“Your latest newsletter asked for the benefits of a local woodworking guild. I became a member of the Central Virginia Woodworking Guild a little over a year ago. Some of my thoughts about guild membership are tangible; however, many benefits are difficult to discern and place into words. Since I am of German heritage, I love making lists, so here goes: 1) Knowledge. Seeking and finding that elusive bit of information that solves a sticky problem. A solution that even YouTube videos have not provided. 2) An extensive email list of the members. There’s gotta be a couple of hundred fellow woodworkers on the list. I blasted out two emails to the group this past year. First one was to locate a woodturner who could turn an 8-ft-long wood column for a historic house. Found him. Second was to source a planer to replace mine that crapped out mid-project. Found an older 15″ Grizzly planer and had it chipping away within two days. Third time was a group email from a member who was shutting down his shop and offered tools to members. Nothing like getting first dibs on tools. 3) Inspiration. At each meeting, a few members will bring recently completed projects. We get inspired by others’ creativity. How they solved a problem. What worked for them and how their solutions could work for my projects. 4) Fellowship. I am not a particularly outgoing person. Turns out, many of the other members are not either. Many of us are wood geeks. We are entirely comfortable in our shop. Not as much around others. But a connection is there. And when we talk with one another we understand each other. Ever try to communicate your enthusiasm about a new tool to a non-woodworker? Notice how quickly their eyes glaze over? 5) Networking. All of us have goals. To achieve them, enlisting the group is powerful. Our challenges can be solved by group power. I am certain more benefits are there – just not uncovered from my mind.” – Kim Fischer

“I’d like to tell you about my experience with the Florida Westcoast Woodworkers Club, of which I used to be a member. The club had around 100 members with several being snowbirds. On average, meeting attendance was usually between 20 and 30. We usually got better attendance at the winter Christmas party and the spring picnic. The club met in one of the club member’s shops, which was a large warehouse-sized shop. Our members ranged in age from their twenties to their eighties, and the wealth of knowledge and experience was extraordinary. The members’ experience consisted of flat work, turners, carvers, chip carvers, intarsia and more. One of the members created a jig that he patented and sells that will make a perfect sphere on a lathe. We met once a month as a group with additional skill-specific monthly meetings, such as for turners. The general meeting consisted of a short ‘business’ meeting followed by a presentation (more on that later). Then a break followed by ‘Show and Tell,’ where members brought in one or more pieces of their work and briefly discussed it. As the meeting drew to a close, we’d have a raffle and other giveaways for members. The heart of every meeting was the presentation. Many of the presentations were by club members, but we had outside presenters too. One annual presenter worked for Titebond (and he gave away samples). By the questions asked of the various presenters, it was clear that we learned something from most presentations. One of the other things the group did was to support the Manatee County Food Bank with their fundraiser each year. The food bank has local chefs who prepare their signature soups. The club’s turners created bowls that were given away with the soup. Those of us who were not turners donated other items for their auction. I donated a half dozen sets of coasters I make. The best part for me and, I think for most of us, was the camaraderie. The experiences, stories and help that we all shared with one another made the time I spent with the group invaluable. Unfortunately, due to family medical issues, we moved back to Pennsylvania from Florida last spring. I really do miss the group. My suggestion, if you’re considering joining a woodworking group, is to attend a meeting or two to see what the club has to offer you and what you can offer the club. Hope this helps.” – Barry Meyers

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– Howard Hirsch
Downingtown, Pennsylvania

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“This new regulation is being pushed by SawStop as their patent on their technology expires in nine years, and they want to cash in on it prior to their patent expiring. They quashed Bosch when they came out with a similar type of technology, and they will go after anyone else who may develop a similar technology. They are just looking to cash in on this government overreach, which they are pushing. This will put the price of table saws and contractor saws out of reach for the average hobby woodworker and construction workers. A SawStop 10” contractors table saw is $2,257, the Jobsite table saw is $1,600. You can get a Bosch Jobsite saw for around $600 or a SKIL worm drive for about the same price, the DeWALT saws run a little less. You can bet SawStop will not give this technology out to help woodworkers, they will instead charge a pretty penny for it. So they are NOT pushing these CPSC rules out of the goodness of their hearts, they want to cash in before their patent runs out. I agree with you that anything that can improve safety for a tool that can be dangerous, but when only one company has the technology and they are pushing for regulations that would only benefit them monetarily, it’s not right. I can only hope that the other tool manufacturers get off their combined backsides and start working together to develop an alternative safety device to prevent this money grab by SawStop.”  – James Wirtz

