Best glue for teak?

What is the best glue for teak furniture construction (indoor use). I have read that because of its oily nature, not all glues are satisfactory. Thanks, Dave

Reply to
David Anderson
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Check out Gorilla glue. You can buy it most anywhere. You usually have to dampen half of the joint with water and apply the glue to the other board. They have instructions and technical notes on their website for many species of wood including teak. Click this link (you must be able to read acrobat files)

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luck Frank

Reply to
Frank Ketchum

Dave, I'm an 'epoxy man', myself - however here is a tip . . .

If I don't need the factors of epoxy, I usually turn to Titebond II. It's available just about everywhere and I would hazard to guess it's what most of the people on this forum use. Get some Acetone and a couple of sample pieces of Teak. Dampen a clean rag with the Acetone, and wipe down the Teak - where you will be applying the glue. Wipe it well and make sure you see the Acetone dampen the wood. As soon as it 'flashes off', apply the glue and clamp as usual. Allow the joint to set {an article in a recent issue of WOOD claims a couple of hours is all that is needed - as opposed to the overnight that is the 'usual' }.

See what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised. Still and all, I don't think I have ever trusted a joint with glue alone - always 'back-up' with some mechanical fastener. Other than chair rungs & spreaders . . . and those usually come apart at some point in the future !! Typically, I will use Marine Bronze screws - even incorporating them into the design as an accent. They also gain a nice patina that blends right into the tone of the Teak.

Regards & Good Luck, Ron Magen Backyard Boatshop

Reply to
Ron Magen

Why use a mechanical fastener? On every single item I've ever looked at where a screw/nail/whatever was used in an attempt to hold one piece of wood to another, they themselve had failed. loose, rickety, missing altogether. The epoxy you use is plenty. It's also itself not removeable in the future, but what the hell, huh? If mechanical methods of attachment are still something you want to do, why not arrange the joint to use a dovetail or some sort of interlocking key? Maybe a fox wedged tenon. Heck, the japanese joinery books may also provide some ideas.

Rungs on chairs should be done greenwood fashion any way - really really dry tenon into relatively wet mortise. When the mortise dries, that joint isn't coming apart anytime soon. Maybe your grandkids'll have to deal with it when it comes apart in 100 years. And they'll be greatful you didn't fill the joint with epoxy. Remember, there's a reason well built colonial windsor chairs are still together.

Myself? I've used epoxy in lots of joints. In Teak, I use a product named G2 made by "Industrial Formulators of Canada". I believe it's sold by Lee Valley.

Reply to
Lazarus Long

Why use a mechanical fastener? On every single item I've ever looked at where a screw/nail/whatever was used in an attempt to hold one piece of wood to another, they themselve had failed. loose, rickety, missing altogether. The epoxy you use is plenty. It's also itself not removeable in the future, but what the hell, huh? If mechanical methods of attachment are still something you want to do, why not arrange the joint to use a dovetail or some sort of interlocking key? Maybe a fox wedged tenon. Heck, the japanese joinery books may also provide some ideas.

Rungs on chairs should be done greenwood fashion any way - really really dry tenon into relatively wet mortise. When the mortise dries, that joint isn't coming apart anytime soon. Maybe your grandkids'll have to deal with it when it comes apart in 100 years. And they'll be greatful you didn't fill the joint with epoxy. Remember, there's a reason well built colonial windsor chairs are still together.

Myself? I've used epoxy in lots of joints. In Teak, I use a product named G2 made by "Industrial Formulators of Canada". I believe it's sold by Lee Valley.

I second that, G2 is the stuff to use.

Reply to
John Wilson

Reply to
J. Clarke

gorilla glue works great. freshly sand/mill the wood dampen both sides and glue it up. acetone tends to pull oils to the surface.

Reply to
Steve Knight

Lazarus, I build BOATS . . . not furniture. The 'circumstances of use', in MY opinion DEMAND a prudent approach to the building techniques. If the glue and/or joint in a hutch fails, someone may bitch, moan, or complain. Worst case, you take it back and re-do the joint. If a parent puts a child in something I built, sets them afloat on a small pond or lake and a critical part fails . . . do you know there have been drownings in as little as 6 inches of water.

That being said, I also make a few other items . . . such as a Memorial Flag Case for my wife's father's flag. I made a duplicate for the widow of a neighbor. While I used Mahogany, if they had been 'Navy men' I probably would have used Teak. The original plan called for 'glue only' assembly. Because it was 3/4 stock, some substantial pieces, that would be placed in a normal home environment - I chose to reinforce the Titebond II glue with screws. 'Hidden' ones for the base, and visible Bronze ones for the glass-holding face frame. Where they were placed, in respect to the 'points' of the case & Flag - repeated the points of the stars on the blue field. Through the heating & cooling, humid & dry cycles of the year, the joints on these cases won't open.

I agree with your description of 'greenwood style'. Probably the method Roy Underhill would illustrate on his show. Maybe even on a 'peeled' wood chair. By the same token, he was {maybe still is} associated with Williamsburg. As you described the colonial chair - 'well built Windsor' - being the operative words. For every one of the Chairs in the Governor's residence, there were how many in in the outlying farms ? How much did a nail {imported from England} cost? How many could be made from 'bog iron' by the local blacksmith? How many skilled Masters man-hours went into that WINDSOR chair?

The chairs I'm familiar with {and originally alluded to} were either some

100 year old Captain's Chairs and some 10 year 'store bought' kitchen chairs. The last were 'cleaned & re-glued about 3 times with all the 'experts' tricks. The last time I applied a touch of 'engineering logic' and they haven't come apart in the last 5 years.

Regards, R> >

SNIP Remember, there's a reason well built colonial windsor chairs are still together.

>
Reply to
Ron Magen

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