The Glue That Holds It All Together - A Look Inside The Designer's Cabinet

Written by: Randy Weersing - Randy Weersing Furniture Designs

There is a bewildering array of glue products on the market, and you may ask why. Well, the truth is in my shop, 95% of all gluing is done with one product, plain old yellow glue. It is an aliphatic resin, but please don't ask me about the chemistry. There are several popular brands on the market and I have found little difference among them. This glue has many endearing qualities: long shelf life, no mixing required, water soluble for easy clean-up, reasonable working time, and amazing adhesion. It does not have good gap-filling properties however, so your joints must be tight and well clamped. There are water-resistant (not water proof) formulations, and slow setting versions to allow time for complicated assemblies. I use this for almost everything, from traditional furniture joints to vacuum bag veneering.

A look in my glue cabinet reveals a few other useful adhesives for wood:

Cyanoacrylate or crazy glue is handy for sticking down a chip, splinter, or small non-structural repair. The gel type works best on wood.

Polyurethane (Gorilla Glue) is something I sometimes use for repairs when it's gap-filling properties are needed. It bonds well, is semi water-resistant, and foams and expands to fill a sizable gap. It's messy to work with and clean up and its foaming can be a problem, but it has it's uses.

Epoxy, like polyurethane, has good gap-filling properties and may be a good choice for a loose fitting joint, in fact it performs best with a loose joint, not tightly clamped. It's expensive, messy, requires careful mixing, and it can be brittle and unaccommodating to wood movement, but it adheres very well to almost anything and is very water resistant. Don't get it on your hands.

Resorcinol-formaldehyde glue is the traditional boat builders old standard. A powder and liquid are mixed to make a very strong and very waterproof adhesive. Long set-up time and a good, tight, well clamped joint are necessary.

Hide glue, before modern chemistry, was the primary adhesive of choice for many types of woodworking: Furniture, lutherie, etc... It is made from rendered collagen from the skins (hides) of animals. It is chemically similar to edible gelatin and is non-toxic if ingested. Hide glue is still used today in specialized applications like musical instruments and replica furniture. I have used it for conservational-grade repairs to antique woodwork. Not easy to use, it requires a "hot-pot" to maintain a certain temperature.

What are some of the adhesives you utilize in your shop? Please share with us in the comment section below. Happy New Year!

For more information on Randy Weersing's designs, visit his website at:

www.weersingfurniturestudio.com

Color Tones, Rich Finishes and Surface Textures; An Incredible Visual-Sensory Experience When it Involves Fine Woodworking

Written by: Michael Blakley - Director of Marketing

We've all experienced it: you walk into someone’s home or perhaps a luxury hotel, or a first class commercial building and right away you notice something special; beautiful woodwork inspired by great design and skillfully put in place by solid craftsmanship.  

And often, one of the most striking aspects of the woodwork is often the finish coating or color stain that has been applied. In this blog today, we’d like to share a few things about the subject of finishes and color coatings, as it relates both to prefinished panel manufacturing, (which is what we do here in our plant in Eugene, Oregon), and also to those wood working professionals and hobbyists who work with and painstakingly apply finishes to a variety of projects.

First, let’s start with some trends, and no surprise they can vary significantly within the vast regions of North America. While recently we experienced color trends and finish tones that were predominantly the rich, dark, coffee-type hues, we are now seeing a gradual return to lighter looks.

At the States Industries prefinish plant, we talked with Les Lawrence, Finish Coatings Manager. Les pointed out that the basic species continue to dominate the bigger production runs, primarily maple, birch, cherry, oak and walnut. And he confirmed a resurgence of lighter finishes, including washed appearances and warmer tones.

“We get to see a wide range of colors, trending from dark and now back to lighter tones, with an interest in more vertical grain patterns and specialty cuts of veneers that highlight a more straight grain effect.”

In a recent on-line article from homeyet.com, the writer noted the following: “the warmer finishes trend is most evident in the contemporary and transitional furniture categories.  Gone are some of the dark espresso finishes that required silver colored hardware…  instead, wood tones are softer, more Mid-Century modern in color and shape---think “Mad Men” meets today’s modern loft.” They go on to suggest that in both the contemporary and transitional style categories, “walnut veneers seem to be guiding the trend.”

North Carolina based Valspar Wood Products, in last year’s publication of its “PEAK 2011: Style Guide,” reports a mixing trend, blending both new and reclaimed wood in a range of finish colors.

Another an important part of the aesthetic component is the gloss level on a particular stain, which can dramatically affect the final look. Lawrence reports seeing a “definite trend of lower gloss applications on many of our panel runs here at our plant.”

This may be somewhat related to a trend toward hardwood floors sporting a low gloss appearance. The lower luster looks tend to hide small scratches and dents better than the higher glosses and they are easier to maintain. Additionally, a lower gloss level will likely bring out more of the natural characteristics of the wood in flooring as well as in hardwood-decorative panels used for walls, surfaces, furniture and cabinetry.   

                                      

The other interesting challenge around blending, mixing and matching custom colors, is matching stains to laminate materials, especially when dealing with contrasting colors which are more easily created in the manufacture of laminates. But States’ Lawrence is quick to point out that “we can do that; over our many years of finish coating experience, we have developed the competencies in matching our wood panels and components to most any laminate.”

Finally, when wood surfaces are coated and finished, it is important to recognize that the natural characteristics of wood can create some variances in the gloss level, stain absorption and ultimately the color tone of the final product.

To tie out this topic to our own product line, you may wish to visit our website, www.statesind.com and for some compelling insight into the world of finish coatings, check out www.coatingsworld.com.

Remember, when you have important projects where significant decisions will be made with regard to the proper design elements… Color, texture, lighting and choice of materials, you will always be well-served to enlist the services of professional designers and skilled craftsmen.

Happy Holidays from all of us at States Industries.

Enjoy your projects and please remember to always work safely.