Incredible test! Some people might interpret these results to mean that, for example, Elmer's wood glue max is ALWAYS better than liquid nails, but that's not true. I don't think I heard you mention this, but different glues are meant for different applications. Being stronger in this test doesn't always mean better. For example, construction adhesive has rubber added to it so it will remain relatively flexible after curing. It's formulated to fill gaps and hold up better over time when subjected to wood movement and shocks, like in a house frame. CA glue is very strong, but it's brittle. It would hold up even worse than wood glue in a structural joint. I can't believe how much time and money you put into this test. Keep up the awesome work.
This is the stuff that I appreciate the most out of all woodworking videos by a long shot. Actual proper testing. These videos will probably never enjoy mass market appeal, but for those actually wanting proper answer, these are worth their weight in gold. Thank you thank you thank you. I assumed that a non-contracting glue like epoxy would blast PVA-glues out of the water in gap filling, but no. Though like you said, they are brittle. Still a part of me wonders if they would do better in a loose mortise-and-tenon joint. Probably not. Sadly I did such a glue-up a few weeks ago already so there's no going back. :D
Hey James, this is a great service to woodworkers you've done here. I'm going to be changing some of my glue-buying preferences moving forward, and maybe throwing out some of my current glues as well.
This is absolutely incredible...the number of tests, the amount of data, and so on - absolutely commendable! I use Elmer's Wood Glue Max on exterior projects and haven't had any problems but will be picking up some of that weldwood!
one of the purposes of this test was to actually test the glue and its most wet state. Rarely do joints get that wet outside. This is basically the worst possible taste scenario
Great test and thank you for the data sheet! You may have talked about this but it would be great to see a test of say the top performers in each category but with different woods: soft, hard, open grain, closed grain, oily, super dense and even thermally modified wood and stuff you do not see everyday. thanks again for a great video!
Good job Weldwood! An old school glue. I'm curious as to how much Weldwood has changed its formulation over the past 60 years. It was the glue of choice for my dad who used to build 8 x 10 cameras back in the 1960s and my older brother who used to build long spear guns made of laminated hardwoods for spearing grouper and other large fish in the 70's. Any failure that I can ever remember had to do with wood tear-out and not the actual glue. Usually chair repairs. Great job James. Like many of the other respondents I'll be rethinking my choice of glues. Liquid Nails is history.
Thanks for the immense effort in testing such a wide variety of adhesives. A couple of comments. JB Weld epoxy is supposed to be waterproof after 24 hours but has some instructions about avoiding alcohol to clean a surface. Project Farm's tests of construction adhesives also included JB Weld on wet wood and it beat out the other 5 construction adhesives in his tests. In another video he tests wood glues. Mathias Wendel has just tested a half dozen wood glues on both soft and hardwood and got somewhat different results than here. The inconsistencies of some results don't surprise me. Having spent many years of my career testing various materials, I've found that the result are often very dependent on the test method and the tester. And, test methods don't always simulate real world conditions. Hence, test results vary greatly. However, if you compare all three sets of test results, some adhesives always end up near the top and some always near the bottom.
Thanks James. I have used Weldbond plastic resin, West system and lately Titebond 3. I was surprised to see how poorly Titebond 3 did as a "waterproof" glue ?? I'm prepping a spar and ribs for a biplane wing and had thought I would use West epoxy but after seeing your glue study I'll be using Weldbond. The plus side is the pot life plus it's not as toxic especially in the form of sanding dust. Cheers !
Thanks James, very helpful. We live in south western Newfoundland and buying options in the area are limited. you saved me time and money (shipping is expensive) since you've cut down on my experimentations.
2:20 & 6:20 "Knochenleim" this translates to "bone glue" and one of its uses is in painting where it is used to prepare the canvas. I know most of the Ponal glues (at least saw them in stores), but never heard of mekol before. I think it's a glue aimed more at construction/industry, but it could as well be that I just never noticed it while shopping.
I just found out from the producers website that the mekol special is aimed at home use and not for construction or industry, so I probably just never noticed it or they don't sell it in my area.
Outstanding James!!! And kudos to you spreadsheet abilities not many can develop a "delta" on data, great job. As a point of interest I watch a you tube channel called "Culver Props" and the young lady doing the work uses DAP Plastic resin exclusively on building her propellers. Thanks again for all your input, efforts and craftsmanship. Keep on smiling.
James, thank you for this. You did an amazing amount of work here. Really appreciate the effort. Wondering if you have heard anything from the manufacturers regarding these results.
Thanks man. I have purposely not reached out to any of them as I wanted this to be completely unbiased and unsponsored. But no I have not heard any of them reaching back to me.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo You know about roman cement? I just put two weeks reading quantum mechanics for 16 hours a day. It was fun. They are both kind of related to glue and the world as we know it.
I've used Weldbond Plastic Resin glue for many years for all my outside projects. It's only problem besides it's tricky to mix and not get lumps is that the shelf life of the powder is only a year or so. You must find a source of fresh glue if you use it. And because it's not popular, it's getting harder to find. So I hope people will use it more and the demand will go up. There is a company that makes wood airplane propellers and they use weldbond plastic resin, so you know it must be a great exterior glue. Do not use Tightbond III for exterior glues.
It's getting harder to find because DAP discontinued it. They stopped making more of it awhile ago. It's out of stock almost everywhere now and will be impossible to find soon, if it isn't already. Very stupid move by DAP since this is a great advertisement for them.
Strength is not really that important for most applications. What's very important for some applications is creep. Also what about heat and humidity? My second guitar held together fine with cold hide glue until August when it simply came completely apart. Also, epoxy for lamination due to yellow glue warping the lamination out of the mold. Excellent test with some major surprises. Love your work!!!
WOW thank you this was great, and the glue company no one talks about unless your in school Elmer's still getting it done. I will be keeping Elmer's Wood Glue Max on hand now, and also pick up some Dap Weldwood Plastic Resin for sure for outside projects. It is good to see if you need it and handy Gorilla glue is a good option. Once again thank you.
