I want to make some boxes out of 18mm white melamine faced board.
I'm intending to used biscuit joints.
Any thoughts on what glue I should use?

Thanks,
Roy

"RzzB" wrote in message
...
I want to make some boxes out of 18mm white melamine faced board.
I'm intending to used biscuit joints.
Any thoughts on what glue I should use?

Thanks,
Roy

Erm! have you thought of wood glue?

was about to suggest that, although for chipboard edge to a melamine
face I'm not sure. One could scribe away the melamine below the joint
so that it's "wood" to "wood"

I'd consider that pretty much essential. An alternative, if facilities
are available, may be to mitre the corners. Though that would require
a pretty small biscuit.

RzzB wrote:
I want to make some boxes out of 18mm white melamine faced board.
I'm intending to used biscuit joints.
Any thoughts on what glue I should use?

Thanks,
Roy

If you want the biscuits to strengthen the bond (ie they are not just for
alignment) you need a water-based glue to make them swell. I'd suggest PVA.

--
LSR

On 2007-12-10 09:16:35 +0000, "LSR" said:

RzzB wrote:
I want to make some boxes out of 18mm white melamine faced board.
I'm intending to used biscuit joints.
Any thoughts on what glue I should use?

Thanks,
Roy

If you want the biscuits to strengthen the bond (ie they are not just for
alignment) you need a water-based glue to make them swell. I'd suggest PVA.

Yes and no.

If you have a good quality biscuit joiner and cut carefully, the
biscuits will be a fairly tight fit anyway and other glues such as
polyurethane, or epoxy can be used.

I am not convinced about the use of PVA with the edges of chipboard,
although it is fine for MDF.

Contact adhesive may be a better choice for chipboard but using the
biscuits purely for alignment.

Andy Hall wrote:
If you have a good quality biscuit joiner and cut carefully, the
biscuits will be a fairly tight fit anyway

In solid wood maybe but I don't think you'd get a clean, tight fit in
chipboard. How about dampening the biscuits with water (so they swell) then
using polyurethane glue - that needs moisture to cure anyway.

--
LSR

LSR wrote:
Andy Hall wrote:
If you have a good quality biscuit joiner and cut carefully, the
biscuits will be a fairly tight fit anyway

In solid wood maybe but I don't think you'd get a clean, tight fit in
chipboard. How about dampening the biscuits with water (so they swell) then
using polyurethane glue - that needs moisture to cure anyway.

No need. Fit will be good in chip, and just welly in PVA, slam in the
biscuits and wipe off the squidge with a wet sponge.


The melamine wont take the glue but that's why you have biscuits right?

On 2007-12-10 11:19:26 +0000, "LSR" said:

Andy Hall wrote:
If you have a good quality biscuit joiner and cut carefully, the
biscuits will be a fairly tight fit anyway

In solid wood maybe but I don't think you'd get a clean, tight fit in
chipboard. How about dampening the biscuits with water (so they swell) then
using polyurethane glue - that needs moisture to cure anyway.

Of course. I have a small plant sprayer that I use for this purpose.

On 2007-12-10 11:32:00 +0000, The Natural Philosopher said:

LSR wrote:
Andy Hall wrote:
If you have a good quality biscuit joiner and cut carefully, the
biscuits will be a fairly tight fit anyway

In solid wood maybe but I don't think you'd get a clean, tight fit in
chipboard. How about dampening the biscuits with water (so they swell)
then using polyurethane glue - that needs moisture to cure anyway.

No need. Fit will be good in chip, and just welly in PVA, slam in the
biscuits and wipe off the squidge with a wet sponge.


The melamine wont take the glue but that's why you have biscuits right?

Yes and no.

Biscuits are mainly an alignment device. If the bond on the edges of
the material is poor, then relying just on the biscuits for mechanical
strength is likely to lead to disappointment. If the box is small
then probably OK, but not anything of substantial size.

"Andy Hall" wrote in message news:475d2a84@qaanaaq...
On 2007-12-10 11:32:00 +0000, The Natural Philosopher said:

LSR wrote:
Andy Hall wrote:
If you have a good quality biscuit joiner and cut carefully, the
biscuits will be a fairly tight fit anyway

In solid wood maybe but I don't think you'd get a clean, tight fit in
chipboard. How about dampening the biscuits with water (so they swell)
then using polyurethane glue - that needs moisture to cure anyway.

No need. Fit will be good in chip, and just welly in PVA, slam in the
biscuits and wipe off the squidge with a wet sponge.


The melamine wont take the glue but that's why you have biscuits right?

Yes and no.

Biscuits are mainly an alignment device. If the bond on the edges of
the material is poor, then relying just on the biscuits for mechanical
strength is likely to lead to disappointment. If the box is small
then probably OK, but not anything of substantial size.


Correct,thats why worktops use an inlaid anchor bolt to secure the surfaces
together and at the same time pull them in tightly.
As Mr D said they're are basically an alignment guide for heavy material.

oops! sorry MrHall changed your name there for a minute. ;-)

Many thanks to all for the responses.

It is indeed the melamine to chipboard interface that I'm concerned
about. I'm using the biscuits for alignment and a little bit of strength
(in the right direction).

As Andy noted - I do want nice clean edges. However In the absence of a
perfect glue for this application I think I will go for some secondary
KD fixings. some of the edges won't be visible - so I'll arrange the KD
fittings around them.

Thanks,
Roy

On 9 Dec, 21:56, RzzB wrote:
I'm intending to used biscuit joints.
Any thoughts on what glue I should use?

Two bottles of PVA. Both are the cheap (couple of quid) plastic
squeezers from Axmonster. Both are filled with cheap builder's PVA.
One has a biscuit-shaped nozzle and is thinnned down a bit. The other
has a roller or squirt nozzle for coating the edges and isn't thinned
(or isn't thinned so much).

I wouldn't use Titebond - maybe for the edges, but not the biscuits.
It works fine, but it's a bit thick to apply.

Use good biscuits.

Glue the slots, not the biscuits. Cheap biscuits swell instantly and
they won't fit in the slot afterwards.

Get a _white_ rubber mallet for thumping stuff together (or a fist),
but black rubber or wood will leave marks or dents.

On 10 Dec, 12:01, Andy Hall wrote:

Biscuits are mainly an alignment device. If the bond on the edges of
the material is poor, then relying just on the biscuits for mechanical
strength is likely to lead to disappointment.

For the scope off chipboard with adequate biscuit numbers, the
biscuits can represent most of the strength. Edge-gluing chipboard is
never going to be particuarly rewarding.

Personally I just wouldn't use chipboard. Ply or MDF, every time.

On 2007-12-11 14:12:14 +0000, Andy Dingley said:

On 10 Dec, 12:01, Andy Hall wrote:

Biscuits are mainly an alignment device. If the bond on the edges of
the material is poor, then relying just on the biscuits for mechanical
strength is likely to lead to disappointment.

For the scope off chipboard with adequate biscuit numbers, the
biscuits can represent most of the strength. Edge-gluing chipboard is
never going to be particuarly rewarding.

Personally I just wouldn't use chipboard. Ply or MDF, every time.

Sure. Melamine coated MDF is readily available from wholesale
suppliers of sheet goods like Silvermans. Ply seems a little less
common with melamine