Shoutout to the guy at the hardware store who saved my glue-up

I was putting together a simple pine bookshelf in my garage last week, and the whole thing was about to go sideways, literally. I had all the pieces clamped up with Titebond III, but the joints kept slipping no matter how much I tightened the clamps. I was ready to scrap the project when I ran to the local Ace for more glue. The older guy in the lumber section saw my face and asked what was up. I told him, and he just said, 'You using any wax paper under those clamps? The wood's sticking to your clamp blocks and pulling everything out of line.' I had no idea. I went home, cut some parchment paper from the kitchen to use as a barrier, and the next glue-up went perfectly straight. It was such a simple fix for a problem that was driving me nuts. Has anyone else had a basic shop tip like that completely save a project?

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3 Comments

jenny_hall6mo ago

Honestly I'm gonna go against the grain here. That tip is kind of overrated. If your joints are slipping that bad, the real problem is probably your prep work, not the clamps sticking. Your surfaces might not have been flat or square to begin with. Or you didn't let the glue get tacky enough before clamping. I've done tons of glue ups without any barrier and they turn out fine if you just take your time setting up. Parchment paper is just a band-aid for rushing the job.

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sarah_patel256mo ago

Right? Why add an extra step when good prep fixes the slipping anyway?

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lee_reed6mo ago

Parchment saves your clamps from glue drips too.

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