gluing laminates

[Ted Cody]

I'm making a maple table with a bowed apron about 55" x 3 1/2" x 3/4".

Using slow-curing expoxy I glued-up five 5/32" thick laminates to make up the apron. Upon releasing the clamps, the laminates separated at several points.

I've never had trouble with this method before, using cherry. Does anyone have an idea what went wrong? Is there a problem with the epoxy/maple combination?

What glue do people use for this application? I don't think I could spread carpenter's glue fast enough. Polyurethane glue?

Ted Cody

[Bridger]

as far as I know there should be no problem with maple and epoxy.

[Lew Hodgett]

Some possibilities come to mind.

1) Incomplete mixing. 2) Low temperature during cure. (I find that anything below 60F really extends the cure time)

White oak is a problem with epoxy, but maple should be no problem.

HTH

[Michael Daly]

Is it possible that the clamping pressure was so high that not enough epoxy remained? In general, polyurethane = tight clamp, epoxy = not so tight, or so I've always understood.

Mike

[DarylRos]

Probably a combination of low temperature and poor mixiong. Possibly older epoxy.

For gluing up laminations, you are better off with Unibond 800. It's made for such a purpose, and can be worked afterwards. Even Titebond will do the job, but will eventually creep. The Unibond won't, and it can be colored with small amounts of anilyne dye.

[Carl McCarty]