Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Woodworking => Topic started by: nickynooch on January 15, 2009, 11:24:20 am
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I've read a lot of posts on people saying that just screws on the cab into mdf isn't good enough, and that you should glue a lot. What type of glue do you recommend/should I use? Liquid nails? Elmers Wood Glue? Gorilla Glue? Etc...
thanks!
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Don't use Gorilla glue, it tends to make a mess when it dries and expands.
Elmer's wood glue worked fine for me.
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Titebond II seems to have worked well for me (meaning that my cabinet hasn't collapsed on me or my family).
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Titebond is my preference.
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another vote for titebond...titebond ii wouldn't really be necessary since you won't have to worry so much about your cab coming into contact with water...
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I use titebond with the blue label on my cab and no screws:D
It's doing just fine holding up a 27" crt.
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I've read a lot of posts on people saying that just screws on the cab into mdf isn't good enough, and that you should glue a lot.
It is the opposite. Just glue is enough. Glue is stronger than the connected wood, so you can see it as a solid piece in most construction calculations. Just use a good quality wood glue, water proof, and glue clamps. Leave the screws at the DIY shop :laugh:
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See also:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=84025.0
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Thanks! There's nothing bad about using screws AND glue right?
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Assuming you pre-drill all your holes, you should be just fine. Use the screws sparingly; the glue will do most of the work.
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I have always heard that the screws are only there to keep the pieces together while the glue dried. I've also heard that with the right glue on the joint, two connected boards would each break before the joint holding them together would.
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Sweet well due to overwhelming demand I bought 2 bottles of titebond blue. The bottom (casters) part of my Cab I used elmers wood glue (before posting here) and it is pretty darn tight. I would put titebond on that part but it's already stuck, plus VERY LARGE nuts and bolts are holding that part together so I think I'll be ok.
Thanks for the advice. I'll post pics when I am finally finished with the cabinet.
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would something like this work
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=972918&Ntt=972918&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber
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The MDF has a far lower shear strength than pretty much any good wood glue (meaning the MDF will break first). Polyurethane glues like gorilla or titebond have fundamentally the same strength as standard yellow glue (above 3000psi).
Because polyurethanes expand when they dry, if you use too much you will have a lot seep out the edges of your joints. It dries very hard and may need to be chiselled and sanded off if you are concerned over the finish. I carelessly used some gorilla glue on a mahogany desk I built for my wifes secretary one time and ended up doing a lot of sanding to recover a clean look before the wood was oiled. Note that that expansion however does not imply the same bonding strength as an epoxy.
All that being said about strength I still dado/groove cut the vertical supports whenever Ive built fixed MDF shelves. Probably just a psychological thing but it gives it a real feel of strength that you dont get seeing the shelf float. A good alternative that Ive never tried with MDF are biscuits/plates. There is nothing wrong with using the screws but remember to drill pilots as MDF is dense enough to break cheap screws and can split if you are drilling into its edge. Countersink the screwheads but only use this method in areas that will be covered later on.