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hole size for gluing??

indychuck

Aluminum
Joined
Oct 16, 2016
I need suggestions on the diameter of the sized hole that I should drill in the ash wood for gluing in my cleats. I made some coupling nuts using a 0-80 thread size with a brass dowel that has a .125" diameter.

Click on the images for a better illustration of my question.

Do I make my hole for gluing the brass coupling nuts a tight fit or do I make it a sloppy/loose fit so the glue can do take a good hold. These need to be glued good due to the fact that these are going on an ash flag pole that's going on a boat. So this will actually be a working flag in windy conditions.

Thank you



cleat1.jpgcleat2.jpg
 
Really would depend on what glue you use, gorilla glue likes to grow and others may shrink. You could have someone put a couple of grooves in those .125" diameter sleeves, it would give the adhesive a place to fill and grip?
Dan
 
Can you knurl the sleeve or make it a little larger diameter and then glue it in? I think the smooth sleeve will want to pull out.
 
Hope its a small flag. I would try (if possible) to insert a larger sleeve into the wood. No real answer, but I would cringe every time I tied off to that cleat.
 
Can you sandblast the cylinders? That's the way to get the best adhesion to the metal. Not sure about clearance but I wouldn't be surprised if there were some manufacturers' recommendations on that. You are using the threads as well right?
 
I would not use cyanoacrylic if this is for outdoor exposure in wood, over time.

I would turn a shallow thread or a few shallow grooves around the OD and use WEST epoxy. Sandblast as has been mentioned would be good, too, or in addition after the grooving.

The wood shrinks and expands from humidity, the brass from heat and cold. They are fighting each other all day everyday, 24-7. The idea is to seal water out of the wood and prevent corrosion from starting on the brass. West epoxy with, say *graphite filler will have enough give and tenacity to effect that about as well as possible. When it starts to fail, the grooves will retain the connection mechanically. In a few more years when the area begins to stain and deteriorate more, you can remove it with some heat, sandblast everything including the hole in the wood, and re-epoxy for another 6 - 12 years. :D

To answer your question, if you groove and sandblast it, and use epoxy with a dense filler like colloidal graphite, then a sloppy fit is best and the integrity should be more durable.

Cyanoacrylic is not a gap filler, not even the goopy stuff. So better with that to seal the wood with a saturation coating of the thinnest type, re-drill the hole after it dries (it can take a couple hours if it really soaks the wood)sandblast the hardware, and put it in with the shock resistant thickened glue with a fairly snug fit. Clamp the fitting down so it does not push back out from hydraulic pressure.

*WEST reccommends colloidal graphite for installation of cleats & other deck hardware for heavy duty applications. For your app, you could probably use any of the other inert fillers except the lightweight/easy sand versions.

I use a couple different types of cyanoacrylic making the occasional pool stick. Was talking with the lady at Gougeon Bros this afternoon about how long we have connected on the phone, I have been using WEST at least 35 years for mostly outdoor millwork.

smt
 
Mr. Thomas, thank you for the details and the instruction. This is exactly what I'm after. Many thanks!!

A member asked if it was going to be a big flag. This will only be about a 36" flag with scale sized hardware to finish. It will not be on the boat 100% of the time, so hopefully my glue installation of the cleat will last a while. The flag will only be donned when we are underway in Summer months of the Tennessee climate. During the non boating season it will be kept indoors.
 
The go to stuff for marine and outdoor sealing and bonding, 3M 5200, would handle the weathering and flex issues. It would be rather expensive since you would waste a $20+ tube for a thimble full though.

 
The go to stuff for marine and outdoor sealing and bonding, 3M 5200, would handle the weathering and flex issues. It would be rather expensive since you would waste a $20+ tube for a thimble full though.


It would be less of a waste than the West epoxy, I've not been able to find a container less than a half gallon of the West epoxy.

Does anyone know if the have it in one-use sized tubes?
 








 
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