Great video... why didn't you put this on the main channel? It's a great follow-up on the first video. Most important detail is the "anything over 200PSI comment". But also it was very interesting to see how the Elmers Max and the Gorilla Wood Glue performed very similarly to Titebond II. Currently TBII is quite expensive where I am, So it is very reassuring to have alternatives.
thanks. the main channel is more for the average UA-cam watcher that does not want to learn. they just want to watch someone doing woodworking. this channel is where the information and education is at.
Impressive work. Thanks for sharing this! The UHU we pronounce similar to "oohoo" in German, BTW. I like to use Soudal Pro 30D for wood on wood and somtimes 45D for wood on something else, like metal. The first one is a PVA glue, the second one PU-based. They are very affordable, especially in comparison to Ponal.
Very comprehensive. Almost too much information. A software program should be created to pick the best glue after entering the application parameters. 😏 I've used most of these one time or another (even made gelatin hide glue to repair player pianos). My current application is another broken head on a Les Paul, thus my visit here. Half is end-grain and half long--long. Missing chunks so gap filling too. Using biscuits & dowel just in case. Nice work, thx.
Gorrilla makes a clear "Gorrilla Clear" polyurethane-based glue that doesn't expand. Adhesion is excellent, cohesion not so great. It cures smooth and shiny. Used in very small amounts, you can glue porcelin, glass, wood, metal, etc. It's slow cure, which is desirable for some applications. But,,, Tiebond, JB Weld, and Bob Smith 30 minute are my go-to glues.
Some tests show Elmer's school glue beating carpenter's glue, plus it gives you more work/assembly time. Plenty strong for almost any average wood project.
@@docscantlin I would avoid school glue due to the lack of moisture resistance though, but besides the additives for moisture resistance they are all just PVA glues
It would be great to know the VOC (Volatile organic compound) contents of each of these glues, so they could be compared for those looking to minimize off-gassing indoors. I've found data on a few like DAP Plastic Resin is 2% by weight while Weldbond is 1% by weight. Getting these into the mix would provide another useful perspective.
Dap no longer makes the urea formaldehyde plastic resin. Does anyone have a great match for a replacement for this now historical singularly great product?
I appreciate all the time and effort you used to come up with all this information..... impressive... great job and thank you. When I downloaded the spreadsheets, I only found 2 of the spreadsheets and not the final summary. Is there a way you could offer that to download?? Thanks again for the all the hard work putting this together.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thanks for the reply...... my problem..... I needed to let it fully download not realizing there were additional tabs on the bottom, I unfortunately assumed all the graphs were on the same spreadsheet. Everything you showed is here...... thanks.
You should try testing PL Premium Max, it is not like any other construction adhesive formula-wise, 100% solids and easy to clean squeeze out with a putty knife right after clamping.
i have a question: in the video, you show 3 UHU products (at 2:42), and also mention bindan-p b3-d3 (at 2:54). however, in the spreadsheet, you do not list the bindan-p at all, but list 4 products from UHU, one of them with a b3-d3 tag. Did you accidentally swap the brand names, and the listing in the spreadsheet is actually for the Bindan product? only asking since its pretty much the best EU product in your listing and i could not find a b3-d3 product from UHU
I will have to go ad take a look at it. I think at the time I thought they were all made by UHU. but I will have to dig through he sheet. I might have time to hit that mid next week as i am out of town right now.
Hi James. Props for putting in all the time and effort on these tests! The results were definitely unexpected... Titebond Original near the bottom of the list?! Elmer's near the top?! I haven't touched Elmer's brand for years because I associate it with kid stuff. For luthiery, I'm always hearing about Titebond 50 so I was thankful to see it in your tests. Alcolin Professional glue is apparently a rebranded Titebond 50; I've used Alcolin Professional for a few projects and found it quite good for my needs, but it also set much faster than Titebond Original, which caught me off guard. I'm wondering if you can address set/clamping times in any of these data sheets, as strength is just one consideration when doing glue-ups. Clean-up is another consideration -- removing super glue from your fingers is a whole 'nother ballgame than PVA glue. Would be interesting to see these points reflected in the rankings. Thanks again for all the hard work, it's an amazing body of data.
Thanks. There are a lot of other data points that I would love to collect and sort on these. Working time, clamp loading, finish penetration, set time and more. I'll probably come back around and do another test run of a bunch of these with some of those parameters someday in the future.
Weldbond doesn’t make the plastic resin, DAP does. The product name is “DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue”. Its definitely confusing. Great vid, man - it helped me out a lot!
Very good work! Thank you! I live in Norway, and its not many of those types in the store here. But would have been nice to see wish of the glues you tested is PVAc or PU polyuretan
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Many construction adhesives & sealants are polyurethane based. I used a Loctite product recently that contained both urethane and cyanoacrylate resins per the label.
Dang. I am happy to continue using Gorilla Wood Glue, as I have been for years. Seemed to do well in most all applications, and better than Tiebond II in pretty much all of them too.
Great ! As a luthier I am mighty surprised by the titebond original which is pretty much the standard for many luthiers, together with hide glue. Makes me wonder if I should switch to another glue as my go-to glue...how can everybody so wrong? Are we all just copying without knowing? The titebond you can buy all over Europe just because every instrument maker uses it. Amazing. What do you think?
The problem is they are all good enough. For most all of these the wood will fail long before the glue. So a lot of people make a big deal of one being better then another, bit most are good enough and that is what matters. There are MANY things that are "known" and taught in woodworking that are just wrong. But as they have been passed down from trusted sources they are not contested.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thank you for the reaction. If I ask you which glue you would use when building instruments ( little creep is desireable) and you could choose between Titebond 1,2 3 , liquid hide glue and non liquid hide would you have an answer? Reversibility is also desireable, thats why I exclude a lot of glues. Or another animal glue?? difficult question with lots of variables I know..
