# When to glue, when to screw, and when to leave things be?



## BBQJoe (Dec 3, 2020)

I learned one lesson the hard way some years ago when I built my first cabinet doors: Don't glue the panels!!!

I'm about to begin final assembly on this router cabinet.
Involved are my first dados and rabbets.
This is a design as you go thing.
In the future I might do a few things differently, or I may not, but for now, it is what it is.
The table top will be screwed on from the sides.
The back will also be screwed on.
The router box sides will be screwed into supports under the table.

I maybe shouldn't have chosen rabbets for the bottom, but obviously that will need to be glued and screwed.
My real question is, what about the dados?
Should they be glued, screwed, both, left alone or what?

As always, let fly, and thanks!


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Glue away. Everywhere.

That carcass looks to be plywood, plywood is pretty much dimensionally stable, so glue isn't an issue. The big issue with panels is that they run cross-grain with parts of the frame. So if you glue it, when the panel expands or contracts, it cant move relative to the long grain pieces in the frame.


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## BBQJoe (Dec 3, 2020)

kp91 said:


> Glue away. Everywhere.
> 
> That carcass looks to be plywood, plywood is pretty much dimensionally stable, so glue isn't an issue. The big issue with panels is that they run cross-grain with parts of the frame. So if you glue it, when the panel expands or contracts, it cant move relative to the long grain pieces in the frame.


So are you saying glue by itself with no screws in the dados?


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## Rebelwork Woodworking (Sep 11, 2004)

Cabinet guys/girls will glue and toe nail from the inside or toe nail in the front before the frame goes on. But this us about speed and production. In your case it's what you want to do...


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Glue should be enough, maybe a few brads while the glue sets.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Done it both ways for shop stands, either way works with plywood. Faceframes are so narrow that expansion across the width has never been an issue. Belt and suspenders types like me sometimes do both. It's a different story if you are gluing up panels from narrower pieces. Expansion must be accounted for in that case.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

A solid wood board will change in width with changes in humidity, but not much in length. Keep this in mind whenever building with wood. Glue restricts movement so you can only use it where there will be little to no movement between the solid wood parts of your work

You can glue straight grain to straight grain, or straight grain to plywood or end grain to end grain without trouble. The trouble comes when you glue straight grain or plywood to end grain, because the end grain joint will get wider/narrower with changes in humidity and when glued full length to end grain or plywood, the straight grain and plywood won't move, but the end grain will, breaking the joint eventually. 

Just look at the grain in solid wood and if the grain lines in the two pieces that you will be gluing are both going in the same direction, you will be OK. In solid wood paneled doors, you don't want to glue the panel, because it's going to get wider/narrower and the rail above/below is not going to change. You can glue a short area in the center to keep the panel from rattling though. Let the rest of the panel move in the grove of the top and bottom rails. 

Charley


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

About 99.9999% of what I build is with plywood. And I can't recall using anything but glue, and glue blocks if need be, no nails, no screws, although for a very few things have been known to use bolts. I have been known to use dowels upon rare occasions also. I just prefer not to have any metal in any of my projects, if I can


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

BBQJoe said:


> So are you saying glue by itself with no screws in the dados?


 depends how snug your Dados are. I would probably throw a couple of screws or nails in the side pieces, it's shop furniture so you can fill and paint the screw heads. If it was solid wood, I wouldn't use screws


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## Rebelwork Woodworking (Sep 11, 2004)

Ard you including a face frame? This makes a different in construction...


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## BBQJoe (Dec 3, 2020)

Due to a lack of enough proper sized clamps (missed by that much!) I ended up gluing and screwing most of the joints, except the two vertical ones in the middle, they just got glue.
I must have some really dry wood, or some super expanding wood glue.

My dados were nice and snug. 
Not bash them in with a hammer snug, but snug enough that I had to give them a fair lean, or a mild fist bump for them to seat during the dry fitting.
I spread my glue rather thin in the dado, and a minute or so later, they wanted nothing to do with being a joint whatsoever.
I had to bring my wooden mallet into action to convince them otherwise.

And to answer the question, nope, no face frames.

I think I have maybe one more day's work on this and it'll be ready to stain.

Thanks for all the suggestions and info everyone!


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## Rebelwork Woodworking (Sep 11, 2004)

It's all good. Your ether fixing up a show or work. 

When I worked at the furniture company I was often fixing up areas for production but for show as well. 

Being productive, clean and organized is what the main people ftom Chilli's, Outback, etc like to see when they visit your company..


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## AlexNillson89 (Jan 14, 2021)

I think it will be more practical to screw it on, as it will be very convenient, especially in future use. And if you stick it, the top panel may not come together


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