New Member from The Foothills

[wuzo15]

Hi, Everyone...I'm new to NC (10 months) originally from NJ.
I'm a retired nurse and have always been interested in woodworking. I have never gone further than cutting out a few pieces of wood and either painting them or doing some woodburning. My current project is to find a way to disassemble some glued pieces of wood so I can use them as a template. I'm not sure where I should post this request and any information will be appreciated. I hope to meet all of you soon!

Linda :-D

 

[cskipper]

Glad you've joined us Linda - always great to have another member, especially another woman! Where abouts in the foothills are you from? I don't know how to take apart previously glued pieces, but it will be good information when you get it. Again, welcome!

 

[mlcannon]

Linda,

Welcome to the forum. I am sure you will enjoy it . You can get a lot of great info and advice from the members here (I already have!!!).

Take care,

Mike

 

[Ray Martin]

Hi Linda,

Welcome to the best woodworking web site anywhere. Where in NJ are you from? I was born and raised there.

On the taking apart old stuff... it depends on the type of glue that was used. If it's really old, and maybe hide glue was used, you may be in luck. Some glues can be softened with heat, some with moisture... of course there are some that require the gentle nudging of a chain saw and large hammer. If you can tell us anything about the thing you want to disassemble, we might have a guess on what to do with the glue.

Of course, you'll want to start this in a hidden spot on the thing you're taking apart just to see how your process affects the wood itself. Good luck with it.

Ray

 

[walnutjerry]

Hi, Everyone...I'm new to NC (10 months) originally from NJ.
I'm a retired nurse and have always been interested in woodworking. I have never gone further than cutting out a few pieces of wood and either painting them or doing some woodburning. My current project is to find a way to disassemble some glued pieces of wood so I can use them as a template. I'm not sure where I should post this request and any information will be appreciated. I hope to meet you of you soon!

Linda :-D

Welcome to the site Linda. In regards to the glued pieces of wood, if it is old enough that hide glue was used you can disolve hide glue with denatured alcohol. I don't know what will work on the modern glues.

There are some really good minds that frequent this site so maybe someone has the answer for you.

Good Luck !! Jerry

 

[erasmussen]

Welcome.
Wish I could help you with the ungluing, but not much experance there except taking a hammer to my mistakes:lol:
I am sure someone here will have the answer.

 

[sapwood]

Love the "bucolic" avatar!
Of course, I'm aware that NJ is the Garden State

Whatever, welcome to NC and the NC Woodworker site. It's a wonderful group of folks that are amazingly tolerant of unskilled wannabes like myself.

Enjoy :mrgreen:
Sapwood

 

[DaveO]

Hi Linda, thanks for the intro. Love the avatar :icon_thum Seeing as I never glue anything together wrong :lol: :lol: , I have no idea how to disassemble something glued together. How's your Cockatiel ;-)
Dave

 

[D L Ames]

Howdy Linda and welcome to NCWW. I am glad you could join us here. As you can see already, there are a bunch of great folks here willing to help answer questions with informative answers. How large is the item you are trying to get unglued? Would it be possible to trace the item onto paper or a piece of 1/4 ply to make a new pattern with out taking the old item apart?

D L

 

[wuzo15]

Welcome to the site Linda. In regards to the glued pieces of wood, if it is old enough that hide glue was used you can disolve hide glue with denatured alcohol. I don't know what will work on the modern glues.

There are some really good minds that frequent this site so maybe someone has the answer for you.

Good Luck !! Jerry

The pieces I'm trying to "de-glue" are about 25 years old. Would 25 years make it an old or modern glue? The glue is yellowish in color. It's not a "clear yellow" if you know what I mean.

Thanks for your response, Jerry!
Linda :-D

 

[wuzo15]

Howdy Linda and welcome to North Carolina Woodworker. I am glad you could join us here. As you can see already, there are a bunch of great folks here willing to help answer questions with informative answers. How large is the item you are trying to get unglued? Would it be possible to trace the item onto paper or a piece of 1/4 ply to make a new pattern with out taking the old item apart?

