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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



May 10, 1917 



Don't Overlook the Glue 



Quality of Material Used Plays Leading Part in Result of Built-up Work 



HEY SAY THAT A CHAIN is no stronger than 

 its weakest link, and certainly a piece of built-up 

 work is no stronger than the material that holds 

 it together. The job of making good is largely 

 up to the glue, which supplies the union, and if there isn't 

 a good glue joint, then the manufacturer has failed to pro- 

 duce a good article of furniture or whatever the material 

 goes into. 



Though glue is an obvious necessity, forming as it does 

 the medium for the construction of laminated products, 

 the tendency in too many cases has been to regard it as a 

 necessary evil. It has been considered in the light of an 

 expense, and buyers have had the idea that the way to 

 economize was through the purchase of cheap glue, in- 

 stead of the best. 



While the price is not always an index to the desirability 

 of glue for a given purpose, it can be fairly said that glue 

 bought on price is not likely to give maximum satisfac- 

 tion. There is no more reason why price should be the 

 only consideration in buying glue than in purchasing lum- 

 ber, veneers or any other material wrhich is used in making 

 built-up work. To buy veneers "sight unseen," purely 

 on a basis of price for a job involving fine furniture or 

 interior trim construction would be considered the height 

 of folly; yet, since the results obtained in this work, as far 

 as permanence is concerned, depend more on the glue 

 than anything else, why buy glue on that basis? 



The fault is not altogether with consumers, of course, 

 and the writer cannot refrain from wondering why glue 

 houses, some of which have standards of quality that have 

 been maintained for fifty years, have not done more to 

 educate users along this line, and to establish brands which 

 would stand for the best in this department. But glue 

 manufacturers are said to be poor advertisers; glue sales- 

 men tell a new story about every lot of glue they have to 

 offer, and glue buyers usually scrutinize the price first and 

 the quality of the glue afterwards. 



Suppose some manufacturer of glue, a little wiser than 

 the rest, were to come forward with a brand w^hich was 

 said to represent the best in glue-making. Suppose this 

 brand w^ere really all that was claimed for it, and gave 

 satisfaction to every manufacturer who has a glue-room. 

 If this name were backed up with quality, and if the name 

 was made popular by advertising, it would not only mean 

 a big commercial triumph for the glue concern, but it 

 would solve a lot of glue-buying problems. There would 

 be a standard then, whereas at present there is none. It is 

 not possible to depend absolutely on uniformity, and little 

 or no attempt has been made to get buyers in the habit 

 of calling for a particular brand all the time. 



The success of the manufacturers of vegetable glues has 

 shown that consumers are interested in this subject, as 



they may well be. The progress they have made has 

 resulted from dealing frankly with the problems of glue 

 users, and likewise giving all of the facts about the new 

 product. The result of this policy has been gradually to 

 wean many a consumer away from animal glue, and to 

 make him a strong advocate of the newer material. Of 

 course, the majority of consumers still use the old-fash- 

 ioned variety, and it is for their interest that this article 

 is being written, as well as by way of suggestion to the 

 manufacturers of glue of this kind. 



There is glue and glue, of course. The requirements 

 of different plants vary, and the requirements change with 

 the character of the work. Deciding what glue to use for 

 a given purpose calls for a knowledge of the glue, on the 

 one hand, and of the work, on the other. Yet glue sales- 

 men come along, boosting a wonderful "blend," which 

 is offered at a wonderful price, and suggesting that it be 

 used for any and all kinds of work which the manufacturer 

 may have to do. And if the price looks attractive, he 

 may make a sale, and the manufacturer will put the glue 

 to vi^ork. 



Viscosity, fluidity and various other characteristics of 

 glue determine its desirability for the vi^ork. Its tensile 

 strength is another very important feature, and it goes 

 without saying that this varies with different lots. The 

 factor of safety may be great enough in any particular case 

 to enable glue which is not properly selected to give a 

 reasonable degree of satisfaction ; but in this event the 

 chances are that this factor has been made sufficiently 

 large by using more glue than would have been needed 

 had material properly adapted for the work in mind been 

 selected. 



A few years ago the idea of testing lumber for dryness 

 before removing it from the kiln would have been thought 

 rather foolish. People waited until the material seemed 

 to be dry, and then took it out. If they were in doubt, 

 they left it in a little longer. But as manufacturers of 

 built-up tops and panels learned that it was just as unde- 

 sirable to have their core lumber too dry as too moist, 

 inasmuch as it would surely take up more moisture later 

 on, they began to realize that definite, specific tests as to 

 moisture would be a good thing. Consequently many 

 of the larger consumers, not to mention manufacturers of 

 lumber, use this plan right along, and no longer leave the 

 percentage of moisture content to chance. 



Likewise manufacturers of veneer operate along the 

 same line, so that vkfhen they ship out material from their 

 mills, they can guarantee the moisture percentage. This 

 has become a very popular plan, because it safeguards the 

 interests of consumers, and makes for more satisfactory 

 work. TT>e point is that whenever it is possible to use 

 tests instead of guesswork, it is desirable that this be done. 



