attaching wood to wood without holes

[B.Greco]

Im working on some small jewelery boxes and was wondering what the best bonding agent for attaching small some small pieces or balsa. This will all end up sanded and painted, so its okay if its messy. Im trying to avoid using tacks or nails because the wood is somewhat thin and will split very easily. WIP will follow on this thread until they are finished.

[Capt. Dirigible]

Im working on some small jewelery boxes and was wondering what the best bonding agent for attaching small some small pieces or balsa. This will all end up sanded and painted, so its okay if its messy. Im trying to avoid using tacks or nails because the wood is somewhat thin and will split very easily. WIP will follow on this thread until they are finished.

I can heartily recommend Unibond's 'No More Nails'  as a superlative bonding agent for sticking just about anything to anything.

[barb dwyer]

Elmer's wood glue is a tradition, I think.

[lilibat]

I believe it's called liquid nails in the us. That stuff works very well as does gorilla glue. You need to have good clamps too. Clamping wood being glued makes all the difference.

Also I use the really tiny nails & screws meant for dollhouses often for such wood. If you have a hobby store that has a lot of dollhouse construction pieces check it out. You can also find amaging little hinges & decorative wood bits that can come in handy for box making.

[TimeTinker]

Most wood glues should be fine but clamping is essential if you want a clean, firm bond.

To avoid splitting wood with nails, tacks or even screws pre drill the holes in the top piece the same diameter as the fixing and fractionally smaller in the underneath piece.  If necesary you can even run a drop of glue in the hole too remembering to wipe off excess before it dries.

A traditional and beautiful way to finish is to use wooden pegs or dowels. Still glue and clamp but also drill holes through the same size as the pegs/dowels. Drip some glue in.  Drive home and sand in the ends.  This gives a cross grain which can look great if you sand and polish it.

[sidecar_jon]

Im working on some small jewelery boxes and was wondering what the best bonding agent for attaching small some small pieces or balsa. This will all end up sanded and painted, so its okay if its messy. Im trying to avoid using tacks or nails because the wood is somewhat thin and will split very easily. WIP will follow on this thread until they are finished.

I can heartily recommend Unibond's 'No More Nails'  as a superlative bonding agent for sticking just about anything to anything.

I second that and its very cheap, a tube holds a lot and if your not putting up shelves with it it lasts for ages. Its strength is its slight flexibility, so the wood can move and expand. and yes the thinner the glue joint the stronger the join!

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

It is also worth investing in a mitre box to get a clean 45 degree cut for your joints. There not expensive, but are very useful. If you are looking at something jewellrey box size this is probably the best joint option, simple, easy to glue and neat. Finish with a wood filler matching the wood, it helps tremendously even if overpainting or varnishing. A workbench, even a cheap fold out one is also very useful it provides a clamp and a solid level surface to clamp to.

Woodworking is an under appreciated skill, but most of my projects utilise skills I gained in a traditional woodworking class, and I despair that these skills are not being taught now as they were.

[Prof Marvel]

In the states, the object of your desire is called Weld-Bond
glues anything to anything and It dries clear, and is weather resistant.
I highly recommend it.

yhs
prof marvel

[B.Greco]

Thank you all. Hopefully I can use this knowledge to make something amazing.

[Narsil]

It's usually best to use a glue which remains somewhat flexible for wood. The reason for this is that all wood will expand and contract in response to changes in temperature and humidity and  the joints need a bit of give to accommodate this, otherwise they will tend to crack and come apart over time.

The traditional glue used by carpenters is derived from hide hooves etc, as well as being flexible it is relatively easy to remove at a later date to make repairs. The downside is that it's not fantastically strong in itself and relies on good joint design to work effectively and is a bit of a hassle to use.

[Clym Angus]

Most wood glues should be fine but clamping is essential if you want a clean, firm bond.

To avoid splitting wood with nails, tacks or even screws pre drill the holes in the top piece the same diameter as the fixing and fractionally smaller in the underneath piece.  If necesary you can even run a drop of glue in the hole too remembering to wipe off excess before it dries.

A traditional and beautiful way to finish is to use wooden pegs or dowels. Still glue and clamp but also drill holes through the same size as the pegs/dowels. Drip some glue in.  Drive home and sand in the ends.  This gives a cross grain which can look great if you sand and polish it.

