How Tight to Clamp When Gluing Boards?
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Now the oak boards are clamped. How do you know when their is enough pressure?
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Laying down Titebond to create the tabletop with glue and clamps.
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The glue oozes from the seam between the boards.
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WoodSmyths Neil Scher gave our class this maple trestle table to measure and draw plans from. We'll build it in oak.
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WoodSmyths Neil Scher gave our class this maple trestle table to measure and draw plans from. We'll build it in oak.

People following my blogs know I'm a strong supporter of wood industry education - as a means to upgrade skills, market our business sector, and find new people to work in our field.

So I'm now working on the education committee for the Woodwork Career Alliance and WOODLinks USA

I figured I should also pursue my own woodworking education, and so I'm on my third woodworking class, this one an advanced woodworking class being taught by Neal Scher, owner of WoodSmyth's, a Chicago cabinetry and custom furniture builder.

I thought you might be interested to see what we were up to.

Neil pulled out the Titebond glue to give our class a demonstration of gluing and clamping for a table project we're doing - it's made of 2-inch solid oak, joint and tenon construction, roughly 24 inches tall and wide, and 46 inches long - 

Neal showed us how to calculate and optimize yield from boards for the multiple parts that will comprise this table. We also saw how to match up the boards that will be glued together to form the top.

Neal sheered the edges on the table saw several times to get a good match, then applied the Titebond. As he clamped the boards, he posed a question that someone may have an answer, or an opinion, for:

What's the ideal pressure for manually clamping boards together? Extra tight or just somewhat tight?

Neil says he typically makes it tight as possible, until the glue oozes out everywhere, around 90 lbs. of pressure he figures. How do you set it? You can weigh in by posting a comment below.

Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.