how many days after glue up can you start finish

[Dave Cohen]

Is there any rule of thumb on how many days a glue up must cure before
you can put finish on the project?

Also this one has to be shipped out for the holidays, I think the poly will have about 4-5 days to cure before shipping.

Is there any better material to wrap the project up in to minimize any imprinting or damage to the finish since it hasn't cured for like a month?

Should I wax it to put a protective coating over the finish ?

[Steve Schoene]

You need to wait several days before final sanding to ensure that the swelling that has occurred due to the water in the glue has had a chance to dissapate. Otherwise you run the risk of sunken glue joints in panels when the drying does occur. Not such a big deal if the panels were done earlier, with the M&T and dovetail joints done soon before finish.

I wouldn't use poly, but use a non-poly varnish that will cure harder than the poly. With 4-5 days I would work hard to make sure that the piece was in really warm conditions. If you can arrange 90° with 40% humidity for that period you will have essentially doubled the amount of cure that the finish will have completed. (And glue strength too, but 4-5 days would almost surely be safe for the glue anyway.)

DO NOT let plastic touch the finish. I'd guess a softish but not fuzzy cloth would be best. Think of the quilted blankets movers use to wrap furniture.

I don't really think wax will help.

[Tony Bilello]

I used to build custom furniture for a living. I have built tables in one day from start to finish. And I mean finish... 5 coats of lacquer. I still see some of my furniture 20 years later and there is no signs of glue messing up the finish. I built and still do build modern and contemporary furniture with clear finishes and no stain.

If the can of poly dont tell you the curing time, the manufacturer will if you call them up.

As for shipping or packing, moving blankets should work out just fine.
If I am moving a small table in my hatchback, I put a moving blanlet over the top and set a large piece of cardblard on top of that.

Many finishes need air/oxygen to cure. A wax could inhibit this and slow down ther progress. Besides, I would not put any chemicals including wax on top of a new finish. A recipe for disaster.

[Michael Pyron]

indeed, you need to wait at least 30 days before waxing a finish...I use hardwood floor wax, and have had no issues with it...

[mike holden]

Dave,
Just to be the contrary voice here, I wait overnight for the glue to set, then apply a finish. Let the finish dry about 48 hours then apply wax with steel wool or a 3M pad.
Never had an issue.
Mike

[Dave Cohen]

As for shipping or packing, moving blankets should work out just fine.
If I am moving a small table in my hatchback, I put a moving blanlet over the top and set a large piece of cardblard on top of that.

This is a smaller item that is shipping UPS in a box

[Rick Peek]

Dave,
Just to be the contrary voice here, I wait overnight for the glue to set, then apply a finish. Let the finish dry about 48 hours then apply wax with steel wool or a 3M pad.
Never had an issue.
Mike

Same here...never a problem.