Re: ATM gluing wood

["Bell, Andrew" <AMB2@pge.com>]

        The pictures and instructions in Kriege & Berry don't tell you to
park your car directly on top of the pieces that you are gluing together.
That would be very wrong indeed, and would produce all of the problems that
Mike describes.  What they do recommend doing is making a "sandwich", using
larger pieces of scrap plywood top and bottom (with a layer of wax paper in
between the scrap pieces and the surfaces of the pieces that you're gluing).
Then you just park your car on top of the sandwich.

        This *would* have worked really well when I was laminating two
pieces of 3/4-inch plywood together for the base of my rocker box - if only
I had followed the instruction that recommends using LARGER scrap pieces
(e.g., use two four-foot square pieces of scrap top & bottom to glue
together two 24x24-inch work pieces). That will force a good even pressure
all the way out to the edges of the pieces that you're gluing together.  The
excess glue will seep out at the edges, and you'll have a nice solid
lamination job.    

        I didn't realize the good reason for that part of the instructions
until I had already poured the glue and parked my truck on top of the
sandwich. The lumberyard was already closed and there was certainly no time
to go out and scare up larger scrap before the glue began to dry.  So I
compensated by loading the edges and corners up with some old bricks that I
had on hand, and then I counter-sunk a dozen or so screws around the bottom
of the box (to reinforce the glue job) before laying the Ebony Star on top
of that.

If I was doing this again ... I'd start with the two pieces for the base
board cut an inch or so oversized, and then plan to trim the edges square
after the glue had set.  That way - there's no worry if the two work pieces
slip or slide a little bit on the glue as you lower the vehicle.

- Andrew Bell

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 09:03:01 -0400
From: mjc5 <mjc5@psu.edu>
Subject: Re: ATM gluing wood

        Then the book is very wrong on this account. Unless the wood is not
very big, you will have a lot of pressure on a small area on the one
side. With the pressure being concentrated on the treads, I don't doubt
that the wood itself will be compressed a little.

        Its probably better to have another piece of wood on top and below
to
spread the weight out, and some clamps or the like holding the pieces
together.

        - Mike -

Guy Brandenburg wrote:
> 
> He's just doing what is recommended in the Kriege/Berry book. There are
> even photos of them doing just that: jacking up a car, putting the wood
> under it, and so on.
> Guy B