“It wasn’t too many years ago, SawStop and another company were in a heated courtroom battle about patent rights for the SawStop abilities. I don’t have a clue on the particulars other than SawStop won and the other company had to discontinue making their model. That being said, a couple of months ago it was time to retire my Craftsman saw — it was making too many noises. The arbor was shot and I had it rebuilt and couldn’t get it to stop making noise when on. I decided to pull the trigger on a SawStop. It truly is an investment for the future. Twenty-five plus years ago I did put my thumb into a blade. Thank God it wasn’t bad. I figured the difference in price would be made up with one trip to the ER for stitches. It truly is a nice saw besides that, and I look forward to many years of safe sawing.” – Lorne Sievers

“Does this mean we might see the excellent Bosch Reaxx safety accessory come back for sale?” – John Matthews

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The board acted like a giant shim to give the bit the lower cutting height this operation required. I positioned the through hole for the bit so that I could slide my router table fence up beside it. In the future, I can just drill more holes in this melamine board at whatever fence setting I need to use it again in the same way.

– Serge Duclos
Delson, Quebec

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– Andrew Limeri
Framingham, Massachusetts

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“Thanks for making sure Norm got mentioned. You’re right — we all owe him (and Russ Morash) a debt of gratitude for making woodworking accessible. I never missed an episode. Somewhere I have a box of all the “New Yankee” episodes saved on VHS tape. Newer episodes were saved to DVDs. It looks like most of the episodes are now available on YouTube, so maybe I can say goodbye to the tapes and the carefully preserved player. As you said, Norm built normal projects using normal materials and normal tools that were accessible to all of us. I will say his Timesaver was an exception. I lost my dream of duplicating his shop when I saw the price for one of those monsters. But otherwise, everything he did was something I could aspire to duplicate or translate to a project of my own choosing. I would also mention David Marks. His shows were also very informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work.” – Steve Dragg

“You are right on the money about Norm; too bad there aren’t shows like his today.” – Kenny Stevenson

“For me it is more like Tim Taylor. I spent two years constructing and perfecting a 28”-wide thickness sander. It was a beast. My two cents.” – RileyG

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“I’m not sure if this qualifies exactly, but it might. Who knows? I’m almost 78 years old now, but when I was a little boy of maybe 8 or 9, my father had an old table saw. I recall watching him building a set of picture frames on that thing, with a compound miter in the corners. A couple of decades later, I bought another old table saw and tried my hand at building a few things. That’s when the complexity of what he did really hit home. I have a hard enough time cutting a straight 45 on a board for a flat frame — and that’s with a modern saw (now) and the benefit of experience. How in the heck he cut a compound miter for a set of three picture frames, I have no idea! But somehow he did, and my memories of him trying again and again to cut those angles until he got them right are still with me, long after he no longer is.” – H. Vinson Sumerlin

“My grandfather worked for 45 years as a tire builder in Akron, Ohio. But his passion was woodworking. Apart from a few treasured pieces of walnut from his family farm, all his wood was salvaged from orange crates that he carefully disassembled. His shop was stacked from floor to ceiling with that lumber. All his power tools were homemade, wired to knife switches mounted on the ceiling. I still have his scroll saw, powered with a washing machine motor and handmade wooden pulleys (see above). His shop had the most intriguing jigs and fixtures. He once built a roller coaster model. The power source was the wind-up motor from an old Victrola record player. The chain to carry the car to the top had links fabricated with the metal from Prince Albert tobacco tins (Yes, he rolled his own cigarettes too). When I was a child, I asked him to make a simple box for me. I watched as he assembled the sides, nailed the bottom on, then nailed the top on. I was too timid to say anything, but I thought, that’s not right, how can I put anything in the box? Then he stepped to the table saw and cut the top off to make a perfectly matched lid. I was amazed. I thought, what a genius! I guess I inherited some of his ingenuity. I seem to enjoy making jigs and fixtures just like my grandfather. My stepson once said to me, ‘You need to stop making fixtures and start making stuff!'” – Kevin Jones

“My father was a man who could make and fix everything. As a child I wanted to ‘help’ him when he was working on a project, but it was usually my brother who was his assistant. A few of his hobbies were taxidermy, building model airplanes (which had motors and actually flew), photo dark room, remodeling our home, animated Christmas decorations, wine maker and a midget race car for my brother, just to name a few. He repaired all our appliances. After retiring from the USPS, he started making and repairing clocks. My most prized possession is the grandfather clock he made for my mom. I guess I inherited his creative genes. I’m the only one of my siblings who became a woodworker. He will always be my hero!” – Ca.Johnston

