All the plans I've looked at say I need to glue but what does that mean? What needs to be glued? Also, when screwing two boards together how far in from the edge should I put my first screw and how far apart should they be. Thanks
Glue means to put wood glue pretty much in all places where one piece of wood touches another. Another way to look at it is if you are to put a screw there also put glue in that same spot.
When screwing I usually will put the screw at least .5 inch from the end if possible if not a little more. Too close to the end and it may split the wood, too far in and you may miss what you're screwing in to. How far apart depends on the width of the board usually. If it's a 1x3 I'd put two screws in and both being about .5 from the edge which would make them anout 1.5in apart.
I had that same question. So then if you're using glue + screws, do you put glue in the screw holes or along the parts where the boards touch?
I have a feeling one of those places is called a joint, but I'm not sure which...
Lastly, you must have to glue first and then screw; otherwise you couldn't get the glue in. So I'm assuming the screw can screw through glue, no problem? (Sounds like something Dr. Seuss would say...)
First, a bit of terminology will help you out a lot:
Joint: Where two pieces of wood meet. There are a lot of different kinds of joints, and which one you use depends on the structural and appearance needs of the piece. Mostly on this site pocket hole and butt joints (with bolts or screws) are used.
Long grain: The surfaces of the board where are cut parallel to the height of the tree. It runs the length of a board, and the grain of the wood looks like stripes along the length.
End grain: The ends of the board. They correspond to cuts across the width of the tree.
If you are joining wood, it nearly always makes sense to glue any two touching long grain surfaces together. Glue on long grain surfaces makes a very strong joint. Screws here are a waste of hardware and may weaken the joint.
Where end grain is touching long grain, there's not much sense in using glue, because there's no holding strength in end grain. Here you have to use screws or some similar fastener.
You might also want to pick up some introductory books on woodworking. This entire trade is usually taught by a master to an apprentice, but when a master is not available, we need to resort to books and videos. Which is good, because even though my dad is a wood worker, we use widely varying tools to accomplish our tasks.
Hunter11
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 07:12
Glue means to put wood glue
Glue means to put wood glue pretty much in all places where one piece of wood touches another. Another way to look at it is if you are to put a screw there also put glue in that same spot.
When screwing I usually will put the screw at least .5 inch from the end if possible if not a little more. Too close to the end and it may split the wood, too far in and you may miss what you're screwing in to. How far apart depends on the width of the board usually. If it's a 1x3 I'd put two screws in and both being about .5 from the edge which would make them anout 1.5in apart.
AnnaK (not verified)
Tue, 07/26/2011 - 16:44
More on glue / screws
I had that same question. So then if you're using glue + screws, do you put glue in the screw holes or along the parts where the boards touch?
I have a feeling one of those places is called a joint, but I'm not sure which...
Lastly, you must have to glue first and then screw; otherwise you couldn't get the glue in. So I'm assuming the screw can screw through glue, no problem? (Sounds like something Dr. Seuss would say...)
Thanks!
claydowling
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 17:53
There isn't a universal answer
First, a bit of terminology will help you out a lot:
Joint: Where two pieces of wood meet. There are a lot of different kinds of joints, and which one you use depends on the structural and appearance needs of the piece. Mostly on this site pocket hole and butt joints (with bolts or screws) are used.
Long grain: The surfaces of the board where are cut parallel to the height of the tree. It runs the length of a board, and the grain of the wood looks like stripes along the length.
End grain: The ends of the board. They correspond to cuts across the width of the tree.
If you are joining wood, it nearly always makes sense to glue any two touching long grain surfaces together. Glue on long grain surfaces makes a very strong joint. Screws here are a waste of hardware and may weaken the joint.
Where end grain is touching long grain, there's not much sense in using glue, because there's no holding strength in end grain. Here you have to use screws or some similar fastener.
You might also want to pick up some introductory books on woodworking. This entire trade is usually taught by a master to an apprentice, but when a master is not available, we need to resort to books and videos. Which is good, because even though my dad is a wood worker, we use widely varying tools to accomplish our tasks.
AnnaK (not verified)
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 22:36
Thanks!
Hey, thanks a lot. That was really helpful. And I will definitely get some books and/or videos, good idea!