I have a couple of dining room chairs that could use a bit (?) of repair.
They are held together at the joints with dowels and I was considering
replacing the dowels ( sorry no Domino).
Problem is they are not very deep into the wood . About 3/8 - 1/2 inch.
Would I be better off using epoxy(slow set) over TB 2 or 3 ?
The current dowels are 3/8 but I can increase to 1/2 Dia.

I would use Gorilla Glue myself over epoxy. Make sure the wood is
cleaned of any old glue.

"Lee" wrote:

.. Would I be better off using epoxy(slow set) over TB 2 or 3 ?

When it comes to adhesives, after epoxy, it is all down hill.

The current dowels are 3/8 but I can increase to 1/2 Dia.

1/2 dia will help since it provides more adhesive area.

Also, I'd thicken the epoxy with microballoons, the apply.

I have found that microballoon thicked epoxy provides the best glue
joint.

BTW, if you use 1/2" dia dowels, open the holes up to 17/32". It will
provide some place for the epoxy instead of having a starved joint.

Have fun.

BTW, saw a post about Gorilla glue.

IMHO, it is the most overpriced, under peckered product out there that
is promoting itself as an adhesive.

Lew

On Dec 12, 9:30 pm, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:

BTW, if you use 1/2" dia dowels, open the holes up to 17/32". It will provide some place for the epoxy instead of having a starved joint.

I go the other way. For dowels that large I turn my own on the lathe
a little undersized and then put some ridges on the surface to allow
the glue to hang onto the dowel. I don't think I own a 17/32 bit...

BTW, saw a post about Gorilla glue.

IMHO, it is the most overpriced, under peckered product out there that is promoting itself as an adhesive.

I couldn't agree more.

What a disappointment that stuff turned out to be for me. I thought
we had finally made a leap forward in wood adhesion technology, but
not so. I was given about 5 bottles at the last contractor dinner we
had so I tried it on everything.

I was never consistently happy with the results and found that in
practical use it just didn't get the job done. In a controlled
environment like a shop it may be great, but I am not in the shop that
much.

For a lot of my repairs I use 5 minute or 15 minute epoxy, depending
on what I am doing. For long wood glue projects it is still
Titebond.

Robert

wrote:

I go the other way. For dowels that large I turn my own on the
lathe
a little undersized and then put some ridges on the surface to allow
the glue to hang onto the dowel.

Somebody makes commercial dowels with a scored channel foir the glue.

I don't think I own a 17/32 bit...

You need another toolG.

If you ever build a storage device for 1/2" shaft router bits, a
17/32" drill bit will be very useful.

For a lot of my repairs I use 5 minute or 15 minute epoxy, depending
on what I am doing. For long wood glue projects it is still
Titebond.

I tend to stay away from the 5 or 15 minute stuff unless it is a very
quick repair.

It takes at least a couple of days to achieve full strength, so if it
stays in the clamps 24 hours, it is NBD for me.

Also epoxy and white oak are not a good combination.

If you need waterproof adhesion with White Oak, it's purple people
eater time (resorcinol).

Lew

On Dec 12, 11:55 pm, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:

Somebody makes commercial dowels with a scored channel foir the glue.

Yeah, in furniture repair they sell striated dowels that have mini
grooves about 1/32" deep around the diameter. I just can't find big
ones, and don't need them often. I have repaired exterior panel doors
with 3/4" dowels, and got a real kick out of it.


I don't think I own a 17/32 bit...

You need another toolG.

Yeah, buddy. I'm getting in the truck right after this to get myself
to Grainger to get that sized bit! VBG


I tend to stay away from the 5 or 15 minute stuff unless it is a very quick repair.

Most of mine are, and I use it for speed rather than strength. If I
am repairing a cabinet, door, or just need some crack fill, I don't
want to wait and in many cases with my commercial clients won't be
allowed to.

It takes at least a couple of days to achieve full strength, so if it stays in the clamps 24 hours, it is NBD for me.

You know, that's a real good point, Lew. I didn't know until a - 9
years ago that 5 minute didn't cure any faster than the regular
stuff. I thought it would at least cure some faster, but it only hits
"green strength" faster, not full cure.

I called Bob Smith Industries (probably one of the largest epoxy
manufacturers in the US - the have their own stuff and are maker of
several branded products) when I was having problems polishing out
some 15 minute stuff on a project.

As a Texan, we do love our mesquite for all manner of projects, all
the way down to smoking a brisket. However, it can be a gnarly,
cracked and brittle wood, so the common practice is to fill the wind
shakes, voids and borer holes with epoxy mixed with colorant or
anything else that will work. In this particular case I was using the
epoxy as a filler, with copier toner in it to make it deep black.

I couldn't get the epoxy to polish up on my lathe project no matter
what I tried. So I called tech support at Smith and they told me that
the number of minutes on the epoxy only referred to working time.
Period. They are aware that the epoxy I was using was commonly used
for wood repairs, and for filler, not necessarily as an adhesive. It
was developed so that the person using it could keep working after an
hour of dry time, but more importantly the stuff could be used where
there was limited clamp time, or applications like a filling a
vertical surface.

And according to him, the 5 minute (or 15 or 30) stuff does cure
faster in the first hour or two, but after that it slows down
considerably and takes exactly the same amount of time to fully cure
as the long set stuff. So it is still a good repair tool for me as I
can clamp an exterior door frame (or door) for a few hours, and then
take the clamps off and let it cure overnight with the house locked
up, but it did let me know not to be too adventurous with painting or
finishing as the epoxy was still working for a couple of days after
application.

Until that phone call, I had no idea. I thought (based on absolutely
nothing!) that the 5 minute probably hit full cure in 3-4 hours. He
also dispelled the myth that the quick working time epoxy mixes are
significantly less strong than their long cure brothers.

He told me that there was some difference, but it was dependant on
what was being adhered and when in the cure process they were tested.
As he pointed out, the differences were mainly academic anyway as the
epoxies cure out significantly harder than the materials they were
adhering. He knew his stuff about adhesives, I'll give him that.

The things you learn along the way, eh?

Robert