Uses for Carpenter's Glue

Laminating

• Most contemporary wood projects are laminated. It's sometimes hard to notice, but if you look closely at almost any thick piece of wood, you'll see layers or sections. Also known as glue lines, the tight, vertical or horizontal lines are where the glue has bonded two or more parts together. Woodworkers laminate parts before cutting them to give the wood strength through overlapping grain patterns. Laminating wood is a simple process of brushing or smearing carpenter's glue on two or more pieces of wood and placing clamps across them -- the more clamps, the better the lamination. The lamination can be side to side, one on top of another or a combination of both. Once the carpenter's glue is dry, the bond is permanent. You can cut the laminated wood with almost any saw to build almost any project.

Woodworking

• Use carpenter's glue to build cabinets or install molding or trim. You can also use it when any two pieces of wood are joined with nails, staples or screws. For cabinets, start by adding glue to the face frames, followed by the jambs, bottoms and tops of the boxes. Apply glue to all molding or trim that fastens to another wood surface or where it makes contact with wood, but only do this if you want a permanent connection; you won't be able to separate the pieces without damaging them. For smaller projects such as hobby woodworking, use carpenter's glue to build jewelry boxes, birdhouses, models or doors. But there is one place where carpenter's glue is not welcome: raised panels. When installing raised panels on cabinet or exterior household doors, do not use glue of any kind. In this instance, panels need the ability to expand and contract. Adding glue will cause them to crack or split.

Crafts and Repair

• Carpenter's glue works equally well on paper, cardboard or almost anything that is slightly porous. Substitute it almost anywhere to make paper crafts or to glue on appliques such as pipe cleaners, straw or almost any type of bling except materials that are hard plastic, laminates, vinyl, metal or rubber. If you've got questions about the material and how the glue might work, test the glue overnight on some scrap pieces. For repairs around the house, use carpenter's glue to reattach lifting veneers or molding that is coming off or to glue panels back where they belong. If possible, always add clamps after using carpenter's glue. If that's not possible, stretch masking tape across it or place heavy objects on it -- anything to get pressure on the glue aids in bonding.

Considerations

• Carpenter's glue will not accept stain. Always clean carpenter's glue off before it dries to prevent white spots. Any, smears, drops or streaks of glue will jump out at you later. If you see dried glue after the project is finished, scrape or sand it off.

  Carpenter's glue dries relatively fast. When laminating or when working on a project, don't allow the glue to remain on the wood more than about five minutes prior to bonding. It will become tacky and fail to bond. If you take more than five minutes spreading the glue, it's best to wipe it off and start over.

  Standard carpenter's glue is not meant for exterior projects. Don't use it on exterior trim or any assembly that is exposed to the weather. If it gets wet, it will eventually fail. For wood projects that will be exposed to moisture, use a "waterproof" wood glue, polyurethane glue or epoxy.