could plane down past the affected area where any squeeze out occurred.
 
I have two sizes of paint scrapers and a sharp bench chisel. I plan to not have a lot of squeeze out in the first place. A thin full coating on both surfaces works best. Finger spreader works best for me to control the amount of glue. My MO is to let glued up assemblies cure overnight. The glue is hard in the morning. I use the paint scrapers for the most part and the chisel in the corners as needed. Usually only a two minute job. I find that not touching the glue until it is dry keeps in from getting Into the wood. It just sits on top. Wiping pushes it into the cells of the wood. A finishing disaster in the making.
 
I've been coming around to Carols point of view. The wet rag trick seems to leave more glue in the wood which really ruins the finish appearance (more or less depending on wood type, opened grained are particularly annoying). Letting it cure and then slicing/scraping off seems to leave the best surface. Tape helps in some cases but you still need to clean up the glue line itself.
 
I've found that the two biggest contributors to glue squeeze-out are glue and clamps. Do away with both of those, and the problem goes away. (Reasons #6 and #7 why I like turning.) :D

If it's a flat surface that will later be planed or sanded (like a cutting board), I use a damp paper towel to remove the bulk of the glue. If it's something that I can't clean up easily afterward (like the inside corner of a box), I'll typically use masking tape and also try to be more careful about the amount of glue I'm using.
 
I've found that the two biggest contributors to glue squeeze-out are glue and clamps. Do away with both of those, and the problem goes away. (Reasons #6 and #7 why I like turning.) :D

Like Vaughn, I like turning too but glue (and clamps) plays a big part in my turnings. Glue squeeze out is not a big problem when doing regular segmented work but it can be a major issue while working on an open-segmented piece.
 
I have two sizes of paint scrapers and a sharp bench chisel. I plan to not have a lot of squeeze out in the first place. A thin full coating on both surfaces works best. Finger spreader works best for me to control the amount of glue. My MO is to let glued up assemblies cure overnight. The glue is hard in the morning. I use the paint scrapers for the most part and the chisel in the corners as needed. Usually only a two minute job. I find that not touching the glue until it is dry keeps in from getting Into the wood. It just sits on top. Wiping pushes it into the cells of the wood. A finishing disaster in the making.

Pretty much do it the same way except that I put glue on both surfaces. I get a bit more squeeze out but the carbide blade on the paint scraper makes short work of it. I also find that a wet rag will quite often push the glue into the wood.
 
Brent I just picked up a magazine for the first time in i think about 3 years. Anyhow it was not the ordinary monthly one but a compendium of tips produced by Taunton.

This is it here and it has a specific section devoted to tips to deal with this very subject. You may wish to get the mag its not a big expense but for weekend warriors like me it was a great reminder of things i know but could not recall exact details quickly. The pics help a great deal in this mag.
 
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