Label Sheet-Good Offcuts
Writing dimensions, thickness and material on plywood and melamine offcuts at the saw, so the storage rack can be read instead of unpacked.
Use a Silicone Basting Brush for Glue and Peel It Clean
One of 2 takes on Spread Glue Evenly
The Problem
A bristle brush used for wood glue has a short life. Wash it immediately and you're at the sink mid-glue-up, with an assembly open and the clock running; leave it and the glue sets into the ferrule, the bristles splay, and the brush goes in the bin. Most shops end up using disposable brushes, a scrap of offcut, or a finger.
The Technique
Use a silicone basting brush from the kitchen instead.
- Spread glue with it exactly as you would with a bristle brush.
- Put it down when you're finished and walk away. No rinsing, no soaking.
- Once the glue has dried hard, flex the head and peel. The dried film releases in a single piece and the brush is clean.
Cured PVA doesn't bond to silicone, so the glue forms a skin over the head rather than gripping it. Silicone heads are also moulded in one piece with no ferrule, which removes the place glue collects and ruins a bristle brush.
Pro tip: Buy one and keep it in the shop rather than borrowing from the kitchen. The same property that makes it peel clean means nothing looks wrong with it afterwards, and a brush that spreads titebond on Saturday should not be spreading butter on Sunday.
Pro tip: A silicone head lays down a thinner, more even film than bristles and won't shed into the joint. It's less good at working glue into an end-grain or a deep mortise, where a stiff bristle brush or a scrap of dowel still does better.
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