Exotic wood glue up

[Patrick Kennedy MA]

I would like to laminate some exotic woods to turn on the lathe. Is there a certain glue I should use and should the pieces being glued be wiped down with something to get the oils off of them?

Thanks,
Pat

[David E Keller]

A wipe with acetone and titebond would be my plan of attack. Epoxy would be my second choice for adhesive. Looking forward to seeing it!

[Brian Libby]

+1 to what david said

[Bernie Weishapl]

+1 for acetone wipe down and Titebond. I use titebond III.

[John Beaver]

Good advise so far. Not all exotics are oily so not all require the acetone wipe. A light scuff with sandpaper just before gluing will also help. PVA glues like Titebond are definitely the best bet. I prefer Titebond II.

Make sure you have all the grain running the same direction, laterally and vertically. Lengthwise is pretty obvious, but a lot of people ignore the curve of the grain. If you look at the end grain of each piece, make sure each piece is curving the same (ie. smiling or frowning).

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Pat, you've received some good advice. Titebond and a fresh surface. The problem with poor bond is increased with the length of time that the cut surfaces await glue. I really don't think that wiping with acetone is necessary (can't hurt) as long as the surfaces are not allowed to sit around for a long time before gluing. As soon as the wood is cut, oily extractives can start to migrate to the surface and therefore effect the bond. I rarely allow any oily wood end-grain surfaces to sit around for more than a few hours before being glued..

[Jim Burr]

I've been using regular Isopropol (rubbing) Alcohol with great results...and it's cheaper!! TB3 and Devcon expoy are on my "Keep Buying" list

[Andrew Meyer]

The surfaces to be joined, i.e planar. You can do that with an electric jointer or a jointer plane but, flat is essential.