[Robert Cahill]

sorry it took so long to respond. Dr. appointments and the fact I can't use the computer and phone at the same time. They say they will call right back but here that means sometimes this month.Sorry the medical field frustrates the heck out of me.
Anyway thanks for the response. I do laminate for 8 or 10 inch projects . I have to go 150 miles one way for any wood except building material I can get oak pine and aspen in only 75 miles one way. Also I don't have a large band saw to cut the wood to shape so Mary's book is ideal for me. Painting covers the marks but staining shows through although most don't seem to notice it but I do.
Again thanks for the response

[Ron Davidson]

I always used rough sawn lumber and allowed that after the first planeing and after glueing up the panels I would scrape off the excess and then run through the 48" drum sander for the final planeing. Like Hi Ho said you use water and you just delute it and push it into the grain.

[mark yundt]

The only way you should be able to see a joint is a change in direction of grains,color from one board to another but never because it shows up from the addition of stain. If you can see any indication of a glue line ,,the joint wasn't proprly prepped.
Controlling the amount of glue is important,,very little squeeze out should occur,,too much indicates too much glue,,which can weaken a joint.Once the pieces are finished clamped I'll use a scraper or putty knife to remove as much of the drips as I can.Though I usually keep scraping them off as it progressively tighten the clamps. Then I use an almost wet rag turning it often to a clean section of the rag. I keep a big bucket of clean water on hand to rinse the rag often otherwise you just keep spreading thinned glue around on the rest of the surface.A light sanding and you are good to go.
If after staining a light spot does show up,,simply use a cabinet scraper,,the edge of a sharpened putty knife or regular knife,,while the stain is still wet to clear the surface,then immediately wipe on more stain.This way you will get a nice even coat of color.The piece I'm doing now is over 50 pcs. glued up ,,the process does work.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

When using carpenters glue you have to remember that water will desolve it. Norm of New Yankee Workshop alwlays says to wipe off the excess with a damp cloth. Sounds easy but unfortunately it doesn't work out that way. The damp cloth picks up any excess glue, softens it and spreads it in the damp cloth, then you spread it out even further when you wipe it. If you paint wet like I do these areas once dry will not accept paint like the raw wood. Bad news.

The suggestions to glue up first and leave excess wood to carve away is the best way to solve this problem. But there is something else you can do that will make the solution even easier to solve. Instead of using the standard carpenters glue buy the waterproof version instead. This will dry a darker brown and is much easier to see when dry. As I paint my figures I've never noticed any problem in covering the glue line even though its a bit darker. But it sure is easy to see those glue spots even if you use a damp cloth to wipe the excess.

You never know.....that terrific duck decoy you spent 6 months on might end up decorating in some collectors fish pond. At least with the waterproof glue you won't be embarrased with it's head falling off!!

[millhoused]

A tip I picked up from a guitar luthier is to use a drinking straw.
Run the end of the straw through the excess glue at an angle and it will pick the glue up in the straw.

You then have much less excess glue to deal with.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Originally Posted by mark yundt

The only way you should be able to see a joint is a change in direction of grains,color from one board to another but never because it shows up from the addition of stain. If you can see any indication of a glue line ,,the joint wasn't proprly prepped.
Controlling the amount of glue is important,,very little squeeze out should occur,,too much indicates too much glue,,which can weaken a joint.Once the pieces are finished clamped I'll use a scraper or putty knife to remove as much of the drips as I can.Though I usually keep scraping them off as it progressively tighten the clamps. Then I use an almost wet rag turning it often to a clean section of the rag. I keep a big bucket of clean water on hand to rinse the rag often otherwise you just keep spreading thinned glue around on the rest of the surface.A light sanding and you are good to go.
If after staining a light spot does show up,,simply use a cabinet scraper,,the edge of a sharpened putty knife or regular knife,,while the stain is still wet to clear the surface,then immediately wipe on more stain.This way you will get a nice even coat of color.The piece I'm doing now is over 50 pcs. glued up ,,the process does work.

On your post "Tree Update", on the first page, the first picture, lower right quadrant....I see a very dark joint line and the piece is not stained....what caused that?

[mark yundt]

Hi Ho,,,,NONE of this is stained. I believe Joy noticed the same thing on my original post which is a parting line. Remember,,this piece is almost 10 ft tall,,and just as wide in solid cherry. .just over 350 board feet...It's heavy!. The way I designed it is in 3 pcs. During carving I don't have it bolted together solidly which is done with 1/2 inch x6 inch bolts.
This makes it easier to transport and handle without having 4-5 guys lift it and risk twisting it ( it's really 2 long legs with the branches as a cross piece) The top 2 1/2 feet is where it's attached to the trunks and that's the line you can see.It's not bolted tight. In the pics I pulled it apart so everyone can see how I indexed them to fit together without allowing them to shift as their bolted together across the 6 1/2 inch thickness.When I tighten the bolts the line disappears completly.I just can't reach them now,,and I still pull it apart at times.You can actually see one of the bolts in place if you look close.And where that branch takes off,,including the trunk,,you're looking at at least 9 blocks glued together...3 of them 10 ft long.....
Cool Huh?

[mark yundt]

Here is another shot showing 10 pcs glued up. This is the base and hasn't been finished yet. Wasn't worried about drips as this will be belt sanded smooth and will sit flat on the floor. The second shot shows where those pieces meet further up the trunk. These are also the raw ,unfinished chisel marks just as I left them.There isn't any stain or finish here,,just bare wood.This cherry is a pretty wood.The joints came out pretty well I think. I also included the glued up Hawk..here a seam runs right through his face,,and the brackets from a while back,,you can see a difference in color,,but the 4 blocks to make them fit well.

If a joint is properly done I will never feel it when I'm carving.If it's not,,you'll feel a bit of a snag,,hear a bit of a "crunching " sound as the chisel passes through it.You might also notice a bit of grain change,,but that doesn't bother me either.So with the tree,,assuming both sides of the block are glued,,that's at least well over 100 glue joints ,,,and fortunately I haven't felt any yet.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I have some poplar I am adding to a mirror frame and not sure which way to go to attach...can't nail, don't want screws showing.....glue? or the small biscuits are the only options I can think of......thats why I was asking...but you have yours bolted...I don't have the size or thickness to do that on this.

[mark yundt]

Ah,,I see,,a puzzle,,neat! I'm not sure how thick your piece is. Glue alone ,with a good joint is incredibly strong. Biscuts are an extra precaution. If you don't have a biscut jointer you can also use a spline.Is it possible to show a pic of what you want to do,,maybe I can think of other solutions if I have a better idea of the situation.I have also added pieces ,,to increase glue area as well as mechanical strength used half laps,,that's how I added the leaf ends to the end grain on that cross I did not long ago..As you know end grain doesn't glue at all.There are more options though.