Dave Monk Posted December 19, 2019 Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 I went to a lumber company today and bought a bunch of exotic wood. They told me if I edge glued exotic wood that I should scrub the edge good with acetone before glue up. They said it was dry but it had a lot of oil in it which prevented a good glue joint. I had never heard anything about that before but working with exotics is new to me. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted December 19, 2019 Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 5 minutes ago, Dave Monk said: I went to a lumber company today and bought a bunch of exotic wood. They told me if I edge glued exotic wood that I should scrub the edge good with acetone before glue up. They said it was dry but it had a lot of oil in it which prevented a good glue joint. I had never heard anything about that before but working with exotics is new to me. Dave, I would think any wood with oil in it is going to present a problem with glue up. Do a google on it and see what you find out. Scrappile 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sycamore67 Posted December 19, 2019 Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 That is common advice and it has worked well for me. Dave Monk, Scrappile and OCtoolguy 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 Yes, this is a must with oily woods if edge gluing. Not all exotic woods are oily though. But if in doubt, do it. Acetone dries real fast, so it shouldn’t be a big issue. Scrappile and Dave Monk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 Dave that is sound advice about washing with acetone. I do that with all exotics. Dave Monk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockytime Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 Can one use biscuits? I've never done this but often wondered about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 5 hours ago, Rockytime said: Can one use biscuits? I've never done this but often wondered about it. Les, Biscuits are the most over rated product for wood work there is mate. All they do is assist to keep the sides of two boards that are glued up level, you can do that with a hammer They do add some surface area so arguably a "little strength", but considering that PVA glue is stronger than any wood it bonds that is neither here or there. I confess I have a biscuit machine that is near new If you do require a locating method, dowels are the way to go. The only "oily timber I have ever used is Teak, that was to make a record cabinet while doing my apprenticeship. I never wiped it down with anything prior to gluing and it is still as strong as the day I made it about 50 years ago. (I'm not saying to not wipe down oily timber) Dave Monk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 9 hours ago, John B said: Les, Biscuits are the most over rated product for wood work there is mate. All they do is assist to keep the sides of two boards that are glued up level, you can do that with a hammer They do add some surface area so arguably a "little strength", but considering that PVA glue is stronger than any wood it bonds that is neither here or there. I confess I have a biscuit machine that is near new If you do require a locating method, dowels are the way to go. The only "oily timber I have ever used is Teak, that was to make a record cabinet while doing my apprenticeship. I never wiped it down with anything prior to gluing and it is still as strong as the day I made it about 50 years ago. (I'm not saying to not wipe down oily timber) I will disagree with this comment on so may levels. Biscuits will indeed add strength and also aide in alignment. PVA glue is not the best glue with oily woods and yes they need to be wiped down for sure. I know these topics get debated all the time in the woodworking world and there are examples that support both sides but why take a chance is how I look at it. Can not hurt. By the way again controversy but either G-2 (System Three Epoxy) or G/Flex (West System Epoxy) is good for exotic woods. Dave Monk and Sycamore67 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 8 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said: I will disagree with this comment on so may levels. Biscuits will indeed add strength and also aide in alignment. PVA glue is not the best glue with oily woods and yes they need to be wiped down for sure. I know these topics get debated all the time in the woodworking world and there are examples that support both sides but why take a chance is how I look at it. Can not hurt. By the way again controversy but either G-2 (System Three Epoxy) or G/Flex (West System Epoxy) is good for exotic woods. Well I guess we have to agree to disagree on this then. JTTHECLOCKMAN and Wilson142 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 3 hours ago, John B said: Well I guess we have to agree to disagree on this then. Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sycamore67 Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 In my opinion, the biscuits will add strength. The biscuits add extra gluing surface and mechanical strength. However, do you need the extra strength and is worth the effort? Using a good quality epoxy provides a lot of strength and more than enough in almost all cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, Sycamore67 said: In my opinion, the biscuits will add strength. The biscuits add extra gluing surface and mechanical strength. However, do you need the extra strength and is worth the effort? Using a good quality epoxy provides a lot of strength and more than enough in almost all cases. That is another woodworking debate. They can be very useful if building a table top. Lining up boards before glue dries can be a juggling act. For a small non support piece probably not. For scrollsawing fret work definitely do not want to use. I have used biscuit in edge miters all the time to give extra holding when making boxes if I do not use splines. I even used them when doing my moldings in my house so I know they work and work well. Edited December 21, 2019 by JTTHECLOCKMAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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