Franklin International is dedicated to professional and hobbyist woodworkers with its extensive family of Titebond adhesives, including the popular Original, II Premium and III Ultimate wood glues — and nothing has changed in that regard. But this time, the company has developed a modified PVA glue that should appeal to a broader group of users, too. Quick & Thick’s silver bottle seems to be an indicator that this adhesive doesn’t quite fit the same mold as the familiar blue-, red- and green-labeled Titebond bottles many of us use so often.

“Since 1935, we’ve always strived to offer the best possible solutions for woodworking applications,” says Craig Stone, director of marketing innovation for Franklin International. “Now we have a product for home repair and craft projects, too.”

Franklin’s research of today’s consumer glue market has revealed that project-oriented people use glue for more than just bonding wood. Woodworkers, DIYers and crafters are also involved in “soft” crafts, which include paper, fabrics and home repairs. Up until now, Titebond hasn’t had a product targeted to these other applications that also bonds wood. Stone says consumers want a glue with thicker beading properties so it won’t run or drip, and the ability to fill small gaps. Fast setting time, invisible glue lines when cured and the convenience of soap-and-water cleanup are also desirable. Quick & Thick is formulated to satisfy all of these requirements.

In terms of Quick & Thick’s viscosity, it has a thixotropic (gel-type) consistency that is three times thicker than traditional PVA wood glues. Benefit? It can be applied to vertical surfaces without dripping. You might already be familiar with Titebond’s No-Run, No-Drip Wood Glue, which was formulated for attaching molding and trim. The new Quick & Thick, Stone says, is a modification of this product that provides additional benefits.

“We develop and manufacture the base polymers that go into our wood glues,” Stone adds. “For this reason, we can purposely modify our formulations regarding several performance criteria, including set time, water-resistance and bond strength to particular materials.”

Aside from neater gluing in vertical situations, Quick & Thick should squeeze out less than thinner, more fluid glues to help prevent waste. It’s also designed to fill small gaps in wood joints. Traditional PVA glues can, in some situations, handle gaps up to about 3 mil, but Quick & Thick will bridge gaps up to about 1/32-in. and still form a strong bond. Stone clarifies that Quick & Thick isn’t intended to fill gaps larger than this, “but it will provide a stronger bond than other PVAs on imperfect joints that may be associated with some woodworking and home repair projects.”

Crafters will appreciate the “Multi-Surface” attribute of Titebond’s new silver-bottled glue: Stone says Franklin’s extensive lab testing has proven that Quick & Thick surpasses other water-cleanup PVA glues on adhesion to pottery, ceramics, stone, fabrics, leather and even glass, as well as wood. Stone points out, however, that one of the two materials being bonded must be porous or semi-porous so the glue has an outlet for curing purposes. Up until now, a typical “yellow” or “white” glue would not have been the right choice for bonding most of these materials.

For other benefits, Quick & Thick sets twice as fast as traditional PVA glues, it dries clear, and the bond remains somewhat flexible for better impact resistance. It has a strong initial tack, with an open time of three to five minutes and a set time of 15 minutes. This should be long enough to position and realign pieces as needed but still require only about half the clamping time before the bond sets. Franklin reports that Quick & Thick offers excellent sandability and is not affected by finishes.

It’s important to note that Quick & Thick is not water-resistant or waterproof. It’s intended for interior applications only. “There are no cross-linking capabilities of this formula, and it will not hold up well to continuous moisture,” Stone says. “Pertaining to water resistance, it will compare to any of our interior woodworking glues.”

Quick & Thick Multi-Surface Glue will be packaged in 8-ounce bottles and sell for around $3.99. You’ll find it soon at Rockler and Menard’s stores, select Lowe’s, Ace Hardware and Do It Best stores, Homedepot.com and Amazon.

After 80 years in the glue business, supplying some 200 formulations to more than 60 countries, Franklin is a leader in consumer and professional adhesives. They’ve proven it to woodworkers through the Titebond family of products, and now Quick & Thick is poised to convince crafters and DIYers as well.

“Quick & Thick is a high-performance, cost-effective glue for woodworking, home repair and craft projects. It is non-oxic … easy to clean, doesn’t stain hands or clothes and works on a variety of materials,” Stone says. “It’s the perfect glue to have around the house.”

