Wood gluing - Glues and adhesives and their characteristics

Wood is still the most widely used material for making the objects that surround us and for building and decorating our homes, because it's a renewable material - trees grow on their own - and it has a beautiful appearance.

It can be assembled by various means: special machining (mortise and tenon, dovetail...), or by nails, screws, bolts or gluing. Gluing is a simple and practical means of assembly, widely used.

However, to be strong and durable, glued wood assembly requires a number of strict precautions, which we're going to examine in detail. This article on gluing wood is in three parts.

This first part covers three basic topics:

• Wood characteristics to be taken into account when gluing ;

• the different shapes of wood joints and their requirements ;

• characteristics of glues, adhesives and wood binders.

In the second part , we'll be looking at the various types of glues and adhesives used in the woodworking industries, as well as bonding agents for wood, wood-based panels and chipboard.

The third part [BM 7 636] will be devoted to all glue and adhesive applications in wood and furniture.