Fast setting glue cuts clamp time
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Titebond Speed Set glue offers faster clamp time while still providing on open time long enough for most assemblies.

There is no such thing as one glue for all purposes. Even when we are talking only about one material, wood, you are short-changing yourself if you try to make one glue do everything. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for different adhesive applications and was definitely interested when the folks at Franklin International sent me samples of their new Titebond Speed Set glue.

What it is

Titebond Speed Set is a high-solids, fast-setting PVA using an aliphatic resin emulsion. In plain language, what that means is you can glue wood, clamp the assembly, and remove the clamps in 15 minutes. The glue comes out of the bottle white and dries translucent much like traditional white PVA glue. But it sets up quicker giving you an open time of only 2-4 minutes at 70 degrees F, and total assembly time of 8-10 minutes at the same temperature.

That’s a handy range that gives you enough time to assemble most clamped glue-ups but lets you take the clamps off relatively quickly with no loss of strength.

It cleans up with water, wipes up with a damp cloth, is gap filling and sandable, and you can even use black light to spot dried glue you missed before you apply a finish.

How it works

This glue is a great compromise between slower setting yellow or white wood glue, and some of the really speedy options such as cyanoacrylate. I used it on one glue-up where I had to glue pieces on multiple sides of another part, and clamps from one glue-up would interfere with clamping additional glue-ups. If I had used a CA glue, I wouldn’t have had the open time to get the clamps correctly in place.

There are some limitations to this glue. It’s not waterproof, so it’s strictly for interior applications. It is also apparently quite temperature sensitive. It has a warning to not use it at temperatures below 59 degrees F. Since I live in Maine and deal with six-month winters, that got my attention. If you try to use it when it’s too cold, it becomes chalky and no longer dries clear, so don’t store in an unheated garage or similar space.

But for most normal uses, it looks like a great glue to add to your adhesive arsenal. For more information, visit titebond.com.

 

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About the author
William Sampson

William Sampson is a lifelong woodworker, and he has been an advocate for small-scale entrepreneurs and lean manufacturing since the 1980s. He was the editor of Fine Woodworking magazine in the early 1990s and founded WoodshopBusiness magazine, which he eventually sold and merged with CabinetMaker magazine. He helped found the Cabinet Makers Association in 1998 and was its first executive director. Today, as editorial director of Woodworking Network and FDMC magazine he has more than 20 years experience covering the professional woodworking industry. His popular "In the Shop" tool reviews and videos appear monthly in FDMC.