Wood Adhesive

Timcowen

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Hi all,
A carpenter friend of mine has recommended a wood adhesive to me which he believes would be suitable for boat applications! Having said that, he has never actually used it on a boat himself. The adhesive is called 'Lumberjack' Made by Everbuild products . It is a top strengh 5 minute Polyurethane wood adhesive that claims to be 'Totally waterproof including seawater'. Its applications quote Boatbuilding! It comes in cartridge form as well as in a pot and also available with a longer setting time.
Has anyone out there come across this and if so whats the verdict on boat application?? Apparently its only about £7 or £8 per cartridge.

Tim
 
Yes,

I used it quite often.
Several companies make similar stuff. Make sure it is D4 rated for use on boats.

Its a one part polyurethene glue, Screwfix sold it at one time. Avaiable in 5 min and 30 min setting time.

Not as strong as epoxy but quite adequate for many tasks.

When using it if you get any on your hands clean them immediately as it turns black and is very difficult to remove.

Much easier to use than epoxy.

Iain
 
Iain

Can I jump in on this thread & ask you a question? What kind of adhesive should I be using between marine ply layers to build up a deck? Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks.

Hugh
 
The real question is how big are the deck pieces and how are you going to clamp them together to avoid voids?.

Is the deck structural ? does it support a mast or something else ?.

If I was laminating ply for an outside deck together I would always use epoxy.
I would also find some method of clamping the ply together well when it was setting.
Once the epoxy was set I would coat it with varnish or paint for UV protection

I have used polyurethene to laminate ply together for the internal cabin sole without any problems.

Internally, unless a high loading is on a joint I tend to use polyurethene those days. But, for important structures I use epoxy.
For example I was fitting iroko battons to sit and strap a 100Ah battery on a couple of days ago so I used epoxy.

The temperature (20C +) just now in the boat is high enough to be able to use polyester resin , polystyrene and epoxy with care.
Even had a litre of resin go off today when I had 80% of it used and that was only with 1% catylist (I was finished laminating by that time fortunately)

I don't know if that answers your question but that's what I would do.

By epoxy I mean with the appropriate fillers added.

You can PM me if you have any specific questions.

Cheers

Iain
 
Many thanks - it's a build-up of 4 layers of 1/2" ply to replace a section of deck that's rotten. It's got a slight sheer on it and I was planning on screwing it in place to hold it together while the adhesive goes off. It's then being laminated in place with GRP with polyester resin (to match what's there already). Your advice much appreciated. And sorry for thread hijacking!
 
Hugh,

Having read your reply. I would now do things a bit differently.

I presume that you are making a deck repair to your Miller Fifer.

From what you are saying the existing deck (possibly larch) has been glassed over sometime after it left St Monans using polyester resin and fibreglass and the water has got under the GRP and rotted the wood.

You now wish to replace the damaged wood with ply.

I would fix your ply sheets in place using D4 polyurethene glue and screws, but I would not use a catridge I would use a container of glue which could then be brushed on. I would also use 30 minutes setting stuff. Polyurethene glue will set in damper conditions than other glues.

When this was well set I would sheath the damaged area with woven roving and use epoxy glue. This would then stick to the wood and provide a waterproof seal.

You cannot use CSM with epoxy as the binders would cause problems and you would find it a problem geting polyester resin to give you a decent bond to the ply and the existing structure.

If you only wanted a couple of metres of woven roving I could probably help you out.

btw. I did buy a old Mylne yacht at St Monans many years ago when Millers were still up and running.

Cheers

Iain
 
Tim, I've pretty much gone over to using PU glues for all my woodworking. It is just so very versatile and strong. It is waterproof and I have no probs using outdoors and on boats. The particular brand you mention was the one that got me hooked on these glues. They do like to be firmly clamped up, for about 30 mins if poss depending on the temp. They are very tolerant of moisture content in the timber. There are some that do not 'foam' and they are good for laminating but 'Lumberjack' should be good for most general joinery work.

Disposable gloves are a good idea but if you do get any on your skin I've found that even Turps on a rag will get it of if not allowed to set. If it has set it will be there a good while, going black as has been mentioned. Hand cream will help but it won't give in without a fight.

I would still use epoxy for structural stuff if building a timber boat from scratch, though.

The advice about using epoxy rather than polyester for sheathing I totally agree with. Much better adhesion to timber.
 
Thanks for that, I was a bit concerned about the 'Foaming' element of it . The Carpenter I know is currently restoring a large Victorian Greenhouse and using this product. He has no hesitation in its use . The building will be exposed to the considerable elements coming across from the Weal of Kent. He simply removes excess with a chisel when set and /or planes.

Tim
 
I like to see excess foam bead around the joint when cured as it confirms that the glue is covering to the edges of the joint and also provides a good indication of when the critical stage of curing is complete i.e. when the bead has set thoroughly. Removal is simple as you describe.
 
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