Best PVA Woodworking Glue

I visited the family today over at FamilyWoodworking.org and found a great post started by Larry called What type of glue? and why? This thread started me off on an hour of woodworking glue research.

What I learned in that hour I could have learned if I’d just read the entire thread that Larry posted. Here’s what Bill Simpson said later on:

“Larry it seems that you are looking for an all inclusive and exclusive panacia of gluedom. It ain’t there. I don’t think there is one glue for all jobs, tasks, and screwups.

“In my stash I have a range of CAs from thin to thick as well as Polyurethane and the afore mentioned Titebonds I, II, & III.”

For this article I decided to stick with PVAs. If you’re interested in other types of glues and how to use them then first consider this glue use rule of thumb from Woodworking.com: “I use yellow glue for most applications; white glue when I need more open time; Roo glue for Melamine and plastics; Titebond II for wet areas and Gorilla glue for outdoor use.”

I also suggest you read Mark DeCou’s excellent “Using the Right Glue in the Right Place.” He writes about glue as a tool and describes uses for CAs (super glues) and epoxies.

Not surprisingly, Tite Bond was the runaway favorite in the PVA category.

Tite Bond brand: 63 votes overall

Tite Bond II: 25 votes

Bond Strength:
Room temp - 3,600 psi - 77% wood failure
150-degrees - 1,600 psi - 10% wood failure

Tite Bond III: 20 votes

Bond Strength:
Room temp - 3,750 psi, 72% wood failure
150-dgrees - 1,750 psi, 6% wood failure

Tite Bond I: 13 votes

Bond Strength:
Room Temp - 4000 psi, 57% wood failure

I got the bond strength data from an interview with a Titebond representative over at Newwoodworker: The Titebond Glue Family Nine ways to get stuck and like it!

Some other honorable mention PVAs include:
Elmer’s Yellow Carpenter’s Glue: 1

Wood Worx PVA glue: 1 vote

Some people put stock in what the pros use. Some people are just curious. Anyways, here are some of the wood glues used by the “celebrities:”

The Glue Marc Adams Uses
Paid for a class from Marc Adams (Big wood guru). He said 98% of the stuff he makes is with white glue. He said the other glues all have their uses (he even worked with the manufacturers on some of them). But again 98% of the time he uses white glue.
- Jim Holladay from What’s the best glue?

The Glue Norm Uses:
The glues in Norm’s kitchen cabinets are Titebond III and Titebond Molding & Trim glue, which are popular with both amateur and professional woodworkers.
from: New Yankee Workshop’s Norm Abram Uses Cutting Edge Materials, Glue and Fasteners

Glue Resources:
Best Glue for a Cutting Board
Hide Glue, Epoxies And Polyurethanes
Gluing dovetails and finger joints Which adhesive is best for these joints?
Using the Right Glue in the Right Place.
Best Wood Glue - Wood Glue Showdown
The USDA Bottom Line on Poly Glue
“How strong is your glue?”
What’s the best glue?