# glue for teak wood..



## groundhog

Someone told me today that epoxy is not known for being a good glue for teak wood?

What is the best glue for gluing teak to itself?

thx,
groundhog


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## junkrig

groundhog said:


> Someone told me today that epoxy is not known for being a good glue for teak wood?
> 
> What is the best glue for gluing teak to itself?
> 
> thx,
> groundhog


Teak is known for being hard for any glue to stick to due to its oily nature. That said, West System claims that their G-Flex will glue teak and stay stuck. I can't speak directly to that as I have never glued teak with it, but I have used G-Flex for other things and it is a remarkably tough, flexible glue. I do a lot with epoxy and don't use G-Flex for everything, but in high-stress applications I reach for it first.

Jeff


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## ceddavis

I can't speak to the oil issue, but When I moved the traveler on the C&C 24 to over the cabin, I laminated up blocks of mahogany from 1" boards using West System. Mahogany is dense like Teak, but can't compare "oilyness". I can say that in mahogany, joint is stronger then the wood.

Chuck


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## SloopJonB

If you are going to epoxy teak, wipe all mating surfaces with acetone or laquer thinner immediately before applying the glue. When you clamp the pieces, don't clamp tight, just snug or you'll squeeze out the epoxy - it has great gap filling properties so you don't need a lot of pressure like with resorcinal etc.

I've also had good success with polyurethanes like Gorilla Glue but they can leave a very visible glue line.


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## PBzeer

The guy (he made custom teak accessories) that made my flatware rack used Gorilla Glue.


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## Sabreman

You can use epoxy, Gorilla, or Titebond with teak. The key, as SloopJonB says is to wipe the oil from the wood with acetone or epoxy. I'll add that you should make sure that the wiping cloth is clean and that you don't just rub back and forth with the same area of cloth. Wipe a couple of times rotating the cloth.

I've never had a failure with any of these adhesives through a variety of furniture builds or boat work.


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## GaryHLucas

I have seen lots of teak repairs done with epoxy that have failed. However I have had great results with resorcinol glue which was a wood boat builders staple before fiberglass boats. It is a waterproof two part glue that is dark purple in color and the glue line is attractive against teak. I made a traveler bridge from 1/4" thick strips of teak laminated together, a bowsprit, companionway doors with veneer edging, and several cabinet doors with veneered edges, all using resorcinol. It is cheap too.

Gary H. Lucas


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## ronspiker

I like Gorilla Glue for teak, However the key is to wipe it down with Acetone first to remove the oil.


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## PorFin

I've used West epoxy (laminated traveler bridge), Gorilla Glue (small stuff in non-load bearing use), and Titebond III (small and medium stuff in both load-bearing and non-load bearing) for interior and exterior projects. I've had no failures with any of these joints. 

I've been pretty anal about using acetone to prep the surfaces before application.


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## Boatsmith

We glue teak daily with epoxy ( for 20 some years) and the only times we have had problems is when we have over clamped and starved the joint. We wipe the teak with denatured alcohol. We also sand the teak with at least 80 grit, coarser if we are not striving for a minimal glue line. I have had covering boards that have split end to end over 10' 1/4" away from the glue line. When we glue up frames for doors and windows and other trim wher we are gluing end grain to end grain we usually use super glue. ( the medium viscosity kind)


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## speciald

I have also used Gorilla Glue with sucess. Clean with acetone before applying, clamp but not too tight; the glue is water activated and will expand as it cures.


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## mitiempo

I have always used epoxy without a failure, wipe with acetone first and as posted don't clamp too tight. I have used Gorilla glue on parts that will not be seen, inside cabinets for example, as the glue line isn't pretty.


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## SloopJonB

PorFin said:


> Gorilla Glue (small stuff in non-load bearing use)


Why the concern over loading PF? I've found the new polyurethanes to hold beyond the strength of the bonded material, just like epoxies.


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## PorFin

SloopJonB said:


> Why the concern over loading PF? I've found the new polyurethanes to hold beyond the strength of the bonded material, just like epoxies.


It wasn't by design, just the way it worked out (using what I had handy at the time.)


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## groundhog

Well, I used the gorilla glue to glue my load bearing teak mast collar.
Took me all day yesterday to do the laminated gluing operations.
Today, I went into work, and trimmed up the unit with the industrial band saw.
At the end, since it was rectangular, i cut off the corners, which left me with 4 triangular columns that fell to the floor as scrap. When I was cleaning up, i noticed a couple of the laminations had just fallen off!

So I picked up the scrap pieces and tried to pull apart the glue joints, and they broke apart really easily.

I do not like gorilla glue... I will never like gorilla glue.

Gorilla glue is basically foam. You might as well go to home depot and buy a can of spray insulation and glue with that.