Learn more about Titebond products by clicking here.

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The clamps can handle a range of drawer box side thicknesses, up to 1-1/8-in. Drawer faces can be any thickness up to 1-in., and they can overlay the drawer box by up to 1-3/4-in. There must be at least 3/16-in. of clearance beside the drawer box sides and the cabinet opening, to allow for the clamp thickness. And, drawer slides must be positioned at least ¾-in. down from the top edges of the box.

Rockler’s Drawer Front Installation Clamps (item 54804) are sold in pairs. Priced at $39.99, they’re available now online and at Rockler stores nationwide.

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The sled comes with an adjustable toggle clamp to secure workpieces up to 1-in. thick. Two handles make the base easier to control safely. An adjustable foot forms a second point of contact between the sled’s vertical fence and the router table fence to keep it tracking consistently when a narrow workpiece is installed.

The VRS-100 Vertical Router Sled from Infinity Cutting Tools sells for $139.90. To learn more and see a video of it in action, click here.

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Rob Johnstone: Unless you used hide glue on the joints, there is no solvent that will break down the glue in a joint. You can use steam pumped right into the joint to loosen the glue. (It’s no small job.) We do this when we are removing guitar necks from the body when they have to be re-set. But glue-up remains the major woodworking operation that is not reversible. I am sorry to have such bad news. And believe me, I know your frustration because I have been in your situation.

Tim Inman: I’m with Rob. These joints are really tough to destroy – especially if you’re not wanting to do much damage in the process. As a restorer and conservator, I often have used pressurized steam injected through a veterinary sized needle right into the interior of the joints I needed to open. This requires the equipment, of course. It also requires a little good old-fashioned “Superman” X-ray vision or intuition. You have to imagine in your mind’s eye where the joint is internally and when you’ve drilled into it, in order to get the steam needle where you want it. Even then, it takes time and – often – force. Another option is a Japanese razor saw. These are very thin blades that cut on the pull stroke. You can often saw right down through the joint and cut off the tenons or dowels without doing much harm to the sides of the wood. Then, you’ll have to reinstall either a floating tenon or new dowels.

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The “L” shaped bench area was simple to design and build. I used birch plywood and poplar solid wood so it would resist dents. Custom decorative molding made easy with different router shaped bits.

The Trestle table was a real pleasure to design and build. I did a lot of design and assembly research, especially on “Woodworker’s Journal.”  It is made from white maple which I bought from my local lumber store, Mendham Plywood. Since I don’t have a lathe to build the spindles I purchased them from Adams Wood Products in Tennessee.

The leg bases consisted of several layers of maple glued together and shaped on a band saw with lots of sanding. Placed birch dowels to secure the spindles to the base and top support arms for a sturdy structure to hold the top. The top and bottom horizontal support pieces that tied in the two spindle bases, as well as the 50” x 70” top were secured with ¼” machine screws with threaded inserts to make it easier to disassemble. I used biscuits to join the seven 7 1/4 ” wide planks and two end pieces with a ½” base of birch plywood to avoid any warping. A 3/16” straight router bit was used to cut the small channels in the top. Four coats of polyurethane with a Mimi wax finish gave it a real nice shine and protective coat.

-William Cafero
Mendham, NJ

See the Gallery Below:

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“A few years ago, I was asked by a church to repurpose some 100(?)-year-old pews into 86″ x 40″ tables supported by pew end pieces lengthened so they could safely be on casters for use in the fellowship hall. They were quality oak pews which varied in thickness over 3/16″. Supports (inserts) on the flat bottom of the pews made it unsuitable for a tabletop.  Further, they wanted the edge of each table to include the rolled corner normally at the top of the pew. I removed all the nails and screws and took the pieces without the rolled edge to my local hardwood supplier to plane on his 36″ machine. I think he got mad and eventually told me, correctly, the finish on the wood would clog up his sawdust removal system (even if I removed the finish).

“Undaunted, I bought an inexpensive power hand planer, put all the stock together with biscuits and glue and began a long task of planing it with the grain walking from end to end. I smiled at the question, agreed with all of your counsel, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.” – Ben Dady

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