In Projects, Shop Blog, Techniques

We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.

Q & A: Which Glue for Bent Lamination?

Q:

A chair design I’m
working on requires bent
laminations for the back spindles.
I’m using maple and am
having a hard time keeping
the glue lines from jumping
out. Any suggestions?

A:

Because bent laminations
are under constant
stress, they require glue that
sets hard. Epoxy, urea resin,
resorcinol and polyurethane
are all good choices for bent
laminations. Of these four
glues, urea resin and resorcinol
achieve the most rigid
glue line when cured. While
resorcinol has a Type I rating (a
good choice for outdoor applications)
its color is very dark,
making it unsuitable for lighter
woods like maple. Consider
using a urea resin glue by the
name of Unibond 800 which
comes with a light catalyst
specifically designed for blonde
woods.

Tip: You can also minimize
glue lines by selecting
straight-grained stock to cut
your laminations from and
assembling the laminations
in their original order.

This story originally appeared in American Woodworker October 1999, issue #75.

October 1999, issue #75

Purchase this back issue.


Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.

Recommended Posts

Start typing and press Enter to search