gorilla glue or wood glue

[alleng]

just wondering if anyone has used gorilla glue and how it compares to standard wood glue,it must be good stuff judging by the price.

[Toddler]

Allen,

What are you using it for?

It may be stronger, but most glue is stronger than the wood. Gorilla can be harder to use and foams up too.

There are several threads on glue here, and these are good:
WoodCentral Articles & Reviews

Wood joints and adhesives

Todd

[Jim Murphy]

I used gorilla glue to attach the UHMW strips to hardboard for sleds. I tested it on pine before putting it on the sled. I also used it to attach plywood and poplar leveling spacers to mel-ah-whatever.

After 24 hours, I could not separate the runner from the pine, even with a sharp rap with a hammer. The sled and spacers are holding up fine. However, it foams up, seeps out, is sticky as all getout when wet, and is best applied very, very sparingly. A little goes a long ways.

My glue of choice remains Titebond for wood to wood.

[tom hintz]

I use Gorilla Glue almost exclusively when making exotic wood boxes with dovetail joints because it has a longer open time for assembly and the exterior foam scrapes away very easily and does not leave a "shadow" behind that ruins finishing.
I also use Gorilla Glue frequently for outdoor or moisture-prone projects.
It is pricey by volume but once you learn that far less is needed per joint, that differential is less significant.

[taandctran]

I bought the elmer's version of gorilla glue and it works just as good and it was a little cheaper. I dont remember how much cheaper becouse it has been so long. I use it for gluing the brass sleves in the wood when making pens. one drop is enough to glue up the whole pen.

[Tarhead]

If you use Gorilla glue use gloves! It will turn any place it touches black for about 4 days until the skin sloughs off. It becomes very thin when it hits skin and spreads out everywhere. BTDT
Also...keep it away from your dogs. I don't know if they are attracted to it or the reports are from dogs who eat anything but it was fatal.

That's the bad news...the good news is the stuff is great for anything that will be exposed to the elements and anything you need to glue with a sloppy fit as it expands into any voids. Don't go crazy with the premoistening with water. Dries a light beige color

[jglord]

I agree with Fernhollowman and use Gorilla glue when gluing things like metal to wood - e.g. installing T-track into a sled. It is the only type of glue to handle situations like this. BTW, the general category is polyurethane glue and some brands like Titebond can be less expensive.
The staining of my hands and the foaming make it not woth the trouble for general wood gluing.
Titebond III is waterproof, squeeze-out cleans-up with water, gives 10 minutes work time, and has less creep than other wood glues. My current practice is to use TB III, unless there is a good reason not to - and, IMHO, there are very few reasons not to.
BTW, there have been situations where I needed a glued-up piece of wood quickly, have used biscuits and clamped-up the piece with TB III, and removed the clamps after 30 minutes. I've been able to plane the piece, cut it to size and run it through a panel raising bit to produce a door panel.
I've used TB III for almost three years and rarely find a reason to use anything else.

[mike_wood]

I have used a fair amount of GG and agree with all the comments & will add one more. It does not store well - or at least I have not figured out a way. I have read about squeezing out all the air, using bloxygen, etc. None have worked well for me. If I feel I need to use it (outdoor projects only) I buy the least amount possible & use it all as soon as I can. If someone has figured out a way to preserve it, please post it.

[Travis Porter]

I am with you. Buy as small of a container as you need. I just threw a bottle in the trash as it had gotten hard.

[Howard Acheson]

First, let me say I am not a fan of the poly glues primarily because I have found no advantage to them over standard PVA glues when gluing wood to wood joints except for gluing oily, exotic woods. "Creep" is much less of a problem but there are other adhesives that are creep resistant such as plastic resin and hide glue. I'm sure there are other opinions however.

