Why I stopped using clamps for edge gluing panels

For years I always clamped up glued panels as tight as I could, thinking tighter meant a better joint. Then at a workshop in Akron last fall, an old cabinetmaker told me I was starved jointing my work and showed me how the glue squirts out when you overdo it. He had me try light clamping pressure with just enough to bring the boards together, and my next panel came out dead flat with no squeeze out mess. It felt wrong at first but now I get cleaner results every time. Has anyone else found a common technique that actually works better when you ease up?

2 comments

2 Comments

wright.taylor10d ago

My buddy Dave was building a dining table and couldn't figure out why his panels kept bowing. Tried everything until someone told him to back off the clamps. First panel after that came out perfect.

jordan33010d ago

I was the same way for years. I had this old Record vise that I would torque down so hard I could hear the wood creak, thinking that was how you got a strong glue up. Reading about starved joints online finally made me try going lighter, and it felt wrong for the first three panels. But after seeing how much flatter my work stayed and how little cleanup I needed, I was totally converted. Have you found that different wood species need different clamp pressures or is it pretty much the same across the board?