Epoxy on wood???

SamuraiDave

SamuraiDave

Joined
Apr 6, 2001
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I have a piece of cheap white oak that I am making into a scabbard. I am practiceing before I start using my sheet of birdseye maple for this project. However my dilemma is that I currently am out of woodglue and need to know if Devcon 2 ton epoxy will work (wood-to-wood bond). I plan on staining the wood after I have it to shape and want to know if the devcon will make the seam in the wood more visable than another type of glue.

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.
 
Devcon is good stuff and much stronger, and longer lasting too. I use the 2-tonne stuff to mate together some mortised wood handles and if done properly the seam is near dead invisible. Its not got to do with the adhesive, but the work gone into getting the mate up pefectly, 'cos the same thing happens when I join up with superglue and many other proprietary brands of epoxy. Seems more difficult on light coloured materials - eg.- stag, but I've seen a whitening material to "colour" the epoxy so it can be used as a filler. I just checked Knife and Gun Finishing Supplies and they stock epoxy colorants in dry powder form - comes in a variety of colours that can be mixed to get just the right shade - may be worth experimenting with to get the colours right. Hope that helps. Jason.
 
Epoxy is very good on wood. I got bonds so strong that on an occasion the wood broke right near the bond, but where the glue was, the part was unbroken and almost unbreakable
This because the epoxy saturates the wood pores and then polymerizes there actually creating a single piece out of two parts.
The tighter the mating, the stronger the bond. Better to leave the two parts not too polished. A rough finish (compatibly with fit and finish of the final product) is better.
 
Thanks guys, that is what I was thinking. I just wanted to check.

Alarion,
My plan is to fit the knife into the 2 pieces of oak. 1/2 of the depth of the knife in each block. Then I will cover the knife in a light coat of grease and glue the 2 rough blocks together. While it is drying I will remove and replace the knife, just to make sure there is no bond to the blade, and maybe re-oiling the knife if need be.

Afterwards I will finish the 2 pieces as one. And then start on a second model to learn from my mistakes from the first, and then perhaps a third.

I really dont want to screw up this birds eye maple, and maybe I can use these scabbards on later knives of the same design. Who knows?:)
 
I'm concerned the epoxied edge will difficult to finish and will always look like an edge. If that is unimportant to you, then don't worry about it.

(I think that is also what Alarion is alluding to)

Otherwise, find a better high-strength wood glue.
 
Originally posted by SamuraiDave
Ahhh. Ok.

Any suggestions on another (preferably waterproof) wood glue?
Click to expand...


Devcon 2 ton is waterproof. I've used it on handles for over 20 years, and it works great.
 
If you make sure that the two pieces of wood mate really well, the layer of epoxy will be thin and not really show up at all. Oak is not that porous compared to some other woods so it should not soak it up and produce a hardened layer. I would avoid using grease since it may affect the ability of the epoxy (or any other adhesive) to set properly. You could use masking tape on the sharpened edge and the spine. If the mating surface is wide enough, say over 1/2 inch, then don't put any on the inside 1/8 inch or so. You do not want or need to have so much epoxy that you have gobs of it squishing out when you clamp it. Just a thin layer on both pieces will be enough. Warming the wood with a heatgun will help you spread the epoxy thinly and evenly. Putting on too much WILL give you the thick, hard to finish layer of epoxy that Pendetive is concerned about.

Why put the knife between the two halves when gluing them together? If you are going to finish the scabbard afterwards, make the two pieces a bit longer and put some bolts or screws through them, at the point end and at the throat end, to align them. This would also hold the pieces together, without the need for clamps, while you work on them. You could then glue it after shaping the outside. This would allow you to check the thickness of the wood as you shape the outside.

Hope that helps.

Phil
 
PSO,
I wish I thought of that before I started. :o

I should check in here with yall before I start on anything! :rolleyes: ;)
 
Epoxy is a great wood glue but it does have color that will show a seam.
The problem I've had that made me redo the sheath is grinding too much! Not really a mistake when I ground through, just an opertunity to try leather covered wood. Now I try to finish one side, glue toghther then finish the other. Many trial fits with sheath clamped togather with rubber bands or wrapped with string.
Design opertunities, not mistakes Lynn
 
Dave, An artist and woodcarver pal of mine has carved quite a few wood birds that required glue joints. What he does is heat the wood up and apply two part epoxy, and clamp. He says it makes the glue really penetrate and makes an invisible glue joint. He's done this for years and says he has never had a problem. I can email his ph. # if you want to ask him for more info, but that's it in a nutshell.
 
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