With so many wood glues on on the market now, it is becoming increasingly hard to find the right glue for the job. It is for this reason that we stock several specialised glues suitable for woodturners and other master wood craftsmen. Our range includes the Titebond range plus  polyurethane glue ("Gorilla Glue"), PVA (white glue, "Resin W"), cyanoacrylates ("superglue"), epoxy resin (with filler powders to enhance your work) and traditional animal glue (pearl glue) and is provided by some of the best known suppliers in the industry, providing quality you can rely on whatever the job.

We have sourced a  supplier of these 'superglues', the quality of which we believe to be even better than that which we supplied previously.  Not only that, but the prices are lower too. As their name suggests, 'CyanoTech' specialise in distributing cyanoacrylate products and as such their Procure product is top of the line. The glue is offered in normal, clear, form and in a range of viscosities ("runniness").  These products find use in range of applications from repairing cracks and re-attaching loose bark, mounting work on a "wood chuck",  reinforcing "pecky" timber and for making conventional repairs to a range of household and workshop objects. The Black cyanoacrylate also offered here is compounded with a rubber to make the glue more flexible and is especially useful to turners using it to repair and reinforce workpieces in darker timbers, against which the glue is quite well disguised.  This is, after all, "Superglue" and most of us have forgotten how to get along without it! We advise that all superglue accelerators should be used sparingly for final fixing as, whilst they certainly speed curing, we remain convinced that the bond created is not quite as good as when the glue is allowed to dry "naturally" (despite what manufacturers tell us!).

Sometimes you need a glue to effect a repair on some tool or machine and the characteristics of conventional cyanoacrylates are not quite right for the job.  For those occasions, we also stock RiteLok Maximum Strength Retainer, which we find great for securing ratchet handles onto their threaded shafts, keeping recalcitrant bearings in place - especially good in preventing fretting corrosion - and other such tasks.

Finally, a product that may save you a trip to casualty (OK, A & E) if you ever get overenthusiastic with cyanoacrylate adhesive and find that you are "stuck to the job" or even stuck to yourself: RiteLok debonder, which will help break a cycanoacrylate bond on flesh or on a product.  Hopefully never used, but maybe worth having on the shelf "just in case".  (But note that this product is an eye irritant so always seek medical advice if the glue is in, or close to, your eyes.)

Please read and heed the warning labels on the product package.

In particular note that you can extend the life of the product and prevent that age-old problem of sealed nozzles and stuck-on caps by simply wiping the applicator nozzle before putting the screw cap back on.  Do this every time and the nozzle will remain clear to the last drop.  If not - well this is a very strong and versatile adhesive so don't be surprised if you find that the cap is glued to the nozzzle!

For convenience we also show the Chestnut Products cyanoacrylate glue in this section.

Gorilla glue, one of the new generation polyurethane adhesives, is amongst the most versatile glues around today, capable of gluing wood, stone, ceramics and metal.  There is little that challenges its strength. It also has the added bonuses of being 100% waterproof and odourless. The glue is dark when applied but dries neutral and the timber can be varnished, stained or waxed after use and the glue line will not show: the glue accepts the finish just as effectively as the base timber will. It is also long lasting, with a 3 year shelf life and one year life once opened. Gorilla glue is heat, shock and solvent resistant and has a long open time allowing parts to be positioned before the glue "sets up". Excess glue can be easily sanded or pared away with a chisel when dry. (Sorry, no, we don't supply bananas - or large hairy primates.). Specifications & Safety Notes.

The Titebond range of adhesives has long been firm - and well-deserved - favourite in the US market.  What a pity they can't spell as well as they make adhesives!  The range covers most of the well-known and well-tried glue formulations plus some rather special products proprietary to the company.  What follow is a brief summary of the range available from the ToolPost.

Titebond Polyurethane Liquid Glue is a brown liquid glue which dries yellow and features a very useful combination of long open time (~20 minutes) to allow workpiece positioning, combined with a very short (~ 45 minute) clamp time.  Excess glue can be sanded when dry or removed with spirit solvent when still wet.  Joints must be clamped during initial cure.  This versatile adhesive will bond metals, ceramics, many plastics, Corian (TM), stone and other materials as well as wood!

Aliphatic resin adhesives are ideal for gluing wood, hardboard, chipboard, MDF and OSB.  Titebond Original Wood Glue is an aliphatic resin glue which creates a bond stronger than the timber itself.  Excess glue can be removed with a damp cloth prior to cure.  May be applied to large surfaces using a roller or brush.  Initial tack is strong and curing is fast: this makes it ideal for joints where parts need to be tacked in place as soon as their surfaces touch.

PVA glue is well known in many woodworking applications and Titebond II Premium Wood Glue is an excellent - and economic - example of the type.  This is a waterproof version of this adhesive type offering strong initial tack (~5 mins) and fast cure (~15 min assembly time).  It is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, though it should not be used in conditions of continuous submersion in water.  Excess glue is easily cleaned up with a damp cloth prior to cure.

Anything called "Ultimate" is giving itself a lot to live up to.  That hasn't stopped Titebond giving that moniker to their Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue.  The formulation is a proprietary matter but it creates a strong, non-toxic, solvent-free adhesive that is approved by the FDA in the US for use in indirect food contact (for instance in chopping boards).  The glue features fast tack (10 minute open time) and rapid cure (~30 minutes total assembly time).  Although waterproof (but not for continuous immersion) the glue cleans up with a damp cloth, when wet.

