The day I figured out I'd been clamping joints all wrong for 8 years

I was building a cherry entertainment center for a client up in Greenville last fall. Got to the face frame glue up and something just felt off with the clamping pressure. My square kept telling me things were out by like 1/16th. The old timer I sub for sometimes walked by, watched me for maybe 30 seconds, and just said 'you're clamping the glue out, not the joint tight.' I'd been cranking down on my pipe clamps so hard the glue squeezed out dry and the joint barely held. Now I back off as soon as I see a little squeeze out. Anyone else learn a basic habit way later than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey9436d ago

you're clamping the glue out, not the joint tight" - that little phrase is gold. I figured out the hard way that hard clamps actually warp the wood if you go too heavy, especially on thinner stock like I use for drawer boxes. One time I clamped a mitered frame so tight the joint bowed inward by almost a full millimeter. Now I use a little wax paper trick on the clamp heads too. Keeps the glue from sticking and lets me see the squeeze out clearer without wrecking my pipe clamps.

patricia_king235d ago

Oh man, that wax paper trick is genius, I need to steal that from @casey943. I used to have glue stuck on every clamp until I started just wiping them down with mineral spirits between jobs. Still, backing off the pressure was the biggest game changer for me, nobody tells you that more isn't better with clamps.