Great video. As asked in a couple of other comments, would like to hear about differences in "reversability". As a Luthier, we sometimes need to separate and reattach pieces (especially when "a friend" makes a mistake), which we do by heating. Elmers Max Wood Glue looks great, but will it separate with heat?
The only glue that will separate with heat is hide glue. The rest are generally not reversible. And even then it takes a lot of work to take that apart. But if you want reversibility hide glue is the way to go.
I don't know if you will ever see this. What were the outside conditions for testing? I'm about to build an off-road camper using 3/4 ply. It will be glued, screwed, and fiberglassed. It will spend its entire life outside. Should I use the Weldwood plastic resin?
The conditions were two full freeze thaw cycles and left in the rain before all three. They were tested in a wet condition. It was pretty much the worst possible conditions. If it were me I would use a marine epoxy such as total boat high performance. The plastic resin did very well however it was just an initial test and I don't know if I would test it to a long-term condition. However high performance from total boat has been tested over and over again. and if I want to make sure it will work and weather that's what I would use.
Yeah, I think so. Google is not coming up with anything called "Weld Bond" (or "Weldbond") Plastic Resin Glue. It's all "Weldwood" (EDIT to say that he hold up the "Weldwood" container at the end of the video)
My dad and I built a few boats and used a two part resorcinol glue (circa 1950s) that required excellent fit because it was not a gap fill glue. Also a firm clamping force was needed but the joints were water proof to the marine test of 24 hours in boiling water. Were any of the glues you used resorcinol type? We glued white oak, real mahogany, AA marine fir plywood and Philippine mahogany with the result being strong the the breaking point of the wood no matter what direction of grain. Could you comment on this glue? Thanks.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo West System epoxy is about $100 a gallon plus about $60 for hardener while resorcinol is about the same for a gallon kit. Not sure if the $64 resorcinol 1qt kit would be economical enough to make a test but sure would be an interesting comparison. You can ebay Aerodux Resorcinol Resin Kit 1 qt or 1 gal. For my 40 foot boat the West System epoxy was used and works great. At the time it was built resorcinol was out of favor (for no good reason) and scarce. I personally prefer the resorcinol and would use it in preference to epoxy next time. Pot life of an hour or so is great. The current boat is AA marine ply, epoxy, and glass cloth over entire boat. mogcanalboat.com
@@ninjadeathoverlord3254 It can also have been ineffective due to the wood warping outdoors. Epoxy isn't elastic like some other adhesives. I didn't think of that initially when I made the comment. IMO there's a potential for multiple issues that combined, but the wood movement is most likely I think. But people do use epoxies (including JB weld) under conditions that would be considered much more extreme, including exposed, wet, freezing and heat. Dissimilar metal-to-metal joining has been suggested as a potential issue with heat expansion differences in reading what other people said. So... I am going to assume that the extreme wood movement is what caused it.
I want in the future to do a benefits chart as well, with cost, open time, ease of use, clamping force needed, etc. lots of great data to ad and cross reference.
I saw the first video and then watched this video WOW, checking out the spreadsheet geeze dude you did some serious data points !!! One item that I wanted to mentioned was if you had contacted west systems about the difference between fast and slow hardeners as well if you needed to add filler 406 to the mixture for gap filling. great job
The old bowyers smeared glue on and let it dry, before making the actual assembling, with a second layer of glue... Some actually gave two layers, which both were allowed to fully dry, before the final assembly! Obviously, that was to let the wood and horn "drink as much as it can", before the final layer of glue is applied, and the bow is assembled... That would seal the surface best possible, and ensure a "total vacuum" between the wood and the final glue layer... Some advice to do the same with "white wood glue"... It would be interesting if you would test that method, with at least a few of the glues, including fish and hide glue... The bow makers, who make the Asian Horn bows, with a wooden layer, and horn on one side, and sinew on the other side, all claimed, glue made of "fish-bladder", is the very best, of the "natural glues"... That is obviously the "air bladder, for adjusting the float"... Many said, "the trout, is the best"... "That will not become totally hard, but stay flexible, so it will not "crack", like many other glues will, over time" I believe it is hard to get THAT, but it would surely be interesting... Before hunting, the Stone age Hunters washed the bow and arrows thoroughly in the river, and also washed themselves and all their other gear, to remove all smells, and to avoid infections, in the meat they shot... But they protected the bow from rain, in a bow quiver, to avoid being wet "a long time"... And the sinew layer was covered with birchbark, glued on, to protect that even more... That makes sense, when seeing your test results: Fish glue is really bad, when totally wet... While in moist climates like in western Europe, they never made hornbows, as the fish-bladder-glue would "slip"... They basically made the same shape as hornbows, but made of only one piece of wood... That solved the glue problem! But today, we might use that "plast resin", and use Horn bows in western Europe too... I actually own a "genuine modern hornbow", meaning it is actually horn-wood-sinew, but made with a "bio composite", which is seemingly a "non-toxic replacement for epoxy". The sinew is "molded into that biocomposite"... Then the three layers are glued together with "a modern glue"... Made that way, to be cheaper to produce, and so it would handle moisture better... The Bowyer, Master Grózer, who made it, still warns about "long showers". Now I understand, epoxy is NOT the strongest, even when many still say so... Thanks a lot for your great work, as that "kills many myths"... Kind regards Dan from Denmark
For outdoor on your list you had welbond plastic resin as best, yet at the end of the video you pick up a container of weld wood plastic resin and said you were impressed, so I am wondering is you had an error in your list, the best exterior isn't weld bond but actually weld wood, Ba Dap
Very informative. We'd all like to have one glue which is the best. Instead we need to know what glues are good in each situation. For example which glue is good for a cutting board? I am really wondering whether the CA/super glues will hold up long term with expansion and contraction cycles, as I don't think they are plastic.
I use a lot of Titebond original, and it sometimes isn’t so great if it isn’t fresh. You can tell by the date code, but also by the texture (sort of stringy) and the smell (sour milk). Was your test bottle a fresh bottle, or one that had been in the shop for a while?
