Cutting board

[Frank & Renee]

Quick question about cutting board glue-ups.....and any glue-ups for that matter. I just made a board from several strips of birdseye and curly maple

17" X 12" I used Titebond III water proof glue......I used lots of glue on each side of each strip( was a mess to clean-up the squeeze out ) and clamped the hell out of it. After 24hrs it a couple of the strips have air gaps.....is it possible to clamp TOO tight and force the glue out causing the gaps, and if so, canit be fixed?

To SB.........Food grade mineral oil was recommended to us and we have used it for years on cutting boards....the manufacturer we use is "Tree Safe".....any kitchen store should carry it. Just my two cents worth...

Thanks in advance!

Frank

[George]

Can't cause gaps with clamps. That comes from poorly straightened surfaces. Since a lot of people make boards out of scraps and trims, they sometimes forget the planer snipe. Don't know if that's your case.

No such thing as "food grade" mineral oil except in advertisespeak. Laxative mineral oil (USP) is the stuff most buy. As noted, best when it's not there.

[loutent]

Hi Frank,

If you did not joint the edges, it is likely that they were not perfectly flat - even if they were "factory edges". The boards should have almost invisible seams when you line them up before applying glue and clamps. You should not have to use abnormal clamp pressure - which may squeeze a lot of the glue out.

Lou

[TEF]

Had a lot of inexpensive maple scrap and made cutting boards almost the size of yours. I jointed the edges of the strips before gluing them (Titebond III) together, however, I did not have any problems with gaps nor was it necessary to really clamp the wood that tightly. To save time, I made two cutting boards at once (creating a 12" x 35" plank) and after gluing, I ran it thru the planer before cutting the boards to finish size. By working with longer strips, it was easier to joint and glue them, so you might give it a try.

Good Luck,

TEF

[Robert Galloway]

I don't think it's possible to clamp too tight and "starve" a glue joint. I do believe it's possible to apply too much pressure to far apart and cause distortion in the pieces being glued (particularly if they're narrow) and result in separation when the clamping pressure is removed. If you're gluing up narrow strips, either use a lot of clamps and keep them close together or use some heavy cauls to make sure there is no distortion in your narrow strips.

bob g.

Frank & Renee wrote:

[Frank Ketchum]

This is the first problem. No glue joint should ever need the hell clamped out of it. Clamps should be used just to hold the glue surfaces in contact until the glue dries. This requires not a lot of clamp pressure for properly done joints.

I suspect this is why the hell was clamped out of them right? :)

The solution to your problem is properly fitted joinery. Your joints should go together with no visible gaps without any clamps. Do not ever count on clamp pressure to make up for poorly done joinery, it will fail in the not too distant future.

Frank