Shopsmith Forums

Gram strength is a misnomer; it has less to do with the strength of the glue joint and more to due with the working time. The lower the gram strength, the longer the working time. The glue used in this the was premixed Titebond Hide Glue; it's specifications can be found here: http://www.titebond.com/product/glues/9 ... 7daa20f8ed

Thanks, Chad.

Nick is a cool guy and quite a renaissance man. Nick was the founder and contributing editor of Shopsmith's Hands On! magazine, which, along with Fine Woodworking Magazine were just about the only magazine on the newsstand when I was coming up in the 1970's. In fact, I was about 14 years old when I got my free subscription!

One note about the term "Sawdust Session". We used to conduct live, instructional presentations at all of Shopsmith's 50 retail stores every Thursday night that were the original "Sawdust Sessions". Years after Shopsmith sold-off or closed all of their stores, Nick and Shopsmith launched their then weekly video sessions, and the name "Sawdust Sessions" was the logical choice, since so may people were familiar with that format and had fond connections to the name.

Some of my favorite moments during my years at Shopsmith happened during the Sawdust Sessions I conducted in the Boston Academy and at the Academy at the Factory Showroom in Dayton. Jim McCann, who you may have seen in some of Shopsmith's recent Youtube videos, was a guest in a couple sessions on sharpening and finishing and was always a hit. He left Shopsmith for a few years to work for Nick as he was writing his "Complete Workshop Companion Series" of books. Somewhere inside them is usually a shout-out to Jim. He is a quiet hero in the Shopsmith universe.

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOah91g3PsI&t=2s

Craftsman/Author Nick Engler reveals the magic behind scrapers -- thin sheets of tool steels that can smooth a surface in seconds. He explains the traditional method and the "easy" method to sharpen scrapers, both rectangular and curved. Then he demonstrates how to use them , leaving a surface as smooth as if you had sanded it with 120# sandpaper.

Glad you gave Jim McCann some of the praise he so well deserves, Scott. He really is the beating heart of Shopsmith -- or, at least, one of those dedicated few that's keeping it beating. He's also the most talented and good-natured craftsman I have ever worked with.

Nick3 wrote:Glad you gave Jim McCann some of the praise he so well deserves, Scott. He really is the beating heart of Shopsmith --

I can only imagine where they’d be without him. I hope they appreciate what a keystone he is.

Nick3 wrote:Gram strength is a misnomer; it has less to do with the strength of the glue joint and more to due with the working time. The lower the gram strength, the longer the working time. The glue used in this the was premixed Titebond Hide Glue; it's specifications can be found here: http://www.titebond.com/product/glues/9 ... 7daa20f8ed

The manufacturers of hot hide glue certainly do not agree that gram strength has less to do with glue strength and more to do with open or working time. They are directly and somewhat inversely related. Higher gram = higher strength but less working time. Lower gram = lower strength but more working time.

Regarding the use of premixed Titebond Hide Glue, which comes in plastic bottles, that's not what Nick's video shows him talking about when he introduces hide glue. See the video here. https://youtu.be/mO03Ykqf2_U That type of metal container is what Behlen uses for its traditional dry, ground, hot hide glue. So I feel like there was a bit of a switcheroo there.

Titebond premixed hide glue has additives in it to keep it liquid in the bottle at room temperature and there's nothing in the literature about its gram strength. So far as I know, the only tests on liquid hide glue showing it comparable in strength to hot hide glue have been carried out on Old Brown Glue, which is a different brand of liquid hide glue with a different formula.

As for the Titebond brand, it lists its liquid hide glue bond strength per ASTM D-905 as 3591 psi, which is substantially less than the other Titebonds Nick tested. Titebond II has a a 3750 psi bond strength and Titebond III has a 4000 psi bond strength. So no surpise that both Titebond II and III outperform Titebond Liquid Hide.

But a big advantage of the hide glues is the fact that the joints are reversible (true of liquid hide and hot hide). But the advantage of hot hide glue is that you also need not even sand off all the old hot hide glue remnants (only true of hot hide glue not liquid hide glues).

End sermon.

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEk8vbUHw2Q

The strongest canoe paddle ever! Author/craftsman Nick Engler builds a wooden paddle with a reinforced tip, reinforced grip, and a unique spine that buttresses the blade for those occasions when you need to push off. Just what you need if you must occasionally use your paddles for poling as well as paddling. Additionally, this is (mostly) a hand tool project that you can make from scrapwood. Nick glues up the paddles from small bits of contrasting hardwoods, then shapes them with planes, rasps, and scrapers.

If you enjoy this video, check out our Workshop Companion Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk480B ... hMfkBjhDpQ

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit our Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com/

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVeY9d5 ... ex=10&t=8s

Author/craftsman Nick Engler shares seven valuable secrets that he employs to keep the tools in his woodworking shop from rusting. Rust, he explains, is an electrochemical reaction between three substances – iron, oxygen, and water. You can’t remove the iron or the oxygen, so you must cut down the amount of water that comes in contact with your tools. This means either reducing the humidity or moisture in your shop, or sealing off your tools from the humidity and moisture. Nick shows several ways to do both.

If you enjoy this video, check out our Workshop Companion Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk480B ... hMfkBjhDpQ

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit our Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com/

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W335wRy ... =11&t=123s

Get the patterns for these reindeer sculptures from our store at:

https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/item ... USYPRRQ4uE

Nick shows how to make a deer with just a few quick cuts on a band saw. It’s a handy technique called “compound cutting” and it can be used to make all sorts of three-dimensional shapes. These particular reindeer are sized so you can cut them from scraps of 2x4s. Or, glue up blocks from different species of scrapwood.

If you enjoy this video, check out our Workshop Companion Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk480B ... hMfkBjhDpQ

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit our Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com/