Ronn W Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Regarding mortise and tenon joints (like a table apron to a table leg): In your opinion, how important is the glue between the tenon shoulders of the apron and the flat grain of the leg? I know that end grain gluing is not very strong but I don't want to weaken the joint. Background. I may use stain on this project and am wondering if I have to mask this part of the joint or not. My chosen stain after testing several is Minwax stain and sealer (because it looks the best) so the glue will probably not stick to it. I am deathly afraid of having glue ooze out onto unstained wood and not being able to remove the ooze well enough to have the stain penetrate. But I don't want to weaken the joint. I am in the process of testing the glue on the stain to see if it sticks and/or the glue can be cleaned off of a stained surface. Thanks for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxdabroxx Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I would only glue the mortise and the tenon, not the shoulders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 +1 on just putting glue onto the cheeks of the tenon and faces within the mortise only. Try to avoid any squeeze out by not applying too much glue (some people go over the top and apply much too much) or clean it up straight away if there is any squeeze out if you are staining afterwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4square Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 If you under cut the shoulders a bit (which I do to make a tighter fit) then putting glue on the shoulder is pointless. I too only use glue on the tenon cheek and the mortise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 There's nothing to gain anyway...there's very little strength in the glue bond at the shoulders because it's all end grain. All the strength is in the long-grain to long-grain of the mortise and tenon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Like others I only put in mortise and very thin on 2/3 of tenon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted September 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Follow up: Just one guys test..... I tested the effect of glue before is is totally dry on the MInwax stain/sealer... If I glue before staining and wipe away the glue with water immediately and sand it, the stain penetration is inhibited but only slightly. If I glue before staining and scrape the glue away with a putty knife and sand it, the stain appears the same as staining bare wood. If I glue after staining, the glue removes easily and does not affect the color of the stain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 The effect of glue on finishing varies by species as well. Open pored woods like oak are more susceptible. The glue easily fills the pores & is hard to get out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 44 minutes ago, drzaius said: The effect of glue on finishing varies by species as well. Open pored woods like oak are more susceptible. The glue easily fills the pores & is hard to get out. +1 on that, as I found out the hard way very early in my woodworking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 if you don't have any glue brushes pick some up at the local big box store, they really help to spread an even layer of glue and no glue on the shoulders, have a damp rag handy if you do have some squeeze out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I also skip the shoulders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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