Cold weather glue-up

Re: Cold weather glue-up

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

read specification for whatever glue you are using. What is wrong with the kitchen?

Re: Cold weather glue-up

Barry Irby

I just used some epoxy this morning and notices it said it was good down to 4*C or 39* F. I get my shop warmer than that but thought it was interesting. This was the T88 one hour stuff from System Three. I use it when I have a long complicated glue up and not enough fingers and toes. I leave it clamped overnight.

Re: Cold weather glue-up

johannaj

Nothing is wrong with doing a glue up in the house except that these dressers are very heavy. I am old and small and try to avoid heavy lifting. I will probably glue up the drawers in the house - they are easier to tote.

Re: Cold weather glue-up

Dick Coers

My concern would be what the wood temperature is, and not air temperature. If the shop was colder the night before and then you raise the air temp, the wood is still going to be at the night time temp. If you are using Titebond or other brand PVA, here is there recommendations; Joe Goodwin at Franklin had the minimum temperature for Titebond III memorized: “47°!” He also said Titebond II needs to be used above 55º F, and Titebond Original, Carpenters glue, liquid hide glue, and polyurethane must be above 50º. Below this, the glue dries white and powdery instead of transparent, and has virtually no bond strength.

Re: Cold weather glue-up

David Weaver

I wonder if there is a third option here. My shop is cold in the winter, but not ambient outdoors cold. The far end of it can get right about to freezing, though, and the end toward me about 2-5 degrees above. Gluing is out.

I have also made guitars in the winter from time to time, including fish and hide glue. I have a small bathroom off the side of my shop that's connected to the indoors, but it's too cold for hide glue also (it may be 55-60 degrees at the same time as the shop is 35-40).

I put a space heater in the bathroom and run it up to about 85 for things like gluing fingerboards to necks and no failures yet. I leave them for a few hours and then shut the bathroom door when I'm done but turn the heater off (so it stays warm for a small amount of time) - it's shut while it's running, too, but the heater is not close to anything being glued, just heating the whole space.

If your shop is 45, there must be multiple ways that you could set up a space to warm the wood slowly and then put it in for the glue to dry. This will sound stupid, but in the days that dogs were kept outside, my relatives would put their property guarding dogs in a dog house with a 100 watt lightbulb, and then put a curtain over the front of the dog house. I'm sure there are still people with old wells that have a well house where the supply in the well house is kept above freezing by a light bulb as I had this exact conversation with someone doing that a couple of years ago when incandescent bulbs became harder to find locally.

Sorry, Dick...

David Weaver

..that post was supposed to be attached to the original post and not in response to yours.

Re: Cold weather glue-up

William Duffield

Just a couple days ago, I looked up the minimum temperature for LocTite 5 minute epoxy (in the double syringe). It's also 39°, and the parts are on the bench, hopoing for spring.

I've had TBIII "chalk" instead of forming a glue bond. I was most disappointed. The parts just fell apart in my hands.

I've seen recommendations that you can wrap the parts to be assembled in an electric blanket for some hours to make sure they are warm enough. I suspect you would want to keep the glue under the blanket, too. I keep my liquid hide glue in my pocket when I'm using it in cold weather.

Re: Cold weather glue-up

Curt Putnam

I would suggest building a "tent" from a tarp or plastic drop cloth. Put your material in the tent with a space heater for at least a day to bring it up to temp and keep the glue in the house at room temp. The glued up parts stay under the tent with the space heater going. Very effective as long as the shop is not breezy.

No problem

Re: Cold weather glue-up

Jim Dillon

Johannaj, what about the old-fashioned electric blanket to wrap around your wood to warm it up and during the glue cure?? Just a thought. Jim

perils of localized heating

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Some of the suggestions put the panels at risk. If the temperature-humidity environment around these panels changes quickly from some sort of localized climate change you risk bowing or even cracking the panel.

I have built some large case pieces that weigh well over 100 pounds. During construction they need to be moved. I build them on a platform that is on wheels that can be immobilized by locking the wheel. The platforms can be as simple as a rectangle of 2 x 4's, or a sheet of plywood.

toting parts

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

How is the "road" between the shop and the house - stairs, uneven path, etc.? If it's fairly level, have you considered (and does your budget permit) getting one of those inexpensive hand trucks? They seem to be $30-40 online, and the folding versions are themselves fairly light. That would permit carrying the parts in for glue-up.

Getting the glued-up carcase back out to the shop would be more awkward - without practice, it's hard to maneuver a big box on a hand truck. So maybe that wasn't such a good idea, unless you can call on a neighbor for that step.

It'd be a shame to have to wait for Spring, though - you've already made such progress, from the photos.

This project is in peril

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

If those panels bow you will have a time assembling this case. Personally, I would not sleep nights till I had this case assembled. I would be finding some way and place to do it tomorrow.

Re: toting parts

Johanna Johanson

I do have a sturdy hand truck. I am considering doing the glue-up in the house, but no decision yet. There is still plenty that I can do without actually gluing up the carcases.

Sometimes we have warm winter days where the temperature in the shop gets up to 50. I do need to buy a new space heater for the shop - the old one burned out yesterday!