100% with tink on this, I was fixing several planks together to make a slide out desk and dowelling rods worked wonderfully. You have to be fairly precise with your hole position, depth and attack angle but nothing beats that final press when it all slots together.

[Cubinoid]

(whispers) Dovetail...

[D.Oakes]

I use E-6000 for everything after the curator of my one show introduced me to it.  I had used a lot of boards so she simply glued a strip of wood with the hanging wire on the back.  Those paintings are still hanging 2 years later with no sign of letting go. 

[B.Greco]

(whispers) Dovetail...

As much as this made me laugh, dovetailing wont work on this project

[TVC15]

Narsil has hit the nail on the head (forgive the pun). Hide glue will give somewhat in relation to wood. Luthiers use it when working/repairing acoustic guitars. Unless your project will be in a controlled environment with no changes in humidity or large temperature changes, then the investment will pay for itself in the long run.

[VampirateMace]

I've gotten decent results from Elmer's Wood Glue, or plain Elmer's in cases where the finished piece was decorative rather than an often handled item.

Gorilla Glue also seems to be fairly permanent

[B.Greco]

YOu know, ive been looking at the project, and its going to be some minor pegging but mostly glue. I have a bunch of knobs on sticks from eating a lot of rock candy, and one of the boxes i plan to upgrade doesn't have any way to open it. Im thinking peg through the added decoration on both sides of it, then glue the rest. 1st stage pics later, i promise. I just now am able to post pics again.

[Angus A Fitziron]

If you are making something small and using lightweight woods like balsa and obeche, I would spend the extra and use a high performance glue that is specially formulated for this kind of wood. You will not need a lot of glue so a specialised one will actually represent good value for money as the large bottle of white glue will probably go off before you have finished it! So, in the UK my choice is Delux Materials Speedbond which is available from most good model shps. The glue sets up quite quickly which is useful when making up nail free joints, it sands well when dry, is strong and flexible to be used in performance model aircraft, it dries clear, is reasonably waterproof and is compatable with most finishes. I keep a bottle in my indoor workshop and it is still fresh after a couple of years. I think the big enemies of PVA glue are frost and poor nozzle sealing. I have no connection with the makers of this product other than as a satisfied customer. There are other PVA glues but for special projects I believe a finer quality product is justifiable.

[Dorian Ambrose]

Any good wood glue should work just fine.
I always use SikaBond. Which one depends on the project (there are 6 different ones).

For any box type design, the best way to go about it, is to put the pieces side by side on a flat surface and join the edges that are to be glued with masking tape (on the outside). It should end up looking like an unfolded box.
Flip it over, apply glue and fold it to it's finished shape. Forget about clamps. If you have done it right, all you need at this point, is a few strips of tape, and it will hold just as well.
Not to mention that balsa does not like clamps.

[Pivole]

One thing that I've found to work is good old PVA. Takes time time to dry, but can give a very good bond.

[sidecar_jon]

One thing that I've found to work is good old PVA. Takes time time to dry, but can give a very good bond.

friend who is a highly qualified expert in glue ( a doctor no less!) uses plain PVA to makes guitars as a hobby.

[Uncle Arthur]

For any and all woodwork I use TiteBond II unless the item is exopsed to damp on a regular basis. Then I use III. Never found a better adhesive for wood. Clamp time is as short as 20 minutes for many items.

[Cubinoid]

One thing that I've found to work is good old PVA. Takes time time to dry, but can give a very good bond.

friend who is a highly qualified expert in glue ( a doctor no less!) uses plain PVA to makes guitars as a hobby.

You are a friend of that infamous Timelord, Dr. Glue?! 

[B.Greco]

Guess I could put up all the pics, since the project is long finished

Planning stages and rough works. I prefer to plan as I work. Freestyle, as it were.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Some prelim painting, to get the colors right

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

The finished product. The top has an led, tho I will likely end up switching it for a brighter one or putting another in.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

This box and other fine products are available to view and purchase on my new Aethersite. I take custom orders as well. This is my first work, using only the most primitive of tools and what I could afford at the time. Now that I have some better equipment, my last few projects came out a bit more refined. I take custom orders as well.

http://steamgeardevelopment.webs.com/