Wood is clamped and glued. should I release the clamps?

[mickthetree]

I have just glued and clamped up my table top - 6' by 3' (in a room not much bigger!!)

The clamps are on and I'm pleased with how it has gone.

But on the bottle of titebond is says clamp for 30 minutes then dont stress it for 24 hours.

So does that mean I should take off the clamps after 30 minutes? Cant I just leave them on for 24 hours for good measure? or does it need the release in tension to help it go off?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[JohnD]

I can't see how it could do any harm to leave the clamps on until it reaches full strength

though if the joints are well fitted there should be no reason for them to come apart unless stressed

 

[Jasonb]

You can leave them on with out a problem. Just make sure the metal of the clamps is not touching any of the squeezed out glue as you will get black stains on the wood.

Jason

 

[mickthetree]

thatnks guys.

Jason, do you know how deep the staining goes? as I'm going to plane and sand the top anyway.

The clamps ARE touching some of the wood. Does it make a difference if they are alluminium and not steel?

Maybe I'll leave it for a few hours then take the clamps off. though I'd feel much happier leaving them on. (just for my sanity really)

 

[big-all]

if its 25 and sunny 1hr

if your in no hurry assuming its above 15 degrees give them 4 hrs

if its nearer 8 degrees give it 8hrs

the glue may indeed work after 30 mins but with age and bad storage [to hot or to cold] and working condition the glue will become less efficient

so best to allow extra time

how old is your glue and how has it been stored!!!!!

 

[mickthetree]

I bought the glue a couple of weeks ago from rutlands and its been kept indoors (room temp). Cant see any dates on the bottle.

The tabletop is in the kitchen and its about room temp. I think I'll leave it overnight just for my peace of mind.

Thanks everyone for your advice!

I'll post some pics when I'm done.