Finally, if you need an adhesive that creates a less visible glue line on darker timbers, there is Titebond Dark Wood Glue.  Basically this is a dyed version of Titebond II Wood Glue with similar characteristics but marginally reduced mechanical properties in the cured joint.

Modern PVA glue ("white glue") is strong, simple, effective, and dries transparently.  Excess glue is easily removed with a damp cloth before drying.  PVA is an acronym for Poly Vinyl Acetate, the basis of these very versatile glues.

We offer a choice of glues of this type to suit different types of work.  Bison Super Wood D3 is a waterproof PVA which can be used on parts which are subject to water immersion and thus is suitable for both external and internal use - especially in damp, humid places such as kitchens and bathrooms.  The open time is about 3 minutes, giving ample time to align parts, which should then be clamped together for 30 - 60 minutes to allow initial curing to take place.  The resultant joint, made according to the directions supplied with the product, is stronger than the timber which it bonds.  Supplied in handy 75 g, 250 g and 750 g squeeze bottles.

For less demanding indoor applications where full waterproofing is not essential, Bison Wood D2 is the adhesive of choice.  This shares many of the characteristics of the product described above, with an open time of around 3 minutes, and a clamp-up time of 60 minutes.  As a general purpose household DIY adhesive for "quick and dirty" (!) jobs, this is supplied in a handy 75 g squeeze bottle.  Our recommendation is, in general, to use the superior D3 product, but a bottle of this one on the workshop shelf or in the tool bag means that you'll never be caught out.

Liberon Super Wood glue is a good quality general purpose PVA adhesive.  It dries in about an hour though will continue to harden for 24 hours depending on conditions.  This product has a long "open time" to permit adjustment of parts alignment before drying commences.  Ideal for wood, MDF. chipboard but will also bond paper and other porous and semi-porous materials.  In 100 ml or 500 ml plastic bottles with applicator spout.

Most folk are, today, familiar with two-part epoxy resin adhesives (Araldite perhaps being the best know trade name from the 'good old days').  We offer an excellent fast-setting epoxy resin adhesive made by glues specialists Bison.  Because mixing epoxies is a messy business and measuring equal parts of the two constituents (resin and hardener) is a somewhat hit-and-miss affair we supply the glue in a handy dispenser syringe pack which not only ensures correct dispensing of equal amounts, but also resolves the question of safe storage without the risk of "swapping the tube caps" associated with more traditional forms of packing.  The pack even includes a piece of abrasive and a mixing spatula and tray.

This type of adhesive will bond most surfaces including glass, ceramics, ivory, stone, metal and some plastics as well as wood.  Once dry the glue can be filed, ground and sawn.  The open time is up to 5 minutes and initial curing is achieved in 20 minutes.  Full strength is achieved in about 3 hours at 20 degrees.  Higher temperatures promote faster curing and higher bond strength.

If the task on which you are working requires a longer open time, to allow for positioning several pieces, perhaps, then we offer the similarly packaged Universal Epoxy which has an open time of up to 2 hours.  This epoxy adhesive requires the parts to be clamped for around six hours whilst initial curing takes place, with full strength achieved in about 24 hours. As with the fast-setting version, higher temperatures promote faster curing and higher bond strength.

Why do we offer these adhesives?  Partly because woodturners, in particular, find it very useful for creating inlay materials to use in their work.  As an example, of these, we supply the real metal powders from well-known turner Tony Walton.  The most effective way to use these is to mix them into the epoxy mixture and then press the resultant filler into voids in the surface of timber - such as knots and burr eyes.  Allowed to dry, the material can be cut, abraded and finished along with the timber itself to leave a very attractive contrasting metallic surface as a filigree in the wood base.  To allow you to create a contrast with different wood species, we supply powders in Brass, Copper and Aluminium in handy pour spout bottles.

This is the glue that is used in all traditional classic furniture.  If you have a piece of funiture made before 1940 you can virtually guaranteee that this will be the glue which holds it together: if your furniture is later than this, then there's still a strong chance that this will be the stuff.  Although requiring a little more care and preparation than more modern "plastic" glues, this product has much to commend it and should be considered 'de rigeur' for antique restoration and veneering.  Among its benficial properties are that it dries hard so that it will not allow creep between the assembled components (a real bugbear of most modern glues); it can be re-softened and badly made joints can be disassembled by the injection of, or soaking in, warm water, and it allows a very thin glue line so that the surface finish is not marred by unsightly gaps or coloured lines.  In use it is dissolved in warm water and kept liquid by sitting the glue pot in a water bath - or you can use a professional glue kettle (see below) if you are serious about your work.  The glue dries upon cooling and as the water evaporates from it.  Un-used glue in the pot can be re-heated and re-used - in fact anyone who has recollections of old-time woodworking shops will be familiar with the warm smell of the glue pot simmering away in the corner ... ...  cut to soft focus nostalgia shot of aging craftsman bent over his bench creating works of ... ... ...

©1997-2008 P. Hemsley.  The information on this website is the copyright property of Peter Hemsley.  Coeur du Bois and The ToolPost are trading styles of Peter Hemsley.  Whilst reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, no liability can be accepted for errors in this information nor for contingencies arising therefrom.  If you are inexperienced in any aspect of woodworking, we would strongly counsel that you take a course of formal instruction before commencing to practice