Glue ...

[Gilles Korent]

Here is an overview of the glue used through the construction of the canoe.
Note: this is what I personally use. This is not a recommendation as to what needs to be used.
The choice is mainly based on drying time, which can be important in some of the construction steps.

Gluing the station mold...
Hot glue: care must be taken to apply only a thin film to the area to be glued. For that use a small size "gun" with appropriate sticks. This is quick, squaring the mold is not a problem, everything solidly stays in place.
Easy to remove from the building base to build anther model.



All other building steps can be achieve with any type wood glue. Again, application should be a thin run on one of the contact areas to be joined.
Here is the glue I use. This is basically yellow carpenter's glue. It sets fairly quickly under tight hold or clamping and creates a thin joint line. It may penetrate the wood so careful application is needed: glue marks may show after application of finishes.



Installation of the ribs
Here's what I use:
Reason: very quick drying. works well with strips soaked in water for all curved areas (excess water should be wiped off the strip before glue application), and here again, only use as much glue as needed: avoid excess...



As mentioned at the top of this post, glue kind / brand is a matter of personal choice.
In regards to longevity, I have seen some of the canoes I have built in the past 20 years and they are still intact. The brand may have been different at some point but the results have been the same.
I have also experimented with building complete models using either wood glue or instant glues on their own (different brands from what is shown here). Either way, it will work: wood glue will only be much slower as some areas are hard to hold in place either than holding / pressing down by hand (especially the ribs as they are curved), and that is where instant glues are most useful.
I do understand about toxicity in the instant stuff ...... so I also recognize that not everyone would use that stuff.

G.

 

[Jimsky]

Hello Gilles,

What would you think if formers are treated with oil to avoid any accidental glue while attaching planks, or maybe cover the entire assembly with thin household plastic wrap?

 

[Gilles Korent]

What would you think if formers are treated with oil to avoid any accidental glue while attaching planks, or maybe cover the entire assembly with thin household plastic wrap?

I have tried wax, painter's tape before. Kitchen plastic wrap would work as long as it is secured to the molds.

But something I find important....
100% protection of the station molds is something I have never really looked for and here is the main "practical" reason:
- Because the ribs are put in place at a later stage and you need some references in order to line them up, I like to have some sort of glue mark left outlining the station molds position once the inside is sanded. As explained in the guide, in the section about the ribs, the location of the station molds is used for the rib spacing: the molds are vertical, most of glue marks are sanded off. What ever is left should disappear under the ribs.
Using basswood for the station is good for that...

But for the builders using plywood for the molds it may be a bit more tricky as the plywood may be more difficult to remove. Using tape may be the best solution while leaving 3 uncovered spots (the width of 1 strip) for that "accidental" glue spot to occur: say, one at gunwale location, one in halfway down the planking and the other at the very bottom of the hull, which will surely be covered by the "inside keel strip".

(I am going to place a reference to this message in the Strongback construction as well)

G.