D L

Hi, DL,

The item isn't large. I've tried tracing it onto paper, but I'm afraid the pieces won't be exactly the same size as the originals. I don't want to make a mistake. Ok, stop laughing! I guess I'd better get over that fast!:lol: I hadn't thought of using 1/4" ply for the pattern...shows you how much of a newbie I am . Thanks for the tip!

Linda :-D

 

[DaveO]

I would guess that a 25 year old "yellowish" colored glue is regular PVA wood glue, like Titebond. You might try hot steam, or depending on the size and thickness of the piece, a hot water bath. If it is very thin, don't try the bath as it will just warp it all to heck.
D L has given some good advice, you might be able to recreate the pieces by tracing them????
Dave

 

[wuzo15]

Hi Linda, thanks for the intro. Love the avatar :icon_thum Seeing as I never glue anything together wrong :lol: :lol: , I have no idea how to disassemble something glued together. How's your Cockatiel ;-)
Dave

Hi, Dave!

Do you want to know how my cockatiel "wuzu" is or how "wuzo" is?? :rolf: Sorry, I just had to tease you about that!

The avitar is really me on my new 5 acres! Woodworking and farming (well, sort of!) :lol:

Have a good one!
Linda:-D

 

[Gofor]

Welcome Linda!
Having been known to come unglued in the past, I have some experience at this. First, you get a REALLY big hammer or a REALLY sharp ax ..Wait a minute, you said somethin' about a template. Cancel that thought. If it's 2 dimensional, maybe you can make a tracing instead. But then again, if its 3 or 4 dimensional that might not work. Uh.. I guess we need a bit more info.
Anywho, welcome and I hope we can help!!:lol:

 

[wuzo15]

Love the "bucolic" avatar!
Of course, I'm aware that NJ is the Garden State

Whatever, welcome to NC and the NC Woodworker site. It's a wonderful group of folks that are amazingly tolerant of unskilled wannabes like myself.

Enjoy :mrgreen:
Sapwood

Nice to meet you Sapwood! Thanks for the greeting and the welcome. As a new person here on the site, I'm amazed at how much everyone likes helping even the "unskilled wannabes". I'm gonna need all the help I can get! :roll:

Linda :-D

 

[McRabbet]

Hi Linda and welcome to the site. We think you will enjoy the help and friendliness you will find on the forums here. Be sure to request a Photo Gallery (see the Help Desk at the left) so you can post pictures of your projects and shop and farm.

I'd recommend using a steam iron to try to unglue your old project -- try dry heat at first and then add steam if unsuccessful. Heat usually will help the glue to loosen. You may get a little tear out -- if you have a part glued into a hole or dado joint, be sure to scribe the joint line with a sharp utility knife first to avoid tear out.

Rob

 

[walnutjerry]

Linda-------that does not sound like hide glue, hide glue is usually amber or redish/brown. Hide glue is still available off the shelf so the item does not have to be extremely old for it to have been used.

Jerry

 

[clowman]

Welcome to the site! If you are new or a seasoned woodworker, you'll find much to learn here! A great bunch of guys and gals.

 

[wuzo15]

Linda-------that does not sound like hide glue, hide glue is usually amber or redish/brown. Hide glue is still available off the shelf so the item does not have to be extremely old for it to have been used.

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry. I have seen pieces using "hide glue" but didn't know what it was! I have already learned so much tonight. Thanks for everything!

Linda:-D

 

[wuzo15]

I would guess that a 25 year old "yellowish" colored glue is regular PVA wood glue, like Titebond. You might try hot steam, or depending on the size and thickness of the piece, a hot water bath. If it is very thin, don't try the bath as it will just warp it all to heck.
D L has given some good advice, you might be able to recreate the pieces by tracing them????
Dave

Dave,
The pieces I have are 3/4" oak. I think I'll try the hot water bath and see how it goes. If all else fails, it's the old hammer and paint scraper!! I'll try anything at this point! :lol:

Have a good night!
Linda:-D