What's new
What's new

edge gluing rough cut hemlock

DanielG

Stainless
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Location
Maine
I need ~1" thick by ~12" wide rough cut hemlock. Unless I want an expensive mill run, I can only get 6" wide, so I'm thinking of edge gluing two pieces together. Should I smooth the edges first before gluing them, or glue them as is? If the former, is a table saw-cut edge sufficient or should I run them through a jointer?

It's for a bat house, so I want rough on the faces, and it doesn't have to be super strong
 
I think a clean saw cut would be adequate, but if you have a jointer, that would work too. Biscuits and glue would be good too! depends on what you have in your shop.

Stuart
 
Off the saw is perfect!

Gorrilla Glue fills any and all imperfections. (Poly) Sunlight can kill it over time however.

Yellow glue is stronger than wood (aliphatic) but not water proof

recorcinol is water proof
 
Off the saw is perfect!

Gorrilla Glue fills any and all imperfections. (Poly) Sunlight can kill it over time however.

Yellow glue is stronger than wood (aliphatic) but not water proof

recorcinol is water proof

Titebond III is waterproof and I've glued saw-cut edges with it many times for rough work.

If in doubt use 60 grit on a wooden block to knock off high spots. Takes only a few seconds per edge.
 
As above, saw cut will be fine, but the boards will have to be square and straight. Forcing not quite straight boards together with clamps will eventually lead to failure.
 
This is not fine woodworking that you are asking about. Off the saw will be fine for a bat house. Glue of your choice. Gorilla glue does gap fill, but has no strength as it gap fills, so it's not adding anything to the mix. I would pull it in with clamps tight and use Titebond 2 or Gorilla and have no qualms.

I would never glue off the saw for fine woodworking, always off the jointer or hand plane if the jointer isn't hitting it just right. All of my advice is analyzing your situation and what seems to be your tools at hand.

Pete
 
One caution as to placement of the bat house.

Most bats seem to want a direct line of site between the roost and a source of water. I don't know that they actually have to see it from the roost but it should be visible from the air as they enter and leave.
 
One caution as to placement of the bat house.

Most bats seem to want a direct line of site between the roost and a source of water. I don't know that they actually have to see it from the roost but it should be visible from the air as they enter and leave.

We have a small creek running behind the house, and it's fed directly by a small pond on the other side of the road. Based on my reading, the little brown bats like pole mount houses, and want the bottom to be 15' or so in the air. They also want to be 20' from surrounding trees, etc.

I'm planning to get a length of 2x2x1/4 HSS, cut it into 8' and 16' section, and weld up a bracket so it hinges like a flagpole. I have a load going out to be hot-dip galvanized soon, so I'll get them hot dipped and set the bottom 8' section in a post-hole. That should give me good corrosion resistance and get the bottom of the house 15' up.
 
Probably better off with a decent tablesaw cut than a surface off a jointer with dull blades.

I glued up a couple pieces recently on bandsawed faces. Hit them lightly with a sanding block to knock the bigger 'teeth' off. Looked just fine after they set up. Joints were going to covered by some panels anyway.
 
Probably better off with a decent tablesaw cut than a surface off a jointer with dull blades.

I glued up a couple pieces recently on bandsawed faces. Hit them lightly with a sanding block to knock the bigger 'teeth' off. Looked just fine after they set up. Joints were going to covered by some panels anyway.

This is TRUE! Wood surfaces HAMMERED by dull jointer knives makes for LOUSY glue joints. The compressed wood doesn't take the glue.!
 
Epoxy as is. Bats will not care. Trying to get a good sawn edge on rough lumber is a waste of time. I have a straight line rip saw and will not run rough lumber through it.
 








 
Back
Top