How long do you let a glue up dry before you start machining?

[George Bokros]

Just wondering how long it is necessary to let a glue up set before you start planing for thickness?

Thanks

[Rod Sheridan]

I normally let glue cure overnight............Rod.

[jim mills]

Lot of variables here. What type of joint? What glue? Temperature can play a factor as well. If we are talking PVA, bottle says 24 hrs before stressing, but I will admit to bending the rules in a pinch.

[Michael Zerance]

I usually try to wait a day or two but I am confident with taking small bites on the planer after just a couple hours. I have run panels through the planer as soon as one hour after gluing without any issues.

One thing to consider is that the wood expands very slightly at the joint from the moisture in the glue. If you plane and sand the panel flat too soon after gluing it up, the area along the joint will shrink slightly once it dries out. This leaves very minor indentations along the joint line days or weeks after finishing the project.

[George Bokros]

Lot of variables here. What type of joint? What glue? Temperature can play a factor as well. If we are talking PVA, bottle says 24 hrs before stressing, but I will admit to bending the rules in a pinch.

Edge to edge glue-up using TBIII. Temp is probably 65*+.

[Chris Padilla]

At least a 1/2 day but like Rod, I like to leave it overnight before I start hammering on it. However, it depends on the glue and the clamping situation, too.

[Jesse Busenitz]

Depends on how big of hurry I'm in. I've planed a glue up that only dried a hour before and it worked fine, but I normally try and wait a little longer.

[John K Jordan]

I leave Tightbond clamped overnight. I believe the instructions say you can remove the clamps earlier and don't stress it for 24 hours but I have plenty of clamps. I use it for glueups for woodturning and if the glue is not perfect it's ruined in a millisecond.

Here's one, endgrain to side grain. Cherry, walnut, basswood:
chip_goblets_CU.jpg
JKJ

[Prashun Patel]

I've heard (but never witnessed) that the moisture can continue to leave a Titebond joint for a day after and cause the surface to shrink if you plane it flat.

I usually wait about 6 hours for plugs and I haven't had issues. On show panels where I really don't want a visible glue line, i leave them glued and clamped overnight until the glue is hard to my finger nail.

Mostly I try to wait overnight. At least, I don't stress the joint for that long.

[Doug Hobkirk]

Didn't Fine Woodworking find that TB had at least 80% of it's strength after 30 minutes?
I would love to know if this is right or wrong.

[Bill Orbine]

I've heard (but never witnessed) that the moisture can continue to leave a Titebond joint for a day after and cause the surface to shrink if you plane it flat.

I usually wait about 6 hours for plugs and I haven't had issues. On show panels where I really don't want a visible glue line, i leave them glued and clamped overnight until the glue is hard to my finger nail.

Mostly I try to wait overnight. At least, I don't stress the joint for that long.

Yes, it happens. If you plane glued up panel the next day the ridges may or may not show especially after finish. However, the effects of this lessens if you sand the panels (the project) later when you're near completion of the build (after at least a few days) and getting you're ready to stain/finish. The glue joint can be problematic if the project is a one-two day quickie. It's a big deal if the panels are something like a tabletop and YES, I give it more time.

Normally, I'm a minimum one hour clamper and minimum 24 hour stress when it comes to glue joints. Always a few days before final sanding.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I prefer to wait a minimum of 4 hours before removing clamps and 24 hours before milling.

[Bruce Page]

I try for overnight drying but I've gone as little as 2 hours.

[George Bokros]

Thanks for all the replies. Most everyone is of the same thought as me 24 hrs before milling.

[Jim Finn]

I normally let glue cure overnight............Rod.

\Same here