What did the breaks look like ? Any sign of bubbles ?

Nope, they were very thin, clear joints. I had it clamped up well. 5 pipe
clamps in 24". I think the other poster put his finger right on it. I didn't
really get the wood wet enough. I just misted it with a spray bottle and my bet
is it didn't penetrate the wood.
The glue certainly didn't.
I guess that's why you start small.
I'm still clawing my way up the learning curve. Many thanks to all who are
trying to help me.