Basics Of Cutting and Glueing
Posted on November 25, 2009 by aaronredbaron
When I was five years old my father sat down with me to build a rubber powered free flight airplane; it was a Guillows F6F Hellcat balsa wood kit my cousin had given me. My Dad said “I’m not going to be able to help you much with this airplane stuff, but let me teach you what I know about woodworking.” That poor Hellcat never even had the tissue covering applied before it was destroyed by a daydreaming five year old, but the basic skills my Dad taught me have helped me produce countless successful models since. Every time I pick up a hobby knife or a bottle of glue, I think of my Father’s lesson. The lesson was simple, but it applies to virtually every cut or glue joint you make.
Make sure the joint fits properly, and only use enough glue to bond the surfaces of the material; its that simple. You cannot rely on glue to fill gaps and expect a strong joint. The only purpose of glue is to bond two surfaces together, and by having the parts mate together without any gaps, you can produce the best joint. With this in mind, it pays in the long run to take your time during the build to ensure every part is carefully cut to fit properly.
This joint did not fit well and the gap was filled with glue. Its an example of a poor glue joint.
This joint fit flush before glueing and only required a tiny amount of glue for maximum strength.