@Wood By Wright How 2 I remember you mentioning the best glue for adhering leather to wood on one of your live streams but i can't find it again. Are you (or anyone else) able to refresh my memory?
Great work! I have a few critical uses that your data seem to suggest using different glues for best results. How can I have access to the data, as you presented them? Thanks!
Would you recommend the milk glue for projects like tools, a workbench, things like that? Or is it a better fit for things like boxes and frames and such?
@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks. You said gelatine isn't bad though. Okay. I'll try that on a few things. I have the exact brand you used. I use it for cheesecake.
Yep. Complete brain heart wish I could go back and fix that but unfortunately once the video is edited it's locked in. Didn't even realize I was doing that until a week or two after the video came out.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Because from what I gathered on casein glue it should be activated with hydrated lime (or better lime putty) to become water proof and tough/strong. Mixture ratio is roughly 2/3rd of the casein powder for the lime putty (for paint it's 1/5th). If one uses more of the lime putty, it will strengthen the glue power, but shorten the working time. Then while stirring it will start a reaction and activate the casein, break up the protein and cause a gelatinization. After mixing you have roughly an hour, before the mixture is no longer fluid enough to be used. That should produce a water proof, strong bind. I haven't tested it as a glue, only as a paint base - adding water, pigment and chalk - and it's tough as nails and water proof. Don't know if the dried protein itself has a stronger material density or strength to rival hide glue/bone glue, but the paint film was really awesome and is now my go to paint base. I am always experimenting to find more natural alternatives for modern paint, glue etc. but I don't have the equipment to do the interesting measurements and comparisons.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo ua-cam.com/video/MnNfksr-qrg/v-deo.html (this German guy does a ton of videos on old techniques for restoration of furniture, houses etc. - he is a bit of a curious fellow and his videos only have auto translated subtitles, but he videos themselves give an idea of what's going on and are quite interesting)
I've stumbled across some more weird German stuff... :D a children's TV show from the '90s making casein glue and lifted a car with it: ua-cam.com/video/Hg0Lc5hQqtI/v-deo.html
Love the glue tests. Hopefully this question reaches your attention. In the USA our go to wood glue is the yellow, Titebond, glue. The Europeans go to is a white glue. What is the difference in make up and, perhaps more important, functionality? Is there any chance the white is basically an Elmers type glue? Btw just viewed a very informative video from a German UA-cam channel by Jonhanes Winkler, ua-cam.com/video/AB-hPZbrL0Y/v-deo.html
Incredible test!
Some people might interpret these results to mean that, for example, Elmer's wood glue max is ALWAYS better than liquid nails, but that's not true. I don't think I heard you mention this, but different glues are meant for different applications. Being stronger in this test doesn't always mean better. For example, construction adhesive has rubber added to it so it will remain relatively flexible after curing. It's formulated to fill gaps and hold up better over time when subjected to wood movement and shocks, like in a house frame. CA glue is very strong, but it's brittle. It would hold up even worse than wood glue in a structural joint.
I can't believe how much time and money you put into this test. Keep up the awesome work.
This is the stuff that I appreciate the most out of all woodworking videos by a long shot. Actual proper testing. These videos will probably never enjoy mass market appeal, but for those actually wanting proper answer, these are worth their weight in gold. Thank you thank you thank you.
I assumed that a non-contracting glue like epoxy would blast PVA-glues out of the water in gap filling, but no. Though like you said, they are brittle. Still a part of me wonders if they would do better in a loose mortise-and-tenon joint. Probably not. Sadly I did such a glue-up a few weeks ago already so there's no going back. :D
the titebond 3 failure in wet conditions is very concerning considering it says "waterproof" right in front
I cant imagine a more comprehensive study. Really well done James👍
thanks Steve!
Hey James, this is a great service to woodworkers you've done here. I'm going to be changing some of my glue-buying preferences moving forward, and maybe throwing out some of my current glues as well.
I know I have changes a good bit form this. lots of interesting info!
Thx James 👍🏼 what a big investment of your time 😱😱😱 Now i know what to use with glue and furniture 👏🙏🇨🇦
thanks! my pleasure!
Way to go James! Glad to see more testing has begun. I will continue to be watching for the other test results also. Thank you for doing this!
My pleasure. I'll keep them coming.
This is absolutely incredible...the number of tests, the amount of data, and so on - absolutely commendable!
I use Elmer's Wood Glue Max on exterior projects and haven't had any problems but will be picking up some of that weldwood!
one of the purposes of this test was to actually test the glue and its most wet state. Rarely do joints get that wet outside. This is basically the worst possible taste scenario
Great test and thank you for the data sheet! You may have talked about this but it would be great to see a test of say the top performers in each category but with different woods: soft, hard, open grain, closed grain, oily, super dense and even thermally modified wood and stuff you do not see everyday. thanks again for a great video!
Thanks. Those tests are on my list to do someday... Someday
This video deserves way more traffic! Well done -- and thank you!
Thanks Alex.
Good job Weldwood! An old school glue. I'm curious as to how much Weldwood has changed its formulation over the past 60 years. It was the glue of choice for my dad who used to build 8 x 10 cameras back in the 1960s and my older brother who used to build long spear guns made of laminated hardwoods for spearing grouper and other large fish in the 70's. Any failure that I can ever remember had to do with wood tear-out and not the actual glue. Usually chair repairs. Great job James. Like many of the other respondents I'll be rethinking my choice of glues. Liquid Nails is history.
Thanks for the immense effort in testing such a wide variety of adhesives. A couple of comments.
JB Weld epoxy is supposed to be waterproof after 24 hours but has some instructions about avoiding alcohol to clean a surface. Project Farm's tests of construction adhesives also included JB Weld on wet wood and it beat out the other 5 construction adhesives in his tests. In another video he tests wood glues.
Mathias Wendel has just tested a half dozen wood glues on both soft and hardwood and got somewhat different results than here.
The inconsistencies of some results don't surprise me. Having spent many years of my career testing various materials, I've found that the result are often very dependent on the test method and the tester. And, test methods don't always simulate real world conditions. Hence, test results vary greatly. However, if you compare all three sets of test results, some adhesives always end up near the top and some always near the bottom.
