First glue-up attempt

[DanHamra]

So here is my first attempt at gluing up some inlays (and my first post in this section). I really like the way it turned out.

Walnut Burl, Read heart, yellow heart. I used titebond 2 for the glue. advice/criticism welcomed! Thanks

[Ryan@roosagamecalls]

i really like the combo. my only advice would be watch the moisture of redheart different moisture contents of woods in a glue up could cause shrinking of one and not the other an possibly crack your finish or give the call a edge where the two pieces meet. do your self a favor and hold on to it for a while. see what happens in a month or so . just my 

[David @ Mad Duck Game Calls]

Ryan, if the two woods are dry then that should not happen. He never stated where he got the wood or the moisture content, so don't jump to the conclusion that the wood is wet! Nice barrel you got there Dan, those diagonal glue ups are tough!

[DanHamra]

Im sure I will hold onto it being that its the first one i've done.  I've seen the expansion problem before on other projects (not calls) and don't think this one will be an issue. The wood was not new and should have had enough sitting time. Either way I appreciate the heads up, and thanks for looking!

The diagonal glue up was a bit tricky, but fun. As long as the sides are all supported they seem to go alright. I glued, then drilled. Not sure if that would lead to any problems..?

[FDR]

If I understand what you told us you glued up a block and then drilled and turned the call from the block.  That would mean that the glue joints are not supported by a tenon. That would make me uneasy as a failure of an unsupported glue joint would leave the customer with a 2 piece barrel. I guess that I am just a belt and suspenders type of guy.

Fred

[DanHamra]

Correct. It was a simple one, but I did turn an acrylic after this and turned a 3/4" tenon onto the mouth piece for support which was a much more involved call. unfortunately it didn't end up well and when removing it from the lathe the main body cracked... here are the starting pcs..




Lots of time for a broken piece of acrylic in the end. :(

I am sure there are hundreds of them on here that have absolutely no tenon, and a lot more pieces than this did. Though I do agree it makes for a more structurally sound device to have tenon support, I thought this turned out alright.

[James Strickland]

I've often wondered how "necessary" a tennon is on glue ups.  I know they are more structurally sound, but what about those calls that the inlay runs the length of the call barrel?  No option for a tenon on those.

[DanHamra]

Yeah, there are cases where it can be pretty difficult to use the tenon method, and in complex cases it really more so becomes just a sleeve. I am trying one out now that it spiral pattern, and it would not be possible to use a tennon, it would be possible to run a sleeve through it though. What comes to mind is like some of the crazy ones in the tutorial for the goose call (well several on goose all glue up tutorials, crazy or not)

A question... How would you go about using a tenon on an angle cut insert? Wouldn't you have to have a miter body diameter around a non-miter tenon? How could that be one piece?

[Lon @ First Flight Game Calls]

How about doing the glue up, drilling a 3/4" hole through it and then gluing in a 3/4" dowel for center support, then drill the dowel? Just thinking out loud?       


            Lon

[FDR]

Spectra Ply is in fact nothing more than a series of lamination's done under heat and pressure. I bet I am not the only one that has had a Spectra Ply blank split along a glue joint.
I am not advocating anything just trying to bring up a point for thought. You can come up with a number of designs where a tenon could not be used but you can  build almost anything  around a hollow barrel core. You certainly have the freedom to make a call anyway you wish.

[dogcatcher]

I attempt to tenon all glue ups, but sometimes that cannot be done.  A few years ago Dave Paul, Hunt n Carve, wrote an article on another forum about glues and gluing.  I took my notes and followed his suggestions and have never had a failure since. 

If you do a Google of segmented turnings you will see 1000's of woodturnings that have no tenons to help with the glue job.  Most of these are from the experts of woodturning world.  Using Dave's info an their info is my method of doing segmenting work.

On the angle cuts, this is my method, I square up all of the pieces, then drill a 1/4" hole though each of the ones I am using.  I cut on my miter saw all of the pieces I will use.  In the above example the grain of the red heart and yellow heart is at an angle, in my method they flow with the wood.  For the red heart I would cut off a piece at an angle then slice off the one I would use, same with the yellow heart.  Then to glue them together I would stick a dowel in the big piece of walnut, wipe glue on both surfaces and slide the slice of YH on, then repeat with walnut and again with the RH and the cap of walnut.  Then clamp them.  The dowel in the center keeps them from sliding off center and will be drill out when the blank is drilled.

Marvin

[DanHamra]

Marvin - Thanks.

Once I was finished I thought of exactly what you are saying. Next go around I will miter all pieces so that the grain is all parallel.

And if I read correctly - you actually glue the dowel into the core of the glued up block, Then once cured drill the entire thing out?
One thing I have tried using is a piece of copper pipe (1/2" type M). it has an OD of about .622" which seems to fit perfectly if you can keep from gluing the whole piece to it!
What about on an insert - do you use a dowel there as well, or just glue up the blocks?

[dogcatcher]

The dowel is glued in solid, and drilled out.   For inserts I turn a  5/8" dowel and I drill out the pieces for the exhaust end and glue them on just like I did the barrel. 

I tried the copper pipe, and PVC pipe along with brass and aluminum.   The another method I used besides the above dowel system is a stick of Delrin, I made it a little short of the total length and drilled it for a 1/4" piece of all thread.  I would slide the blanks on as I glued the pieces, and when finished I ran the piece of all thread through the center of the Delrin, added washers on both ends and used wing nuts to make my clamp.  Wax the Delrin and all thread to keep the glue from sticking.  When the glue has dried, remove the wing nuts and washers add a nut to the top of the all thread and knock the Delrin out of the center of the blank.   It was more work than I wanted to do.    Experiment, you may create a better mouse trap.

Dave's tutorial on glue is at this link http://thogamecallsforums.com/index.php/topic,16446.msg124472.html#msg12447
2 
Follow Dave's instructions and use fresh glue and, if you have a problem, there is a 99% chance that the problem is operator error.

Marvin

[CJohnston]

Commenting on this post to follow

[gooseforsupper]

 Next go around I will miter all pieces so that the grain is all parallel.

Bingo!  I'm glad you realize the importance of lining up the grain on laminated calls.   

On the glue-up, I don't use a tenon on my glue-ups, just end gran to end grain.  Properly done it is almost as strong as the wood itself.  The trick is not to turn it too thin where the joints are.  I twist the wood back and forth when joining the wood together, as I feel the glue tack up and start to grip,
I get it in position and hold it until it won't move any more.  Then I clamp it tightly so I get a super thin glue joint, which is the strongest.

As for glue, Elmers just came out with a new glue, and I am starting to love the stuff.  It tacks up very fast and is super strong, plus waterproof.  The best glue I have come across so far....


 

Keep the calls coming, we want to see pictures...   

Doug