The joints are made of foam. Foam is not strong.

Now I am not sure what to do. Maybe dowel the whole thing up with rescorcinal?
Or drill out the current dowels and try to pry apart the layers?
Not sure.


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## mitiempo

Sand the mating surfaces, wipe well with acetone and use epoxy, either straight or slightly thickened. I have never had an epoxy joint fail, on teak or any other wood - in over 20 years of using epoxy.


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## fryewe

Resorcinol. Use acetone to prep the surface. Nothing better. Expense is higher, but results are worth it.


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## RichH

For joints that require strength ... If you can, use a precise interlocking mechanical joint of various scarfed geometries, not 'butt joints'. Lap Joints of 12:1 taper are OK. Mortice and tenon joints or tongue and groove joints 'backed up' with epoxy are probably the very best. Recorcinol is better than epoxy for holding teak and if the scarfed joint is nearly 'perfect' and finely fitted you will not see the 'glue line'. Epoxy butt joints on teak will eventually oxidize (the wood surface eventually oxidizes) and the glue line will eventually separate.


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## PorFin

groundhog said:


> Well, I used the gorilla glue to glue my load bearing teak mast collar.
> Took me all day yesterday to do the laminated gluing operations.
> Today, I went into work, and trimmed up the unit with the industrial band saw.
> At the end, since it was rectangular, i cut off the corners, which left me with 4 triangular columns that fell to the floor as scrap. When I was cleaning up, i noticed a couple of the laminations had just fallen off!
> 
> So I picked up the scrap pieces and tried to pull apart the glue joints, and they broke apart really easily.
> 
> I do not like gorilla glue... I will never like gorilla glue.
> 
> Gorilla glue is basically foam. You might as well go to home depot and buy a can of spray insulation and glue with that.
> 
> The joints are made of foam. Foam is not strong.
> 
> Now I am not sure what to do. Maybe dowel the whole thing up with rescorcinal?
> Or drill out the current dowels and try to pry apart the layers?
> Not sure.


GH,

Sorry about your experience -- I understand the frustration.

I don't know what you did before you did the glue-up, so don't take this as criticism of your particular project -- I'm simply stating why joints may fail.

1. Surface prep, Ch 1. In order to achieve the best bond possible when using glue (as opposed to epoxy), the two surfaces need to mate well -- the more closely the two surfaces mirror each other the better. Any void between the two -- and we're talking voids in small fraction of an inch range here -- will significantly weaken the joint. If the surfaces don't mate well, then epoxy -- possibly even thickened if need be -- would be a better choice.

2. Surface Prep, Ch 2. Cleaning the surface prior to applying the glue is important -- with a naturally oily wood like teak it is critical.

3. Surface Prep, Ch 3. For polyurethane glues like Gorilla Glue, moisture is needed to activate the glue. On teak, it's best to dampen both surfaces of the joint; for less oily woods, dampening one side is usually sufficient.

4. Glue. It's important to get a good, thin, uniform layer of glue on both surfaces. Too much glue is not your friend, particularly with foaming polyurethanes. It doesn't take a lot. The only time you need to consider whether or not you've used enough glue is on end grain faces -- the glue can be drawn up into the grain and lead to a "glue starved" joint. This is more often a consideration when using PVA glues (Elmer's, Titebond, etc.) than when using polyurethanes.

5. Clamping. It's better to use too many than too few clamps; and time wise, it's better to leave the clamps on too long than too short. This is particularly true with foaming polyurethane glue, since it develops positive pressure as it cures. That pressure forces the glue into the structure of the wood helping it to achieve a bond across three dimensions. If too little clamping pressure is used, the the pressure will force the joint apart and create (as GH described) essentially a layer of (weak) spray foam that will easily fail when stressed.


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## groundhog

Ok.... I may have been a bit hasty. I was emotional (im very sensitive). 

So, after tossing and turning last night. I decided first thing this morning to make a test sample of the gorilla glue, in exactly the same way I glued the other pieces and do a strength test.

So I cut two pieces of teak and sanded them down.. about 4 square inches I guess.

Tonight, when i got home, i drilled a pilot hole in each piece just big enough to get two screw drivers in and through the wood.

I pulled very very hard. Nothing.

So i got the breaker bar. Wood cracked. not the joint.

So. I conclude. Maybe, just maybe. Gorilla glue is ok. I may try it again since it is very available and resorcinol is not.

I am thinking what happend with the corner pieces is that while i was wiping off the foam squishing out at the seams with my acetone paper towels, the acetone, broke down the glue at the edges. Made it weak.

So. I will leave my teak alone and proceed. I think it is strong enough.

groundhog


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## groundhog

I will deploy my mast collar and watch it carefully. any problems with the glue and i will try to remember to report back.


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