I'd be interested in knowing if 3 or 5 Minute, or longer, drying time versions make a difference.
Thanks James. I have used Weldbond plastic resin, West system and lately Titebond 3. I was surprised to see how poorly Titebond 3 did as a "waterproof" glue ?? I'm prepping a spar and ribs for a biplane wing and had thought I would use West epoxy but after seeing your glue study I'll be using Weldbond. The plus side is the pot life plus it's not as toxic especially in the form of sanding dust. Cheers !
This should have more than 16K views. Terrific work
Thanks James, very helpful. We live in south western Newfoundland and buying options in the area are limited. you saved me time and money (shipping is expensive) since you've cut down on my experimentations.
Glad I could help.
Wow thank you so much for your time in this project. Well done!
2:20 & 6:20 "Knochenleim" this translates to "bone glue" and one of its uses is in painting where it is used to prepare the canvas.
I know most of the Ponal glues (at least saw them in stores), but never heard of mekol before. I think it's a glue aimed more at construction/industry, but it could as well be that I just never noticed it while shopping.
I just found out from the producers website that the mekol special is aimed at home use and not for construction or industry, so I probably just never noticed it or they don't sell it in my area.
Oh cool I was told it was a high glue interesting to test it bone glue
THANKS. We really need more of these initiatives !! You could even run a kickstarter for this kind of work.
Thanks Jeremy. Tell me more of these to come in the future.
I used to use some stuff years ago called NP1. I can't find it anymore but that stuff was crazy good construction adhesive.
Elmer's Wood Glue Max has done best on MANY wood glue tests--- Project Farm is one off the top of my head.
wow this is the best glue test by far ive seen.
Outstanding James!!! And kudos to you spreadsheet abilities not many can develop a "delta" on data, great job. As a point of interest I watch a you tube channel called "Culver Props" and the young lady doing the work uses DAP Plastic resin exclusively on building her propellers. Thanks again for all your input, efforts and craftsmanship. Keep on smiling.
Thanks Terry. I will.
The best exterior glue is a 2.5 inch self tapping stainless steel decking screw
Thank you for your work! You saved a lot of time, money, and pollution to many of us :)
James, thank you for this. You did an amazing amount of work here. Really appreciate the effort. Wondering if you have heard anything from the manufacturers regarding these results.
Thanks man. I have purposely not reached out to any of them as I wanted this to be completely unbiased and unsponsored. But no I have not heard any of them reaching back to me.
Fantastic study! Thank you, sir!
I am impressed and that does not come easy.
thanks that was a fun one. I love doing a test like this once or twice a year.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo You know about roman cement? I just put two weeks reading quantum mechanics for 16 hours a day. It was fun. They are both kind of related to glue and the world as we know it.
You're insane and I love it
I've used Weldbond Plastic Resin glue for many years for all my outside projects. It's only problem besides it's tricky to mix and not get lumps is that the shelf life of the powder is only a year or so. You must find a source of fresh glue if you use it. And because it's not popular, it's getting harder to find. So I hope people will use it more and the demand will go up. There is a company that makes wood airplane propellers and they use weldbond plastic resin, so you know it must be a great exterior glue. Do not use Tightbond III for exterior glues.
It's getting harder to find because DAP discontinued it. They stopped making more of it awhile ago. It's out of stock almost everywhere now and will be impossible to find soon, if it isn't already. Very stupid move by DAP since this is a great advertisement for them.
Strength is not really that important for most applications. What's very important for some applications is creep. Also what about heat and humidity? My second guitar held together fine with cold hide glue until August when it simply came completely apart. Also, epoxy for lamination due to yellow glue warping the lamination out of the mold. Excellent test with some major surprises. Love your work!!!
Right on I have a few other tests coming with other parameters. The first year in the 30 year test is also coming soon.
I use Mekol only in my shop. Great test J. 🤘🏼
WOW thank you this was great, and the glue company no one talks about unless your in school Elmer's still getting it done. I will be keeping Elmer's Wood Glue Max on hand now, and also pick up some Dap Weldwood Plastic Resin for sure for outside projects. It is good to see if you need it and handy Gorilla glue is a good option. Once again thank you.
Great video... why didn't you put this on the main channel? It's a great follow-up on the first video.
Most important detail is the "anything over 200PSI comment". But also it was very interesting to see how the Elmers Max and the Gorilla Wood Glue performed very similarly to Titebond II. Currently TBII is quite expensive where I am, So it is very reassuring to have alternatives.
thanks. the main channel is more for the average UA-cam watcher that does not want to learn. they just want to watch someone doing woodworking. this channel is where the information and education is at.
Thanks for such an amazing study!
Impressive work. Thanks for sharing this!
The UHU we pronounce similar to "oohoo" in German, BTW.
I like to use Soudal Pro 30D for wood on wood and somtimes 45D for wood on something else, like metal. The first one is a PVA glue, the second one PU-based. They are very affordable, especially in comparison to Ponal.
Very comprehensive. Almost too much information. A software program should be created to pick the best glue after entering the application parameters. 😏
I've used most of these one time or another (even made gelatin hide glue to repair player pianos). My current application is another broken head on a Les Paul, thus my visit here. Half is end-grain and half long--long. Missing chunks so gap filling too. Using biscuits & dowel just in case.
Nice work, thx.
Gorrilla makes a clear "Gorrilla Clear" polyurethane-based glue that doesn't expand. Adhesion is excellent, cohesion not so great. It cures smooth and shiny. Used in very small amounts, you can glue porcelin, glass, wood, metal, etc. It's slow cure, which is desirable for some applications. But,,, Tiebond, JB Weld, and Bob Smith 30 minute are my go-to glues.
PS: was wishing you fit in the Lee Valley "Cabinetmakers Glue GF 2002" to the test. Maybe next time you do a set?
I'm stocking up on Elmer's wood glue before the price hits $50 an ounce.
