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Will Dried Glue Clog Up My Planer?
Issue: Issue 286
Posted Date: 10/18/2011
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I
would like to find out something about glued-up wood going through a
planer. Is there a timeline that the glue should set before planing
your wood? Will the glue clog up the planer? Does the heat from the
wood going through the planer in any way melt the glue? Thank you for
your help. - Jim Farrell
Tim
Inman: Let's go
in reverse order on this one: If your planer knives are so dull they
are creating heat that could melt glue, stop planing and sharpen!
Good sharp knives cut, not burn. Unless you're just ploughing off big
wads of uncleaned glue left laying on the surface of the wood, then,
"No," the glue will not clog up the planer. Now for the
most important question. The glue should be dry before planing. So
should the wood around it. If your glue is water-based (yellow,
white, hide, etc.) then the wood surfaces near it have taken on extra
moisture, and they have swollen. If you plane before the wood is back
to normal dryness, you will cut off a little excess wood near the
glue line. It will be nice and flat when you plane, but a few days
later, you will notice that the wood has shrunk back. This leaves
sunken areas along the glue line. So wait until the wood is dry
before planing glued boards.
Chris
Marshall: As a
general practice, I scrape and scrub off all of the excess glue while
it is still curing, so lumps and bumps of dried glue never run
through my planer. What's left is just thin glue lines, so really a
negligible amount of cured glue actually contacts the planer knives.
As Tim says, let the glue cure, clean off the excess and then plane
to your heart's content.