Woodworkers, boat builders and composite shops plan the glue-up as a sequence: dry fit, lay out clamps, spread adhesive, close the joints within open time and check alignment before the adhesive sets. Big glue-ups take a full crew. The clamped assembly sitting on the bench waiting to cure is also called the glue-up.
Dry fit everything before the glue-up, once the PVA's on we've got ten minutes to get it all clamped.
Also heard as
- glueup
- clamp-up
Related terms
Open time
The longest gap allowed between applying adhesive and closing the joint while it can still wet the second part.
PVA
Polyvinyl acetate emulsion, the white or yellow wood glue that sets as its water soaks into the wood.
Squeeze-out
The excess adhesive that oozes out along the joint edges at clamp-up, read as proof the joint is full.
Starved joint
A joint left short of adhesive, with bare patches or voids where the glue soaked in, squeezed out or never reached.