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– David DePauw
Cincinnati, Ohio

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“I learned how to hand-cut dovetails when I was 16 and worked with my dad in the mid 1970s. I was taught that instead of buying an expensive jig that only did one job in the shop, take an extra 30 minutes or so and hand-cut them instead. To this day, I make all my drawers with hand-cut dovetails, and after 50 years and hundreds and hundreds of drawers and boxes I have never thought about using a jig. The extra time it takes to lay out and cut is shop time in my happy place.” – Rick Smith

“Dovetails are part of nearly everything I make anymore. I use hand tools for this task to save dust and noise while acquiring more skill with the tools.” – Denny Lawson

“I have used my first-generation Rockler jig to make dovetails when I want them. Mostly half-blinds for drawers, but like you, I will occasionally use them to create interest on a piece that needs something extra. I have always wanted to try hand-cut dovetails, but I have not taken that step. A friend who has taught classes in hand-cut dovetails assures me that it’s pretty easy, but he’s shifty.” – Rob Hahn

“I have attempted to cut dovetails with somewhat satisfactory results. I purchased a dovetail jig from Peachtree Woodworking several year ago, and it cuts flawless dovetails. This jig makes dovetail cutting simple and precise.” – Dennis Sheehan

“Years ago, I built a toy box for my granddaughters and decided to use dovetail joints. I hand-cut all of them over a period of a week. In my opinion, they turned out pretty good for my first time cutting them. I only had to adjust the fit on three or four. The toy box is still in use after 10 years and still in good shape.” – Samuel Lytle

“I use dovetails a lot on my projects. I do a lot of design and build in the field of medium to large size furniture projects. I’ve been into woodworking since retiring from the electrical industry in 2009. I do all my dovetails by hand. I’ve tried to do dovetails on the table saw but screw up more than I do by hand. I’ve slowed way down on my projects the last few months due to cancer of the esophagus. My surgeon has given me two years to live. I intend to make a liar of him. It’s been my goal for years to live to the age of 106.” – Bill Self

“I made the ‘Gluing Supplies Caddy’ that appeared in the February issue of Woodworkers Journal(see above). I wanted to try to increase my novice skills of hand-cut dovetails. I watched YouTube videos from Rob Cosman on through dovetails, half-blind dovetails and his three video series on drawers. I made some mistakes along the way, which I learned from. Although I made some mistakes, mostly in not cutting the tails square enough to the board, the caddy turned out good. I am happy with the finished project. I used white oak that my father-in-law milled from trees he and my mother-in-law felled when they cleared their lot to build their home. I used purpleheart I had on hand for the pin boards. I built the drawer 4-5/8″ high because I wanted 4-1/8″ of height from the top of the drawer bottom to the top of the drawer. It was a little tricky getting the drawer to slide freely so it could open in both directions. Planing a little off the interior sides of the carcass with my 5-1/2″ bench plane and a skew block plane solved that problem. I finished it with satin polyurethane. I then hand-rubbed it with 0000 steel wool, Rockler pumice stone, Rockler rotten stone and paste wax.” – George Maehrer

“Dovetails are beautiful and always fascinated me, yet for many years they remained intimidating. Finally one winter, I decided to give them a try and cut my first attempt in a couple pieces of scrap 1″ x 2″. The resulting dovetails were crude yet surprisingly strong and effective. That gave me the bug and encouragement to try again. I needed a basic workbench in my garage and asked a local contractor to let me know the next time he did a kitchen cabinet upgrade for someone. He called while I was out shopping and said he had left a couple cabinets in my driveway and to let him know if I wanted them or not. There were several cabinets with plenty of countertop, one being 16 ft. long. I thanked him and paid what he asked, which was a pittance compared to new prices. A couple drawers were missing, which became the perfect time to make some new ones using dovetails. Not having a workbench with the big open vise, I built a Moxon vise and clamped it to the wing of my table saw. Then I read and watched YouTube videos on dovetails until I was comfortable with the marking, hand sawing and chiseling process. Taking my time to get them right, the dovetails came out very good. They still have a little gap here and there, but glued up tight and are perfect for a garage cabinet. It has been a couple years since then, but I am no longer scared of the process and will definitely cut more when the need arises for drawers, boxes or wherever they may make a good impression in a project.” – John Eickstadt

