andy88 Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 when laminating what is the best method to use that will insure an unseen glue joint? I've laminated a few pieces together and clamped them tightly throughout the piece but you could see the glue if you were looking for it. Ive heard that sanding the wood down to a lower grit lets the glue seep in better and will make the joint less visible. Can anyone shed some light on this? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 A good fit and you will not get any glue lines. Simple as that. Some WWII research (wood was important in those days) shows that the best gluing result is if the surfaces to be glue has been cut (sanded, sawn, planed etc) only 15 min before glue up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 A good fit and you will not get any glue lines. Simple as that. Some WWII research (wood was important in those days) shows that the best gluing result is if the surfaces to be glue has been cut (sanded, sawn, planed etc) only 15 min before glue up I would, gently, disagree about the "no glue line". I think if you can always find the line if you look for it. That said, I agree with everything else Swedish Luthier wrote. Realize that some glue may leave a more obvious line due to glue color or expansion. Gorilla glue may foam and create a visible line if not clamped well. . . According to Bruce. Hoadley, using a lower grit may leave gaps and that results in a poorer bond, it depends on the gap filling ability of the glue. So it might not matter if you use a marine epoxy like System 3's T88, but could matter with other agents like a resourcinol / urea glues. One tip, if you are using a standard wood glue, wait a few days before planing and sanding the surfaces flush. The glue might add moisture to the woods, and since they could expand/contract at different rates, if you sand them flush before the MC equalizes at the joint, you may wind up with a visible edge. You also might wind up with a dip at the joint when you sand it flat and the wood later shrinks back to an equal moisture content with the further away areas. I don't believe epoxy will do this, but yellow glue like titebond will. Good luck, Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desopolis Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 I find that as long as the two surfaces are planed correctly and I use enough clamps to hold the pieces evenly across the surface it shows no gaps.. and my latest: new neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnewman Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 I've seen plenty of joins where I can see the grain shift along a line but can't make out any type of gap. Maybe I could if I had a microscope or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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