Some tests show Elmer's school glue beating carpenter's glue, plus it gives you more work/assembly time. Plenty strong for almost any average wood project.
@@docscantlin I would avoid school glue due to the lack of moisture resistance though, but besides the additives for moisture resistance they are all just PVA glues
How about test where we need to separate glued parts. Some glue soften up with heat.. and that is nice sometimes.
It would be great to know the VOC (Volatile organic compound) contents of each of these glues, so they could be compared for those looking to minimize off-gassing indoors. I've found data on a few like DAP Plastic Resin is 2% by weight while Weldbond is 1% by weight. Getting these into the mix would provide another useful perspective.
That would be good to add.
I really prefer when I can get the project done without glue.
Those are the best.
Dap no longer makes the urea formaldehyde plastic resin. Does anyone have a great match for a replacement for this now historical singularly great product?
Awesome job! Thank you!
I appreciate all the time and effort you used to come up with all this information..... impressive... great job and thank you. When I downloaded the spreadsheets, I only found 2 of the spreadsheets and not the final summary. Is there a way you could offer that to download?? Thanks again for the all the hard work putting this together.
thanks. that menas a lot. can you send me a screen shot of what you are talking about. it should all be in that sheet in the description.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thanks for the reply...... my problem..... I needed to let it fully download not realizing there were additional tabs on the bottom, I unfortunately assumed all the graphs were on the same spreadsheet. Everything you showed is here...... thanks.
You should try testing PL Premium Max, it is not like any other construction adhesive formula-wise, 100% solids and easy to clean squeeze out with a putty knife right after clamping.
I might have to put it in the next mix.
i have a question: in the video, you show 3 UHU products (at 2:42), and also mention bindan-p b3-d3 (at 2:54). however, in the spreadsheet, you do not list the bindan-p at all, but list 4 products from UHU, one of them with a b3-d3 tag.
Did you accidentally swap the brand names, and the listing in the spreadsheet is actually for the Bindan product? only asking since its pretty much the best EU product in your listing and i could not find a b3-d3 product from UHU
I will have to go ad take a look at it. I think at the time I thought they were all made by UHU. but I will have to dig through he sheet. I might have time to hit that mid next week as i am out of town right now.
Hi James. Props for putting in all the time and effort on these tests! The results were definitely unexpected... Titebond Original near the bottom of the list?! Elmer's near the top?! I haven't touched Elmer's brand for years because I associate it with kid stuff.
For luthiery, I'm always hearing about Titebond 50 so I was thankful to see it in your tests. Alcolin Professional glue is apparently a rebranded Titebond 50; I've used Alcolin Professional for a few projects and found it quite good for my needs, but it also set much faster than Titebond Original, which caught me off guard.
I'm wondering if you can address set/clamping times in any of these data sheets, as strength is just one consideration when doing glue-ups. Clean-up is another consideration -- removing super glue from your fingers is a whole 'nother ballgame than PVA glue. Would be interesting to see these points reflected in the rankings. Thanks again for all the hard work, it's an amazing body of data.
Thanks. There are a lot of other data points that I would love to collect and sort on these. Working time, clamp loading, finish penetration, set time and more. I'll probably come back around and do another test run of a bunch of these with some of those parameters someday in the future.
Very informative..well done ..thank you
Weldbond doesn’t make the plastic resin, DAP does. The product name is “DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue”. Its definitely confusing.
Great vid, man - it helped me out a lot!
Very good work! Thank you! I live in Norway, and its not many of those types in the store here. But would have been nice to see wish of the glues you tested is PVAc or PU polyuretan
All of the white and yellow were PVA. The only poly glue was gorilla glue.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo thank you for the quick reply!
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Many construction adhesives & sealants are polyurethane based. I used a Loctite product recently that contained both urethane and cyanoacrylate resins per the label.
Dang. I am happy to continue using Gorilla Wood Glue, as I have been for years. Seemed to do well in most all applications, and better than Tiebond II in pretty much all of them too.
Yup. It is good stuff.
Well done thanks
Great work and rather you than me. Have to agree with the gorilla glue for outdoor use my gate is holding together fine into its third year.
right on!
Great ! As a luthier I am mighty surprised by the titebond original which is pretty much the standard for many luthiers, together with hide glue. Makes me wonder if I should switch to another glue as my go-to glue...how can everybody so wrong? Are we all just copying without knowing? The titebond you can buy all over Europe just because every instrument maker uses it. Amazing. What do you think?
The problem is they are all good enough. For most all of these the wood will fail long before the glue. So a lot of people make a big deal of one being better then another, bit most are good enough and that is what matters. There are MANY things that are "known" and taught in woodworking that are just wrong. But as they have been passed down from trusted sources they are not contested.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thank you for the reaction. If I ask you which glue you would use when building instruments ( little creep is desireable) and you could choose between Titebond 1,2 3 , liquid hide glue and non liquid hide would you have an answer? Reversibility is also desireable, thats why I exclude a lot of glues. Or another animal glue?? difficult question with lots of variables I know..
Great video. As asked in a couple of other comments, would like to hear about differences in "reversability". As a Luthier, we sometimes need to separate and reattach pieces (especially when "a friend" makes a mistake), which we do by heating. Elmers Max Wood Glue looks great, but will it separate with heat?
The only glue that will separate with heat is hide glue. The rest are generally not reversible. And even then it takes a lot of work to take that apart. But if you want reversibility hide glue is the way to go.
I don't know if you will ever see this. What were the outside conditions for testing?
I'm about to build an off-road camper using 3/4 ply. It will be glued, screwed, and fiberglassed. It will spend its entire life outside. Should I use the Weldwood plastic resin?
The conditions were two full freeze thaw cycles and left in the rain before all three. They were tested in a wet condition. It was pretty much the worst possible conditions. If it were me I would use a marine epoxy such as total boat high performance. The plastic resin did very well however it was just an initial test and I don't know if I would test it to a long-term condition. However high performance from total boat has been tested over and over again. and if I want to make sure it will work and weather that's what I would use.
