Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 23, 2003 01:34am | #1

   There's a chance that a Titebond type of glue could "creep" resulting in raised glue lines that might not show up until the counter has been finished and installed.  The Titebond II water resistant glue is supposedly more prone to this type of problem.

   Using a urea formaldehyde glue will eliminate the risk.  The most common brand is Dap's Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue which is a powder mixed with water.  However I've glued up a lot of panels with ordinary Titebond and only had the glue line raise once.

   Titebond won't be affected by an oil finish, but all of the common glues, once they're set, are unaffected by finishes.

   Biscuits are not needed for strength, provided you've got a tight fitting contact between the boards.  Personally, biscuits, splines and dowels are more trouble than they're worth.  Take your time with the glue up, doing just a board or or two at a time and you shouldn't have any problems.

   John W.

2. 
   jvs | Jul 23, 2003 02:48am | #2

   Seconding what John said, Titebond may not be the best choice.  Regardless of the adhesive, if it contains or uses water, be sure to allow plenty of time for the moisture to migrate away from the joint before final flattening/finishing, or the glue lines will sink when it finally does. 

   Biscuits aren't necessasary if you are careful with cauls, but can help with alignment anyway.  Multiple and careful operations with just a few (two or three) boards is faster than trying to correct things when you have a 200+ pound monolith.  If you are using edge-grain strips, you can do more at a time, and then rejoint the edges (if needed) and take it from there.  Rock maple has a very fine structure and can be tricky to glue--aim for *perfect* dry joints and you should be fine.

   /jvs

3. 
   Napie | Jul 23, 2003 06:52pm | #3

   Contrary to what some on this forum have experienced, I would go with a polyurethane, (Gorilla), glue, follow the directions and clamp tight.  My kitchens maple counter section has been going strong for almost three years now.  Biscuits are not needed and your edge jointing must be very good.

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 23, 2003 08:38pm | #4

   After trying poly glues in our shop, we gave up using them because they were more trouble than they were worth except for special applications.   In the search box here in Knots type in "poly glues" and you'll find 40 postings on poly's, both pro and con.

   If you do decide to use polyurethane glue, try it out with a test glue up to get a feel for it before tackling a large piece.

   John W.