Best wood glue for repairs

[DownWest]

Gorilla Glue has some adherants in the USA, but most use PL Premium. Viewed as 'quick 'n dirty'.

I was gluing a non boaty structure out of maranti. Used PU from Bostik, normally as good as the rest. I idley tested an offcut and was a bit shaken when it came apart in my hands, nice smooth glue layer on both surfaces, like varnish. SO, no PU on my boats.
A

 

[maxcampbell]

poly failures

Built a boat using epoxy, never a joint failed. Fabricated washboard out of newly cut oak strips, glued up with foaming PU, fell apart a couple of days later. Rest of tube in the bin.

 

[dur]

Built a boat using epoxy, never a joint failed. Fabricated washboard out of newly cut oak strips, glued up with foaming PU, fell apart a couple of days later. Rest of tube in the bin.

I don't think I have tried Balcotan on Oak but have used it to good effect on Iroko - eg a new stem for an old dinghy and some some curved seats for a dayboat. The dinghy lived on a drying mooring for some years and then a couple of years in the garden. Never any sign of a problem. I came across the sawn off end of the dayboat seat a couple of months back and put it in the vice and thumped the top with the hammer. It took more hitting than I expected but eventually the wood broke and not the glued joint.

I am sure you can have problems like any glue but it can go OK as well. Don't forget the same preparation you would use with any glue - degreasing oily woods, roughing smooth surfaces etc.

 

[Bobobolinsky]

I recently repaired a pair of oak bilge keels with epoxy thickened with silica. I coated the whole in penetrating epoxy. It's black but solid, looks like holly striped sole. More primer and then antifoul

 

[fisherman]

I used what was sold as 'Fast Grab', I believe it is a foaming PU, like Balcotan, to glue three pieces of sapele, each 8" or 9"x3" and 5ft long, together. This was then turned on a lathe to make the 'body' of a wooden man for martial arts training. 6 years on, still OK, but not immersed, obviously, though bolted to an outside wall..

 

[Silent Lady]

I hate posts like this

Someone asks a question and you never hear from them again. You ask questions and they cannot even be bothered to answer

 

[fishermantwo]

Built a boat using epoxy, never a joint failed. Fabricated washboard out of newly cut oak strips, glued up with foaming PU, fell apart a couple of days later. Rest of tube in the bin.

I have used heaps of the foaming PU glues in strip plank type construction that is then sheaved with epoxy and cloth and its fine. Test pieces of wood just glued with the foaming glue always breaks at the glue line, its no where near strong enough for construction by itself. Epoxy resin is the ultimate and cheapest, just have to buy in larger containers to keep the price down. Modified with various fillers its hard to beat for versatility.