Noticed folks using too much glue on miters

I keep seeing guys drown miter joints in glue. You don't need that much. I did a test at my shop in Austin last month. Used a thin bead on one, a heavy bead on another. The thin bead held just as strong after 24 hours. Less squeeze out to clean up too. Anyone else scale back their glue and get cleaner results?

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2 Comments

julia_carter4mo ago

Hold up. That test in Austin doesn't prove much if you're using a weak joint in the first place. More glue fills gaps in wood that's not perfectly flat or square, which is pretty common for most of us working with standard lumber. A heavy bead also gives you a second chance if the joint shifts while clamping, that thin bead dries too fast and you get a squeaky gap. Plus a good squeeze out shows you've got full coverage, you can just scrape it off later with a chisel.

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davis.dylan4mo ago

Fair point but I gotta ask - how often are you really dealing with lumber that's so far out of whack that a heavy glue bead is saving the joint? Even with standard framing lumber from the big box stores, a light pass with a hand plane or a belt sander takes care of most of that. Seems like the squeeze out argument is more about peace of mind than actual strength, and scraping dried glue off oak or walnut is just asking for tearout if you're not careful. Would you say that extra bead is actually making up for poor prep work in most cases, or is there something else I'm missing?

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