Jim Bowersox wrote on Tue, 23 September 2008 20:20 |
Mario,
I used standard Titebond III wood glue on mine. The wood will break well before the glue joint will. If your cuts aren't quite perfect, the Liquid Nails Polyurethane or the PL Premium adhesive will fill the gaps better. I disagree with the West System being worth the (significant) cost and (significant) extra effort (Mixing, etc.) I used Titebond III on all 12 of mine that I built, and I can assure you that they're quite solid!
As for finish, mine are finished with standard black semi-matte paint. They get a new coat about once a year and I think the look can't be beaten! The more beat up and repainted that they get, the better they look . A touch up is as easy as a quick paintbrush job. Keep in mind that Line-X or Rhino is expensive and WILL get chunks out of it with any serious use, that will require a trip back to the bedliner place to get repaired. I don't think it's at all worth the extra expense in the long run.
Also, as with ANY finish, the quality of the job is in the prep. It should take you far longer to prep your cabs for paint (Bondo, Sanding, Edge Routing, etc) than it will to actually paint them. Said finishing also is crucial with a spray-on bedliner project, as it will show any flaw on the box.
I have 4 casters on the back of mine, and 14ga. steel grilles on the front, soon to be foam backed. IMO that's also worth the effort, to keep debris out of the boxes and maintain a classy appearance!
-JB
|
I use Franklin Titebond wherever there is a joint milled properly so that the pieces touch everywhere making for the maximum glued area.
For joints that are less then perfect Polyurethane is acceptable, but I prefer West System with the proper "filler" to bridge gaps.
The difference is with the proper filer the epoxy becomes a "Structure" not just a way to seal an air leak.
For an experiment use a mold and fill it with Polyurethane and then fill the mold with Epoxy and the "silica" additive.
The Polyurethane will not be anywhere near as stiff nor will it be able to carry near as much of a load before it deflects compared to epoxy and filler.
As for any "PL" products, from working in lumber yards I am very familiar with the professional construction adhesives that have been used for the last 30 years.
They are on one end and Butyl, silicone and other soft caulks are on the other end of the spectrum.
PL products are nice for pasting rough lumber, plywood or MDF together, but you won't see it much in cabinet work or boat work for that manner.
Construction adhesive and Polyurethane are a real bitch to get off your hands and impossible to get out of your clothes.
They are very "sticky" but they do not have the same characteristics as an epoxy and filler combination.
A major difference is that Polyurethane, PL construction adhesive and caulks must all stay pliable. If they completely "harden" they will fail. They are meant to work in situations where what they are bonding together will move over time because of change in weather or just that the wood is drying out over the years.
When you make a cabinet nothing should move very much. Titebond is not meant to work in those conditions.Itcompletly cures to a very hard and inflexible material and the same for expoxy. It completely cures to a structure that is harder then oak.
In the end a box with well fitted joints should use titebond where every you can clamp or nail the joint.
For places where you can not put any pressure or the joiner is poor Polyurethane looks like decent choice, just not the best.
If you are not very good with woodworking use epoxy and filler.
Polyurethane is a good second choice.