Elmer's New Wood Glue Max

A news release dated November 22, 2010 from Elmer’s reads, “Elmer’s
Revamps Hardware Line and Introduces Carpenter’s Wood Glue Max and
Glue-all Max.” According to the release, Elmer’s has enhanced the
strength and performance of the company’s two most well-known brands:
Carpenter’s Wood Glue and Glue-all.

First of all, do we need the
strength improved. If the unimproved glues are stronger than the wood,
that’s all we really need, right? So what about performance?

Elmer’s says that this month consumers will find the new Carpenter’s Wood Glue Max
in stores. I’m left wondering how the glue is different from another
Elmer’s product, Elmer’s Stainable Wood Glue introduced back in late
2007. It’s a good bet that this product will soon disappear from store
shelves. (Here’s a link to the product at Amazon.com.)

The
bottles are different. The new bottle is better fitted to your hand in
shape and with well-placed ridges, and the neck slopes toward the tip so
you can get the last drop out of the bottle without much of a hassle.
The tip does appear to be made of a harder plastic, so maybe it won’t be
as easy to damage the slot when you unclog the tip.

The new glue
is suppose to resist mold and mildew just as the older glue, and just
as the older glue did (or does), the new Wood Glue Max is waterproof and
stainable. It’s stainable due to wood fibers being suspended in the
glue. In the photo below, you can see how the glue is opaque compared to
the Elmer’s Carpenter Wood Glue. I’m going to assume those are the wood
fibers. This is how it’s suppose to work. As you sand the glue, the
fibers are exposed and absorb the stain. However, the instructions on
the bottle say to test an area before applying your stain because
sometimes the glue doesn’t stain the same as your wood. You think.

The
new Carpenter’s Wood Glue Max is a type l waterproof glue, so it’s not
for continuous submersion or below the water line use. It also has a
different set of instructions from Carpenter’s Wood Glue when gluing up
panels. With the Carpenter’s Wood Glue, you’re instructed to spread glue
on both surfaces then clamp for 30 minutes (for firmest bond, allow to
dry overnight). The instructions for Carpenter’s Wood Glue Max states
that you should “apply glue liberally to one of the surfaces. Join mated
surfaces snugly and clamp for 1 hour.” You are then instructed to let
the glue dry for 24 hours before sanding, staining or painting.

Does
it work? As a glue it does fine. The glue strength is more than the
wood. As for staining the glue, an occasional glue spot can be
disturbing as you finish, but if you’re having trouble with glue lines
when joining two or more boards, you’re doing something wrong. Take a
look at the photo below. I left a couple glue spots on this mahogany.

— Glen D. Huey

If glue spots are a hassle in your shop, you may want to pick up a copy of  Flexner on Finishing: Prevent, Remove Glue Splotch. Click here.

For additional information about Elmer’s products, tips on glues and video projects, visit the company web site.

There’s nothing better than a good book to help you get the most from your glue and clamps. Purchase a copy of “Glue and Clamps (Missing Shop Manual)” from our Book shop.