Amazing test!!!! It's Weldwood Plastic Resin glue, not Weldbond, right? Or are they the same company... Thank you for your extreme time commitment.
Yeah, I think so. Google is not coming up with anything called "Weld Bond" (or "Weldbond") Plastic Resin Glue. It's all "Weldwood" (EDIT to say that he hold up the "Weldwood" container at the end of the video)
Yeah, he keeps calling it weldbond, but that's a totally different glue. It's Weldwood plastic resin glue, which is a DAP brand.
Lol yes I got completely tongue tied on that one and didn't realize it until after the editing was done.
My dad and I built a few boats and used a two part resorcinol glue (circa 1950s) that required excellent fit because it was not a gap fill glue. Also a firm clamping force was needed but the joints were water proof to the marine test of 24 hours in boiling water. Were any of the glues you used resorcinol type? We glued white oak, real mahogany, AA marine fir plywood and Philippine mahogany with the result being strong the the breaking point of the wood no matter what direction of grain. Could you comment on this glue? Thanks.
I did not test it. But it comes highly recommended for the task.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo West System epoxy is about $100 a gallon plus about $60 for hardener while resorcinol is about the same for a gallon kit. Not sure if the $64 resorcinol 1qt kit would be economical enough to make a test but sure would be an interesting comparison.
You can ebay Aerodux Resorcinol Resin Kit 1 qt or 1 gal.
For my 40 foot boat the West System epoxy was used and works great. At the time it was built resorcinol was out of favor (for no good reason) and scarce. I personally prefer the resorcinol and would use it in preference to epoxy next time. Pot life of an hour or so is great. The current boat is AA marine ply, epoxy, and glass cloth over entire boat. mogcanalboat.com
AWESOME JOB!
I was surprised the JB Weld got ruined by water, I thought it would be impervious. I’m also a little surprised it worked on wood haha.
I was also very surprised by that. Especially with it holding up so well on the other tests.
It may have been ruined by the outdoor UV exposure and freezing, not the water.
That’s true, I didn’t consider that.
@@ninjadeathoverlord3254 It can also have been ineffective due to the wood warping outdoors. Epoxy isn't elastic like some other adhesives. I didn't think of that initially when I made the comment. IMO there's a potential for multiple issues that combined, but the wood movement is most likely I think.
But people do use epoxies (including JB weld) under conditions that would be considered much more extreme, including exposed, wet, freezing and heat. Dissimilar metal-to-metal joining has been suggested as a potential issue with heat expansion differences in reading what other people said.
So... I am going to assume that the extreme wood movement is what caused it.
Will you be doing another 32 tests? If so could I send you some glues from the Netherlands?
I do not know right now. There are not many more I want to do. But I might in the future.
What do you end up reaching for most after this test? I know test results dont indicate how easy it is to work with such as sanding etc
My go-to wood glue is Elmer's wood glue max. However total boat high performance epoxy is what I use for high stress or odd gluing applications.
You are crazy!!! Great work!!!
Yes I AM! lol thanks!
Are any of these resorcinol?
Great work! A cost analysis would be interesting . i.e. Which glue works out the best value per oz, based on the strength/quality of the glue
I want in the future to do a benefits chart as well, with cost, open time, ease of use, clamping force needed, etc. lots of great data to ad and cross reference.
Thanks for sharing that, very good info!
Thanks man! and congrats on first!
I saw the first video and then watched this video WOW, checking out the spreadsheet geeze dude you did some serious data points !!! One item that I wanted to mentioned was if you had contacted west systems about the difference between fast and slow hardeners as well if you needed to add filler 406 to the mixture for gap filling.
great job
Thanks. I went back and forth about using the filler but decided not to as I wanted a 1to1 comparison.
thank you James so fish glue keep away from water or it will swim away ???
Lol pretty much.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo That's why luthiers love it in a dovetail, good release with steam
I think DAP discontinued Weldwood Plastic Resin. Funny that they'd stop making the best all around product. I was using it after seeing this test too.
ya I saw that. it is sad!
The old bowyers smeared glue on and let it dry,
before making the actual assembling, with a second layer of glue...
Some actually gave two layers, which both were allowed to fully dry,
before the final assembly!
Obviously, that was to let the wood and horn "drink as much as it can",
before the final layer of glue is applied, and the bow is assembled...
That would seal the surface best possible, and ensure a "total vacuum"
between the wood and the final glue layer...
Some advice to do the same with "white wood glue"...
It would be interesting if you would test that method,
with at least a few of the glues, including fish and hide glue...
The bow makers, who make the Asian Horn bows,
with a wooden layer, and horn on one side, and sinew on the other side,
all claimed, glue made of "fish-bladder", is the very best, of the "natural glues"...
That is obviously the "air bladder, for adjusting the float"...
Many said, "the trout, is the best"...
"That will not become totally hard, but stay flexible, so it will not "crack", like many other glues will, over time"
I believe it is hard to get THAT, but it would surely be interesting...
Before hunting, the Stone age Hunters washed the bow and arrows thoroughly in the river,
and also washed themselves and all their other gear, to remove all smells,
and to avoid infections, in the meat they shot...
But they protected the bow from rain, in a bow quiver, to avoid being wet "a long time"...
And the sinew layer was covered with birchbark, glued on, to protect that even more...
That makes sense, when seeing your test results: Fish glue is really bad, when totally wet...
While in moist climates like in western Europe, they never made hornbows, as the fish-bladder-glue would "slip"...
They basically made the same shape as hornbows, but made of only one piece of wood...
That solved the glue problem!
But today, we might use that "plast resin", and use Horn bows in western Europe too...
I actually own a "genuine modern hornbow", meaning it is actually horn-wood-sinew,
but made with a "bio composite", which is seemingly a "non-toxic replacement for epoxy".
The sinew is "molded into that biocomposite"... Then the three layers are glued together with "a modern glue"...
Made that way, to be cheaper to produce, and so it would handle moisture better...
