Warning: My apprentice used the wrong glue for a walnut face frame last Thursday.

It was a slow-set epoxy on a 90-degree day, and the whole thing slid apart before I caught it. Anyone have a go-to adhesive for high-humidity assembly work?

4 comments

4 Comments

adam4142mo ago

Oh man, I swore by epoxy for everything! Ray's right about poly glue, that foam really locks it in when the air's thick.

oliviabutler1mo ago

Actually, poly glue doesn't need the air to be thick, it needs moisture from the wood itself or a light mist. That's why it works so well in humid weather, it's grabbing that water to cure.

ray6132mo ago

Honestly, that slow-set epoxy on a hot day is brutal, I've been there. Tbh, for high humidity, I just switched to a good polyurethane glue like Gorilla Glue. It actually needs moisture to cure, so it works better when it's sticky out. You gotta clamp it tight, but it foams a bit to fill gaps and holds like crazy. Just remember to put down some wax paper or something because the foam squeeze-out is a real pain to clean up.

ivan_price32mo ago

Wow, I always figured epoxy was the strongest option, period. I had a real bad time with a table leg repair last summer, it just wouldn't set right in the muggy heat. Reading this makes total sense now. That foam action to fill gaps is a clever fix for when things aren't perfectly aligned. I'm definitely trying the poly glue next time.