Glued up panels...How long in the clamps?

[Stuart Welsh]

I'm about to embark on a large glue up of panels for custom door panels and sides on my SubZero refrigerator/freezer. The enclosure is designed to look like an armoire and will feature 72 raised panels ranging in size from 10 x 14 down to 6 x 5. I have no where near the clamps needed to glue a large portion of these up at one time and am curious just how long I need to keep the panels in the clamps before I can safely remove them for use on another panel. Of course climate matters and glue variety too. I'll be working in an un-airconditioned garage here in north Texas so temps will be in the upper 80's as for glue I plan on using Titebond III.

[Charles Lent]

I use Titebond II for almost all of my glue-ups. From my experience 4 hours is more than enough at 68-80 degrees shop temperature. You can even reduce that to just a couple of hours if there is no spring energy in the wood wanting to pull the joint apart. Full strength of the joint will take 12 hours or more, but enough strength will be there to remove the clamps and carefully set the piece aside to fully dry in just a few hours.

Charley

[David Nelson1]

Stuart I'm doing close to what you are but nowhere near the panels you have planned for. I have to agree with Stuart 100%. Make sure you get them as close to level as possible to minimize the bowing. to much clamping pressure will also cause the same. Cauls help If I use them I usually cut an area out at the glue line to avoid searing the glue into the grain.

[David Eisenhauer]

I pull my raised panel cabinet door clamps in the summertime (regular, original Titebond) in my non-AC Austin shop after an hour if I am making a full-kitchen run of doors. I don't get rough with the doors after pulling the clamps, just remove-move to storage spot-stack so I can use the clamps and assembly/glueing space for the next batch. I have done this for 20+ years with no issues. As someone above said, doors usually don't have lots of tension or other forces trying to pull them apart. The clamps hold until the glue sets and then are not needed during the cure out.

[John Lanciani]

I use Lee Valley's GF2002 pva glue and I've never had a failure removing the panel from the clamps after 60 minutes (or less, some times only 30 if i'm rushed). Shop temps range from 60 to 75 deg and RH from 25 - 50%.

[Robert Engel]

Depends on temp and glue.

Most yellow glues will cure enough to take out of clamps in a couple hours if its above 60 degrees.

White glues I leave in longer, usually "clamp and forget" type thing.

I glued up some frames yesterday and it was 97 degrees here. I BARELY got it done on the first one glue set up in 5 minutes.
Nearly panicked on the second one so I switched to white glue.

[Rod Sheridan]

Like John, I use the Lee Valley 2002GF glue and clamp items for an hour............Regards, Rod.

[glenn bradley]

Depending on the assembly I will wait 30 minutes to an hour if I REALLY can't wait. From the Franklin site:

What is the clamping and drying time of Titebond Wood Glues?

For most of our wood glues, we recommend clamping an unstressed joint for thirty minutes to an hour. Stressed joints need to be clamped for 24 hours. We recommend not stressing the new joint for at least 24 hours.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I use T-III to glue one joint at a time, with cauls to keep dead-flat [I mean, joint cleanup with a card scraper - that kind of flat].

In the clamps till the squeeze-out bead becomes rubbery...45 min most days - temp and humidity sensitive, of course.

Release the clamps, card scraper to lift the glue bead before it hardens, add the next board, reclamp, start the clock, rinse, repeat..........

On an item with only 1 joint, still release @ rubbery - so I can scrape it off - then wait till tomorrow to put it under any kind of stress.........

[Charles Wiggins]

From: http://www.titebond.com/frequently_asked_questions.aspx

What is the clamping and drying time of Titebond Wood Glues?

For most of our wood glues, we recommend clamping an unstressed joint for thirty minutes to an hour. Stressed joints need to be clamped for 24 hours. We recommend not stressing the new joint for at least 24 hours. For Titebond Polyurethane Glue, we recommend clamping for at least forty-five minutes. The glue is completely cured within 6 hours.

From: http://elmers.com/product/detail/e7010
Carpenter's® Interior Wood Glue 8 fl oz. Bottle

Product Description:

Elmer’s Carpenter’s Interior Wood Glue is made just for furniture repair and general household projects. The interior wood glue is best for soft and hardwoods, particle board and porous materials. Light color for natural and light stained woods - color when dry: Yellow. Clean up: soap and water when glue is wet; scrape and sand when glue is dry.

• Open Time: 10-15 minutes before clamping
• Clamp Time: 12 hours

From: http://www.dap.com/docs/tech/00030207.pdf
SETTING TIME: Almost immediately for fabrics and paper. On flat laminations and tight fitting joints,pressure may be released before glue has completely set if rough handling is avoided. The pressure periodwill vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the species of wood, thickness of the lay-up,temperature and relative humidity at the time of gluing. Pressure periods for spruce, mahogany, poplar,maple and birch are approximately the same. Under normal conditions, joint reaches maximum strength in72 hours.

[Phil Thien]

72 panels on a refrigerator?

Holy smokes!

You have to post a picture of this.

[Stuart Welsh]

Here is a SketchUp rendering...

Subzero cabinetry final.jpg

I'll post pictures when I'm done.

[David Ragan]

All my panels stay glued up using T-III for at least 4 hours, maybe overnight. Joint lines straight, no spring.

[jack duren]

All my panels stay glued up using T-III for at least 4 hours, maybe overnight. Joint lines straight, no spring.

Why the use of II or III for interiors doors?

[Martin Wasner]

Here is a SketchUp rendering...

Subzero cabinetry final.jpg

I'll post pictures when I'm done.

Dude, glue up one big panel and cut what you need out of it. If you want to get real fancy, mark and number every panel so the grain all lines up. Gluing up that many tiny panels individually would make me pull out my hair.

Otherwise, an hour is usually sufficient. Might want to wait a couple hours before running it through a planer.