How strong is Wood Glue?

[97gp 5,000+ posts]

I know some one has tested elmers wood glue and the wood breaks before the bond breaks, so I guess it would be strong enough.

Yeah, the actual glue joint is stronger than the wood.

 

[ShiningBuick 10+ year member]

If you've ever broken a wood blue joint, you can see a layer of wood onto of the glue, which shows where the wood ripped off of other wood before the glue let go of it.

 

[azimuth 5,000+ posts]

the joint is stronger on certain types of wood, mdf, particle board etc. manufactured wood. on natural wood like oak, pine, etc., it isn't as strong, but still pretty strong. stronger than nails and more pleasing to the eye than screw heads.

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

the joint is stronger on certain types of wood, mdf, particle board etc. manufactured wood. on natural wood like oak, pine, etc., it isn't as strong, but still pretty strong. stronger than nails and more pleasing to the eye than screw heads.

Which wood should I use?

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

Birch ply or Oak ply are good choices that can look nice and are pretty strong. Blond wood is also pretty decent looking and as strong or stronger than MDF. It's also the same price and the grain is pretty pleasing to the eye. It is full of voids though which can really vary the strength of the wood.

I would use Titebond II or III for a job like this. Again, the glue isn't going to be the weak point in this.

Since you're only going to have a few things on the shelf, you should be fine as far as supports. I would still beef some things up a little. Check out this picture of yours that I modified:

The red line is what I was meaning about beefing up the 90* support. I wouldn't double it as in thickness (1.5" instead of .75") but as in length. I would also add a single blue support for the middle of the shelf so it doesn't sag over time (which it will no matter what kind of wood you use). It doesn't have to be elaborate like the sides but something is needed there.

If you can't do a support like the blue one pictured, I would definitely run some parallel braces under the top panel. Make sure to make them about 2" tall and attach them perpendicular (like a T) with the top panel.

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

Sounds good. How thick do you suggest the 90 degree support beams be?

Picture Edit::

[ref img: made the beams bigger and added 2 heavy duty middle supports]

[ref img: added support on the bottom to hold up the other weight]

 

[dbman150 5,000+ posts]

i find that titebond ll works the best for me

 

[keithace 10+ year member]

gorilla glue worked pretty good for me...i swear by it...

 

[miker 5,000+ posts]

That stuff expands like crazy

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

That stuff expands like crazy

Truth... and it doesn't even work that well [at least when I used it... though, admitably I forgot what I used it on.]

 

[keithace 10+ year member]

gotta clamp it tight...i have never had a problem with it...as long as you dont get all crazy with it...you're fine...and read the directions...

 

[dragnix 5,000+ posts]

glue your nuts together with wood glue and see if you can separate them. But remember, you have to clamp it tight

 

[maldecido33 10+ year member]

Gorilla glue should not be used on wood, nor should liquid nails.

 

[dragnix 5,000+ posts]

Gorilla glue should not be used on wood, nor should liquid nails.

not sure how true this is, but there was a test done that said Gorilla glue is not as strong as Wood glue when used on wood. Go figures.

 

[maldecido33 10+ year member]

It's not designed from wood, so why should it be used for wood?

I'm sorry, but I don't want something that EXPANDS as it dries to expand my two pieces of wood apart.