“I have cut dovetails for years. Like many, I cut my first dovetails as a test of my skill level. The joint was the appropriate one for the project — a toolbox. My first dovetails were cut by hand, and I still prefer that method. I have cut them with a jig—half-blind (Porter-Cable 12″ jig). Once I figured out how to lay them out quickly, I could cut through dovetails faster than I could with a jig. They look better and are quicker. (The fussiness of getting a jig set up, doing test cuts and so forth takes a lot of time and material that I prefer to use in a different way). My focus for the last several years has been making boxes on commission and for friends and family. Dovetails are strong and beautiful. If another joint is more appropriate, I use that joint (like the mortise-and-tenon frames around the Kumiko panels). If you were really interested in generating a buzz, you would have asked whether we cut pins or tails first. (And there are brilliant and opinionated practitioners of each approach.)” – Rusty Farrington

“I have made box joints with help of commercial jigs on the table saw and with a router, as well as dovetails with a router table jig. To me, getting them set up to fit and look great gives similar satisfaction to what I might have gotten by hand-cutting dovetails. I have thought about trying to hand-cut the dovetails several times, but I always found a new technique to learn that was more interesting to me.” – Jim Thorp

“On small projects with few joints, I use dovetails cut by hand because it is faster than setting up machines and making/measuring samples. They usually enhance the strength and appearance as well. I suspect in the days before corded tools, they were the easiest way to make consistently strong joints and appearance enhancement came along later. On projects with a lot of drawers, I may set up a router jig (Rockler) and cut them that way. I only use finger joints where the product’s appearance is enhanced by them. While long-grain glue surfaces make them strong, setup accuracy is critical because errors compound over long joint spans. (And once the setup is perfect, they are extremely boring to make in quantity.) Miter joints are reserved for joints where material height or product appearance (grain continuity, etc.) necessitates them. Their lack of strength makes them inappropriate in many applications unless reinforced internally with splines or biscuits, or externally with inside braces, gussets, etc. (more work and time).” – Ernie

“What an interesting question. I am, I suppose, what you could call a hybrid woodworker. When I first began woodworking, I was taught how to cut dovetails (tails first) in a class where I was being instructed on the construction of a nightstand (I was actually building a sewing cabinet for my wife that incorporated a hinged flush top with swing out leg supports.). I eventually bought a 12″ half-blind dovetail jig and, with practice, was able to turn out good-looking half-blind dovetails. I eventually took a class to construct a chest of drawers. Having long been a fan of campaign-style furniture, I decided to design and build a campaign secretary (with the help of Christopher Schwarz’s book). I was (and am) in possession of quite a stack of camphor lumber that I got from felling a tree in my front yard. The milling of which resulted in a number of 8/4 slabs in widths of 26 inches and less. I was able to mill the slabs into the 18″ boards I needed for my carcasses. I decided to use through dovetails at the corners of each carcass. I first attempted to use a Porter-Cable jig owned by the school, but it proved more than a little recalcitrant to keep the spacing repeatable. Fortuitously, I found and purchased a Leigh DR-4, 24″ jig; and, with the purchase of few replacement parts was able to complete the eight sets of dovetails required for the project. I plan on using box joints for the parts of the secretary that will reside within the top half. I have hand-cut through dovetails on some small projects, mostly boxes to hold tools, as the camphor is also somewhat rust preventative. I have never hand-cut half-blinds. To sum up, I would wholeheartedly recommend the Leigh jig for its spectacular versatility and an instruction manual that is the best I’ve ever seen. As old as my jig is, there are still parts available and a kit so that it can be upgraded to a DR4-PRO.” – Ralph Loimbardo

“When I was taking woodworking classes at Ivy Tech University in Kokomo, Indiana, a fellow student wanted to make a cabinet with hand-cut dovetails. He spent the entire semester working on those dovetails, while I was working on a project with drawers. At the end of the semester he still hadn’t completed his project. I used the P-C dovetail jig for my dovetails and finished in one class. Unless you’re very skilled at making dovetails by hand, I personally think it’s a waste of time. With excellent dovetail jigs, why spend hours or days doing it by hand?” – Carol Johnston

“I’ve been woodworking for over 40 years. My philosophy on dovetails is to use them as much as possible, as they are one of the strongest joints. For kitchen cabinets or utilitarian uses, I use machine-made dovetails with a Porter-Cable template and router. For fine woodworking, usually one-offs, I make hand-cut dovetails. They both have their challenges for getting it right.” – Tracy Novak