The Bowyer, Master Grózer, who made it, still warns about "long showers".
Now I understand, epoxy is NOT the strongest, even when many still say so...
Thanks a lot for your great work, as that "kills many myths"...
Kind regards
Dan from Denmark
plastic resin glue has a really long history as a wooden boat glue, it's trustworthy.
For outdoor on your list you had welbond plastic resin as best, yet at the end of the video you pick up a container of weld wood plastic resin and said you were impressed, so I am wondering is you had an error in your list, the best exterior isn't weld bond but actually weld wood, Ba Dap
Very informative. We'd all like to have one glue which is the best. Instead we need to know what glues are good in each situation. For example which glue is good for a cutting board?
I am really wondering whether the CA/super glues will hold up long term with expansion and contraction cycles, as I don't think they are plastic.
Right on. I have a long-term test going hopefully we'll find that out the next 20 years lol
Were any of the glues Resorcinol glues? And one other Marine glue is collano semparoc. Really interesting, thank you.
yes Gloria glue is a Resorcinol glue. I might have to add that one to the next mix.
Surprising that fish glue was so strong, considering it's supposedly the weakest of th glutine glues.
ya the more I test protean glues the more I see there are a lot of myths and traditional thoughts that are wrong about them.
Of course fish glue has good gap filling properties. Have you ever seen a gappy fish? No, and that's fortunate, because they would sink. Duh.
I use a lot of Titebond original, and it sometimes isn’t so great if it isn’t fresh. You can tell by the date code, but also by the texture (sort of stringy) and the smell (sour milk). Was your test bottle a fresh bottle, or one that had been in the shop for a while?
All the tested glues were newly purchased.
Can you do a similar strength test on joints - including comparisons with dowelled joints?
Dowel joints rely on sheer strength, that is what the tests are about.
You should try shoogoo
That would be a fun one lol
@Wood By Wright How 2 I remember you mentioning the best glue for adhering leather to wood on one of your live streams but i can't find it again. Are you (or anyone else) able to refresh my memory?
Hide glue is what I use.
what about bonding stones or small rocks together
epoxy or if it needs flexibility a construction adhesive.
Great work! I have a few critical uses that your data seem to suggest using different glues for best results. How can I have access to the data, as you presented them?
Thanks!
There is a link to the datasheet in the description below the video.
Good video!
How about resorcinol glue, i.e. resorcinol formaldahyde?
That's another one on my list I'd like to do some time. there are a bunch of other ones out there I would love to include someday.
Is there a recipe you used specifically for the gelatine glue? A Google search gives 20 sites with 30 recipes.
nope. Just gelatin and water mixed to glue consistency and heated. I treated it just like a hide glue or bone glue. which is basically what it is.
Awesome info
thanks Adam!
Have you tried using a contact cement?
Yes. There were several contact cements in the test. They were in the earlier series.
Have not looked yet but I hope you do milk jugs and that glue that ihas a funny name. Not pic glue maybe something like acid
Would you recommend the milk glue for projects like tools, a workbench, things like that? Or is it a better fit for things like boxes and frames and such?
I would not recommend it at all. other then kids art projects. I have not found a recipe that comes any ware near what a wood glue should.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks. You said gelatine isn't bad though. Okay. I'll try that on a few things. I have the exact brand you used. I use it for cheesecake.
Weld Wood its being discontinue in mexico and aparently. Everry were else. What its to you the best. Opción. That i can get in internet
Very good job. But you keep calling DAP Weldwood plastic resin, "Weld Bond plastic resin." 1:40 and in your charts.
Yep. Complete brain heart wish I could go back and fix that but unfortunately once the video is edited it's locked in. Didn't even realize I was doing that until a week or two after the video came out.
MEKOL IS MADE IN SLOVENIA!
Question on the casein glue, was that activated with hydrated lime? Or just casein mixed with water?
Just casein.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Because from what I gathered on casein glue it should be activated with hydrated lime (or better lime putty) to become water proof and tough/strong. Mixture ratio is roughly 2/3rd of the casein powder for the lime putty (for paint it's 1/5th). If one uses more of the lime putty, it will strengthen the glue power, but shorten the working time. Then while stirring it will start a reaction and activate the casein, break up the protein and cause a gelatinization.
After mixing you have roughly an hour, before the mixture is no longer fluid enough to be used. That should produce a water proof, strong bind. I haven't tested it as a glue, only as a paint base - adding water, pigment and chalk - and it's tough as nails and water proof. Don't know if the dried protein itself has a stronger material density or strength to rival hide glue/bone glue, but the paint film was really awesome and is now my go to paint base.
I am always experimenting to find more natural alternatives for modern paint, glue etc. but I don't have the equipment to do the interesting measurements and comparisons.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo ua-cam.com/video/MnNfksr-qrg/v-deo.html (this German guy does a ton of videos on old techniques for restoration of furniture, houses etc. - he is a bit of a curious fellow and his videos only have auto translated subtitles, but he videos themselves give an idea of what's going on and are quite interesting)
I've stumbled across some more weird German stuff... :D a children's TV show from the '90s making casein glue and lifted a car with it: ua-cam.com/video/Hg0Lc5hQqtI/v-deo.html
where is the hotglues? :o
I have not found much use for those in joinery. But I may add them to the next batch.
You keep saying Weld Bond Plastic Resin, It's Dap Weldwood Plastic Resin
Lol yup. There was a total brain fart that day.
8:44
Love the glue tests. Hopefully this question reaches your attention. In the USA our go to wood glue is the yellow, Titebond, glue. The Europeans go to is a white glue. What is the difference in make up and, perhaps more important, functionality? Is there any chance the white is basically an Elmers type glue? Btw just viewed a very informative video from a German UA-cam channel by Jonhanes Winkler, ua-cam.com/video/AB-hPZbrL0Y/v-deo.html
They are slightly different but functionality the same. They are all types of PVAs Elmer's is also a PVA.
Comment down below
The results are dizzying. 🤪