- Q.What’s the
best wood glue for end-grain applications —
miter joints, for example?
A.This is one of the
most difficult joints to glue. The epoxies and
reactive hot-melts are better than water-based wood
glues. (Reactive hot-melt glues are industrial
glues that differ from typical hardware-store
hot-melt glues.) Since the end grain of wood is
very porous, water-based wood glues are easily
absorbed into the grain, leaving little glue for
bonding. A method for combating this is to thin
some of the glue with water and use that to seal
the end grain, then glue up as normal after an hour
or so. There are some wood size products on the
market that work to seal the end grain as
well.
— M.R.