“I build furniture in my shop primarily. Most pieces have one or two small drawers. I will hand-cut those, since I can get them done before my jig can even be set up. When I built an apothecary chest for my wife’s friend, I broke out the Rockler dovetail jig and knocked out the 30 odd drawers in a couple hour’s work. Hand-cutting dovetails is easier than many think; it does take some practice to get good, but it helps me feel connected to my craft when I do it. Sort of a rite of passage.” – Ralph Bagnall

“I thought I’d share my experience with dovetails and my journey that started back in the 70’s with woodwork. I taught woodshop at the middle-school level and have always been inspired by what people can do with their own hands, tools and dedication to the craft. Right or wrong, dovetails have always been the supposed ‘hallmark of craftsmanship.’ To me, they’ve always been the epitome of quality work and I know that’s subjective.  That being said, cutting and fitting them by hand is the only way to go. In my early commission work, I’d bang them out with a Craftsman jig and router but was never really satisfied with the results. Magnetic guides to hold the saw are more of a crutch; I feel you should work on your muscle memory to achieve the joint. I’m into my seventh decade now and my vision isn’t what it was, but I find with enough light I can still cut to the line. I’ve never followed the adage that time equals money; instead I like the adage that time equals care! As I recall, one of the great woodworkers of the 70’s and 80’s said that, maybe Krenov or Carpenter. So, there’s my old-school response! Here’s a photo of my latest project — a pair of nightstands built from vertical-grain Douglas fir. There is a total of 104 dovetail joints in them. I remember the Doug fir being pretty stringy and not reacting well to chisel and dovetail saw, but that’s all part of the challenge! CNC may be perfect but lacks soul; I like the saying about the beauty of an object created by hand is its imperfections!” – John G. Eugster

“Dovetails are wonderful, not only because they are beautiful but also because of the mechanical strength they bring to the joint and therefore the piece. I use them every time it makes sense. I do all mine by hand (just like I do everything else).” – Edward P. Leonard

“I am a self-taught woodworker and I have yet to teach myself how to make dovetail joints. It is on my bucket list! I hope this is the year for that to happen. When I was a teen in high school, girls were forbidden to take any type of ‘shop’ class. My love for woodworking was inherited from my dad who had NO electric carpentry tools. He did everything with hand tools. I only wish he lived long enough to teach me. If I ever win the lottery, I will buy the best woodworking tools and will build a workshop dedicated to ‘all things related to woodworking’…every gal’s dream!” – Janice L. Olson

“The only time I have cut dovetails is when repairing a piece of furniture. Since I was trying to match an existing piece, it was easiest to hand-cut the replacement. Back in the days when hide and fish glue were about the only choices, the dovetail made a lot of sense. With modern adhesives, there are stronger ways to join wood that are, in my opinion, also more functional and — dare I say it? — attractive.” – Eric Patchke

“I use a Leigh D4. It’s an older one and I hate it. I’m 81 years old, and the directions aren’t easy. Also they come with the machine, but they’re on VHS.” – Jim Thomas

“Machine-cut with a Leigh D4R jig. Love the look on drawer boxes and other exposed joinery like the case of a chest of drawers or a dresser base. Don’t feel I can cut them as precisely by hand, and my aim is for good looks over proving I can hand-cut a dovetail! And it’s so much faster with a router and the jig.” – Frank Baltich

“I do not use dovetails. More show than go.” – Tom Triola

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“I have used both Titebond Liquid Hide Glue and Old Brown Glue. Like you, I find myself using them more and more because of the long open time and easy cleanup. I build acoustic guitars and furniture, and for most any purpose, it’s as strong as any other glue that you can use. After all, it’s the oldest glue known to mankind.” – Charles Brown

“I found out about hide glue around 2015 when I was asked to restore some antique tables and a desk. I went full tilt with a melting pot and hide glue in the raw. I found it was without a doubt fantastic stuff and has a great open time, so assembly time is not an issue. I do for convenience’s sake use Titebond in the brown bottle for many projects, especially when I’m doing some small restoration on site or because I just don’t have time waiting for the ‘pot.’ But in the shop, I still prefer heating up the glue in the raw and IMHO I think the “real” stuff is better than the pre-mixed. I do enjoy the fact that clean-up and squeeze out is just warm water and you’re done. I still like my PVA (glue), but for many projects hide glue is the go-to glue, especially on older furniture — whether a restoration or a repurpose — not because it is better than PVA, but if I need to remove a veneer or inlay (or change of mind on design) for whatever reason, heat and water releases hide glue, and your set to go.” – Rick Smith