That said, like any PVA glue (white or yellow) the poly's are no stronger than the wood itself--and may be weaker if they are not used correctly. They cure by a reaction with moisture but many use too much adhesive and moisture. Excess moisture increases the reaction but shortens open time--one of their claimed benefits--and results in excessive foaming and a weaker joint. If the wood is at a moisture content of 10% or more, additional dampening is probably detrimental, not helpful. There are now PVA glues with extended open time. In fact the white PVA has virtually exactly the same open time as the poly. The yellow PVA was formulated originally to respond to woodworkers who wanted a faster setting adhesive. Strangely, some poly glues are now being marketted that have a shorter open time and faster cure because some wood workers have complained about the longer clamp time required for the original polys.

Some poly adhesives are certified to meet the ANSI Type 1 waterproof standard which means they can be used for totally submerged applications. However, for normal, non-submerged outdoor use, a type II adhesive will work as well.

While "gap filling" they fill gaps with foam which has no strength. The adhesive expands as it cures tending to force glued surfaces apart so tight clamping is required. They also require that the clamp pressure be maintained for much longer than most other adhesives.

It contains hazardous materials and should be used in a ventilated area and kept away from skin if you believe the Material Safety Data Sheet. If it gets on your hands, only time will will remove the stain.

Finally, they cost much more than other glues and IMO, do not offer many advantages over less expensive adhesives.

[Littlejon]

Used some on a project this morning and I Do like the stuff, but I agree with the others here on the "quirks" with using it. I have a good amount left in the very small bottle I have here, but it won't make it to another project, as it is already starting to harden.

Let me add this about cleanup: you CAN get it off of your hands. You need to use something like Goof-Off, which will take it off, but can burn your hands if not careful. I actually got some on my hands this morning and used the Goof-Off to remove it. You don't want that stuff on your hands long, though!

[DavidF]

Originally Posted by Howard Acheson

First, let me say I am not a fan of the poly glues primarily because I have found no advantage to them over standard PVA glues when gluing wood to wood joints except for gluing oily, exotic woods. "Creep" is much less of a problem but there are other adhesives that are creep resistant such as plastic resin and hide glue. I'm sure there are other opinions however.

That said, like any PVA glue (white or yellow) the poly's are no stronger than the wood itself--and may be weaker if they are not used correctly. They cure by a reaction with moisture but many use too much adhesive and moisture. Excess moisture increases the reaction but shortens open time--one of their claimed benefits--and results in excessive foaming and a weaker joint. If the wood is at a moisture content of 10% or more, additional dampening is probably detrimental, not helpful. There are now PVA glues with extended open time. In fact the white PVA has virtually exactly the same open time as the poly. The yellow PVA was formulated originally to respond to woodworkers who wanted a faster setting adhesive. Strangely, some poly glues are now being marketted that have a shorter open time and faster cure because some wood workers have complained about the longer clamp time required for the original polys.

Some poly adhesives are certified to meet the ANSI Type 1 waterproof standard which means they can be used for totally submerged applications. However, for normal, non-submerged outdoor use, a type II adhesive will work as well.

While "gap filling" they fill gaps with foam which has no strength. The adhesive expands as it cures tending to force glued surfaces apart so tight clamping is required. They also require that the clamp pressure be maintained for much longer than most other adhesives.

It contains hazardous materials and should be used in a ventilated area and kept away from skin if you believe the Material Safety Data Sheet. If it gets on your hands, only time will will remove the stain.

Finally, they cost much more than other glues and IMO, do not offer many advantages over less expensive adhesives.

Another good answer Howard What do you do for a living??

[Jim Hancock]

I used to think that plastic resin glue and polyurethane glue was the same thing, but apparently not. Can someone explain the difference?

[Travis Porter]

plastic resin glue is Urea Formaldehyde. Comes in a powder you mix with water. Hard to find. I did buy a small container of it at Woodcraft, and I think some Ace hardware stores stock it, but I have not seen it at the BORG in a long time.

Polyurethane glue is just that. A common brand name is Gorrilla glue.

[DaveO]

I also think that plastic resin glues include phenolic adhesives like Resorcinol

Dave