Replies

1. 
   fussy | Feb 12, 2011 06:42pm | #1

   wood welder

   It all depends on what kind of wood you'll be welding.  Soft woods and soft hard woods such as poplar are pretty easy to weld.  Harder woods, especialy oak, require a welding material with a high coefficient of expansion to prevent cracking.  Used to in cold weather I had to pre-heat oak and exotics but now, with the new rods available (they're expensive, mind you) that's no longer necessary.  Over time, the welded wood is just as strong as the base material provided you get adequate penetration.  In some woods this can be a challenge without excessive carbon inclusion which renders the weld brittle and subject to failure.  Cold weather would have no more effect on welded wood than natural wood of the same species.  It is now possible to weld dissimilar woods without problems just as metal welders can weld high carbon and mild steels with the proper welding material.  I prefer stick welding wood to mig as I have yet to find a mig material that can be rolled up into a coil that has the proper strength and stiffness.  In any case, use proper breathing protection and have a fire extinguisher or water hose ready at all times.  Also, it's a good idea to do this outdoors to prevent burning down the house.  Hope this helps.

   Steve

2. 
   BruceS | Feb 12, 2011 07:41pm | #2

   Prefer tig

   I prefer tig over stick or mig.  It's much easier to match lumber species with the proper species of dowel filler.  But don't forget to route a proper chamfer before starting.

3. 
   hammer1 | Feb 13, 2011 11:38am | #3

   Are you talking about RF glue setting equipment? Had a homemade set up made from an old Lincoln welder in a shop i worked in. This one had pneumatic clamps and we used plastic resin glue which is water resistent, not water proof. I've never used other glues since the water content in the PR was important as the conductor. Clamps held the work tightly, the RF just sets the glue in seconds. It's not any different than leaving your work in the clamps overnight as far as attaining glue set and the PR doesn't act any different than without the RF. It's just that you can clamp, set the glue and move on to the next piece in a few seconds, great for immediate results and for production work. Funny thing was it would mess with land phone lines, don't know if the HF would mess with WiFi, cell phones, etc.

4. 
   PSeverin | Feb 14, 2011 06:42pm | #4

   Tell me more

   I thought for a bit this was a joke.  I had no idea that you could weld wood despite that old product.  Then I found an article on the web about something I'd never heard of.  Why do you want to make plastic mechanical joints?  Maybe there is no difference between glues making mechanical joints, but so many of us here are still knitting wood together.  Tell us more, please.

   Peter