“In the past, I refurbished old chairs that were falling apart. Luckily, most of these were put together with hide glue, so with warm water, I was eventually able to get the joints apart. I used liquid hide glue (from the bottle) to reassemble them. Like you said, it has a long open time that allowed me to put the chairs back together fairly easily. Most of these chairs were caned, and I taught myself how to re-cane them. By the way, like you, I started my woodworking journey in the mid 90’s. I gave up my career in nursing to follow my passion. Though I don’t make much money, I love it and spend most of my time in my shop. My husband is retired, and we find we get along great not spending every minute with each other!” – Carol Johnston

“I use it to glue insects (from 0.3 mm to 10 mm) onto small triangular pieces of white cardstock 6 mm long. The slow drying allows time for me to get the glue on the end of the point and over to the insect under the microscope before the skin starts to form. I’ve tried many glues from nail polish to white glue and wood glue, but I like the viscosity of hide glue the best and I don’t have to bother with diluting it. It also allows me to remove the insect from the point later if I need to. The only big downside is if the insect collection gets subjected to high humidity for a period of time. Oh, and I also use hide glue for woodworking, especially for jobs that take time to arrange the pieces for gluing and clamping.” – Glen Forister

“I use (hide glue) all the time. Started using the new bottled version, and I haven’t looked back. The (glue) beads are collecting dust. In damp situations, I still use PVAs or polyurethane. Cyanoacrylates have a place as well. I make and repair string instruments for fun, so the hide glue is a good fit. Over the years, I started using it more and more for other projects after it became available in the bottle form. Bottled stuff doesn’t smell that bad compared to a hot glue pot.” – Chris Jenkins

“Even though I have used Titebond Original and III, I am mainly working with Liquid Hide Glue. I use both Old Brown Glue and Titebond Liquid Hide Glue. My goal is to be able to prepare my own. I am still working on learning on how to prepare it, use it and store it. To me, the benefits of hide glue are super clear, and in my humble opinion it makes all the sense in the world to use it in a hobbyist shop over PVA and other types of glues. That doesn’t mean that for certain applications PVA, CA or epoxies should not be used. When it comes to the smell, I understand that many people really dislike it. I wouldn’t replace my trusty cologne for it, but I don’t hate it either. To me, it’s just another woodshop smell. It is true though (not experienced yet), that bad-quality hide glue or hide glue left over ‘expired’ will rot and smell really bad, but that is not the case of the product sold in the bottles of either current liquid hide glue manufacturers.” – Edward P. Leonard

“I have been using Titebond Liquid Hide Glue (in bottles) for 10 or more years for new builds and repairs. It is considered a ‘reversible’ glue in that joints can be undone by getting the glue wet or soaking in water until it softens. Obviously not the right glue to use for any project subject to getting wet. Hide glue is what I use to repair older antiques (1940’s and before) because it is period-correct and can be cleaned up easily with water. It also dries fairly dark and therefore does not show much on darker joints. Additionally, it can be thinned with water and injected into joints or under lose veneer. It is not the only glue I use for woodworking but one I could not live without. If I only had one glue that I could use for the rest of my life, it would be hide glue without a doubt.” – Dave Smith

“I use hide glue along with Old Brown Glue, Titebond Original, and Ultimate glues. It all depends on what I am intending. Hide glue is great if you want the joint to be reversible, have long open time or ease cleanup. PVA glues for quick set up and short clamp time. It’s all in the goal for me.” – Jerry Dye

“In antique restoration, hide glue is essential. I prefer the Old Brown Glue brand because I think that it works better. You need to heat it before using. This makes it thinner, which I think helps it get into the structure of the wood. If I must use the Titebond hide glue, I always heat it up the same way. I’ve read that when applied hot, hide glue actually pulls the work more tightly together as it cools. Restorers like me also value the ability to release a glued joint with heat and moisture when appropriate. Not to mention that heated ‘new’ hide glue will adhere to any traces of antique hide glue, which we find was used in the truly antique furniture we work on. As you have discovered, these characteristics make hide glue as valuable for modern projects as for the old treasures.” – Lance Fromme

“I made both of the segmented bowls you recently published in the December 2023 issue of Woodworker’s Journal, and I had great success. They looked just like the ones in the magazine, and I’ve made a few of both. The hide glue worked great to glue up what I call the wheels. But when I used it to glue all the wheels together, they slid all over the place and I couldn’t get them nice and centered. Probably my mistake as I really didn’t need extra time for that phase of the gluing. Hide glue is a great option in the right places, and I’m glad I know about it now.” – Terrence Greenwood

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