Yes, poly glue is very strong.

However, it is very inflexible, a sharp strike can cause it to separate. I
know someone who used it to glue up a mallet and it separated when he was
(enthusiastically) banging on it.

Best way I've found to get it off your hands is to plunge them into my dust
collector pre-separater can and rub. Driest environment I can think of.

Yes, it does expand to fill gaps, however, the expanded foam doesn't have
any structural strength. Use it on well-fit joints.

M2CW
FWIW
YMMV,

Joe

"Joe Barta" wrote in message
om...
Loose chair legs.

Just a post noting my experiences figuring it may help some other lost
soul out there searching Google Groups...

Problem: Loose chair legs. Mortise and tenon joints. You know the
routine... chair legs loosen, so you scrape out the crusty glue,
re-glue and the chair is fine... for a couple months. Soon the legs
are all loose again and the chair feels like it's going to implode any
day into a pile of kindling.

Solution: POLYURETHANE GLUE. A common brand is Gorilla Glue. The stuff
is manna from heaven. Elixir of the gods. Wood glue extraordinaire.
It's kinda expensive. Buy it anyway.

For those that have never experienced polyurethane glue, it looks like
thick maple syrup and as it cures, it foams a little, filling any gaps
and spreading through the joint. I'd say it triples its volume. Just
buy some and try it out... it's cool.

In addition to gap filling, the cured glue is VERY tough and I think
even a tiny bit flexible. At the very least it's not brittle like some
glues.

Anyhow, I glue up the legs, the excess oozes out and once dry, can be
scraped off pretty easily. For me, where the legs mortise into the
underside of the seat, I just leave the extra glue for a little added
strength. No one will see it unless they are slithering around your
kitchen floor on their back, in which case, you may have bigger
problems than a little visible glue.

I have a few formerly troublesome chairs repaired with polyurethane
glue that are still rock solid over two years later. And keep in mind
one of those chairs is being used by a teenager that leans back in the
chair, leans forward, leans sideways, and oddly finds it comfortable
leaning back on ONE rear chair leg. Two plus years and it's still as
solid as the day I glued it up.

----

Also, let me note I tried the silcone route on a chair which didn't
work so well. The theory sounded pretty good... use silicone caulk
instead of glue because the silicone will move with the wood and not
crack like glue.

Well, while that's true, I found myself with chairs that continued to
be quite wobbly... although the chair parts were held together pretty
well. I didn't have to worry about a chair collapsing into a pile of
pixy sticks, but the rubbery wobble got REALLY annoying.

- Joe Barta