Woodworking Ideas - Simple But Effective How to Plug Mortises Temporarily
Recently, I was finishing the Porch Glider. It is easier to apply the finish prior to assembly of the project. Glue does not work well on poly.
How do you get around this potential problem?
There are 1/2" holes for pivot hinges that give that incredible glide. Those holes need glue to hold the pivot hinges. How do you plug those mortises, so that the finish does not seep in? You want the glue to hold for a long time, don't you?
A simple solution is to use caulking rod.
Caulking rod is dense, and prevents the finish from entering. This caulking rod is 1/2" in diameter. You cut off pieces around 5/8" in length and stuff into the holes (mortises). After the finish dries, you remove the foam rod.
You can do this with nearly any mortise, even one that is long. I used the idea on the Rocking Horse Head. There is a slot for the mane. Since you do not want to stain the mane, you finish the head prior to gluing the mane into the slot.
Cut the caulking rod in half, and stuff into the slot. Once again, the caulking rod keeps the stain and poly from seeping into the slot. See the picture below:
You can purchase a twenty-foot length of 1/2" diameter caulking rod at your local hardware store for around $4. You can use it for a variety of purposes, and it saves a lot of grief later.
Woodworking Ideas - Cheap & Versatile Alternative Glue Bottles
Alternative Glue Bottes shows you an idea that will help you store wood glue.
In case you did not know, there are many new chemical types of glue. You might think that a water-based wood glue would have gone the way of the dinosaur. You would be wrong. Good water-resistant wood glue is as strong as or stronger than the newer elaborate adhesives.
Why is this? There are a number of reasons:
You use wood glue in thin layers, so there is no space between wooden parts.
They set slowly or quickly, depending on the glue you use.
They are available in interior, water resistant or waterproof varieties.
You should concern yourself with three basic types of wood glues. New glue products and mixtures are appearing like mushrooms. So experiment if you like, but quality water-resistant glue is hard to beat.
You save money if you buy in larger quantities. How do you store smaller quantities?
There are many sizes and shape of glue bottles and applicators. The best that I have seen is a used mustard bottle with a screw top. They do not cost much, especially since you use the mustard. They store wood glue tightly and have a long shelf life. The screw top acts as a good applicator, even in tight spaces. This idea works extremely well and saves you a lot of money.
Why is this? There are a number of reasons: 
