I don't exactly where this 24 hour "wait time" rule came from but it has become a common advice for wood glue cure time.
Yesterday afternoon I glued up a few 2"x 1" x24" to make 2"x2" bench legs,Today after 15 hours I checked to see if the titebond 3 (fresh bottle)has dried enough to remove the clamps,the temperature was around 65°last night.
To my surprise some of the glue was still white in the center of the lump where the glue had accumulated . I could poke my fingernail through it and scrape it off and still felt tacky.the rest of the joints are all nice and dry and the glue is dark brown and brittle.
So I didn't want to take a chance and put the clamps back on ,the manufacturer of TB3 recommends (under ideal condition) 2 hours wait time before removing the clamps but if the joints are "stress joints" ,the wait time is 24 hours.
I know I would have been alright had I removed the clamps but that made me think maybe there is some wisdom in that advice to wait 24 hours .
What's your opinion?