Replies

1. 
   mikegagne | Sep 19, 2005 02:52am | #1

   Geo, use the glue you feel comfortable with after researching their properties.
   Epoxy works well even with tight fits (parts slide into place easily with it) but it turns black with the heat of sanding and can also show through in some finishing situations and can bleed into end grain as a discoloration. Try it on your material.
   Plastic resin is good performer also tight fits are recommended with it as it will not fill gaps. Sands off well without leaving much of a trace.
   Tightbond III is also a good performer but can weep from joints under the finish as it does not get brittle hard like the other two will. It still has its place and is widely used-more so than the other two.
   Try them all out and finish over it to see for yourself what characteristics bother/appeal to you. aloha, mike

2. 
   jazzdogg | Sep 19, 2005 03:16am | #2

   The main lesson I've learned building chairs is that, unless the chair will live outdoors, the joinery is far more important than the particular adhesive used; you can't rely on glue to overcome poor joinery.

   Even with proper joinery and modern adhesives, chairs undergo extraordinary stresses; wood selection and grain orientation are both important; other things being equal, chairs made of riven wood (with its continuous grain) tend to be more long-lived than chairs made of sawn wood (because grain run-out is more likely to lead to component failure).

   Because chair joints undergo such relentless stress, there's an ongoing debate as to whether modern adhesives like titebond and epoxy are better than traditional hide glue: modern glue is more likely to stand up to abuse, but in the event of joint failure, repairs will be more difficult; hide glue may not be as strong, but repairs are easier precisely because it's reversible.

   Lot's of points on both sides of the debate. The ultimate decision is yours.

   Good luck,

   -Jazzdogg-

   "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

1. 
   1redrock | Sep 19, 2005 05:34am | #3

   The current issue of FWW has an article about using an epoxy sealer which also prevents rot and other bad things from attacing the wood. It reminded me of an old wooden boat I had many years ago. In order to avoid replacing some punky wood that would require removing other parts to get to the needed repair I used a product called "Git Rot" an epoxy that you saturated the wood with. To get deep into the bad spots I dfrilled 3/16 or 1/4' holes and filled them. After the epoxy dried, that part was as hard as a rock. All I had to do was fill the holes with "Bondo", sand it all flush and paint it. It was as good or better than new and I didn't have to worry about rot at least in that part.

   I also used an epoxy paint on some of the bronze parts that had been chromed which had been long gone. I sanded the pipes and ventilators to remove any of the chrome that remained and make them smooth. The epoxy was not intended as a paint but rather as a binder to be used with fiberglass. I sanded the epoxy smooth,(my auto body repairmen friends used to call my fingers "raspberry" because the tips were that color from the sandpaper) then painted over the epoxy with a new product called a "Vynil" (spell?) paint.It worked well and when I sold the boat 15 years later it was dulled but still solid.

   After going around the world to get to the point, the epoxy sealer he wrote about would seem to be just the thing to stablize the wood and the chairs.

   Hope I haven't confused you too much because after typing this much with only two fingers I'm not only exhausted but confused as well. But lots of luck with whatever you do.

   Len

3. 
   KeithNewton | Sep 19, 2005 05:52pm | #4

   I have used a lot of both, but I'm afraid that I am not familiar with the design that you are refering to. Is there a link or something that you can post, or drawings that are more specific than your question.

   In general terms though, If you have too many tight fitting joints to get together without getting into trouble, then epoxy is your obvious choice regardless of tightness of fit.

   I did a setee once that was inspired by Rene Mcintosh, that had 240 joints to get glued all at once. The joints were too tight to even do a dry-run without having to tear it up to get it apart. I don't guess I need to tell you what glue I chose do I? Epoxy was the only glue that would have given me the time to assemble without ruining the earlier joints. It sounds you may need some extra time also.