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Discussion Forum

Hot Melt Crown Mould

Kowboy | Posted in Construction Techniques on May 25, 2007 04:59am

All:

In the Michigan economy, I’m taking all the work I can get. If that means cabinet installation and Crown moulding to go with a countertop job, I’m all over it.

I bought a Paslode Cordless Finish Nailer when it first came out many years ago and it has made me a ton of money. I brought both batteries in case one was dead. Of course, when I need them this afternoon, they are both dead and they don’t charge as fast as cordless drill.

Screw it, I’ve got my hot melt gun plugged in and I’m puttin’ up Crown. I’ve got to crown three sides of the tallest center cabinet, so I cut my pieces, lay them on the floor, squirt some hot melt and in five seconds or so I’ve got perfectly aligned crown mould ninties, dead tight. I hot melt some blocking to the back of the crown and test fit. Beautiful, except the back splays a bit. I hot melt a strecher across my blocking and it all fits perfectly. I cut a compound angle on 2×4 blocking and beef up the corners behind, these corners aren’t going anywhere.

I’ve got extremely fast perfect miteres, no nail holes to fill and the whole thing sits like a hat on top of the cabinet. I’m happier than a pig in poop.

My straight runs fit so tight between the wall and cabinets that they hold themselves in place. I cut more blocking and hot melt it between the top of the cabinet and the back of the crown. No nail holes, it looks great.

Hot melt rules,

Kowboy

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Replies

  1. robert | May 25, 2007 05:16am | #1

     I'm sure I've told this story here before.

     Some time ago I was installing a solid cherry, prefinished stair rail. The goal was as little touch up as possible. The posts came to me already finished and I was trying to fiigure out what method i could use to attach them that would require the least touch up.

     The guy from the shop that made them stopped by. He told me he would hot glue them. I was skeptical to say the least. He assured me that if I cut them, set them so I knew they were good, pulled them back off and sanded the contact surfaces clean that he would glue them in and 24 hours later, if I could remove them he would pay me my rate to attach them however I wanted to.

     He came in the afternoon and set up an industrial PUR gun. We glued in all of the posts and I went home. The next moring, I could not budge them no matter how I threw my 210 pounds at them.  seven years later they still look and feel solid. They are in the builders house and on his website.

     A friend of mine has started using a PUR gun for all of his upeasings and such. We tested it several times and each time the Oak rail broke before the glue failed.

     Pretty cool stuff.  The glue ain't cheap, but pretty cool.

    1. rnsykes | May 25, 2007 07:10am | #2

      We use the PUR for our crown miters as well.  I love it, but the only problem I find is that it expands(as all poly adhesives do) jsut a bit as it dries.  If you aren't careful or if you use too much, it can really throw off your outided miters.  I also found it's worthless trying to glue blocking to solid surface, but thats a diferent story.

      1. dovetail97128 | May 25, 2007 07:50am | #3

        msykes, I am unfamiliar with the term "PUR" , is it different than the hot melt that is readily available form the big boxes or hardware stores? I have used the small inexpensive hot melts for a number of things but have never thought of trying it on anything that I really wanted to stay in place.
        "Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca

        1. User avater
          zak | May 25, 2007 08:53am | #4

          http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=6576&TabSelect=Details

          I think it's like that kit.  Never used it, hard for me to pay $100 for a glue kit.zak

          "When we build, let us think that we build forever.  Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin

          "so it goes"

           

          1. Kowboy | May 26, 2007 03:51am | #17

            Zak wrote:

            "Never used it, hard for me to pay $100 for a glue kit."

            I think you need to step back from the initial hundred bucks and look at how much time (money) it can make/save you.

            How many times have you gotten a stray nail that had to be pulled? How much time does filling nail holes take? Sure you've got the right color fill? How about a trip to the store?

            Big picture,

            Kowboy

          2. User avater
            zak | May 26, 2007 05:12am | #18

            Kowboy-

            I know, a kit like that would certainly pay for itself to the right person.  As a remodeler, I don't do crown moulding all that often, and when I do, I get by fine with collins clamps and titebond, and 2p-10 for small returns and such.

            Also, I don't think there's any more room in my apartment for more tools.zak

            "When we build, let us think that we build forever.  Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin

            "so it goes"

             

    2. timkline | May 25, 2007 03:05pm | #5

      do they sell PUR around here ?  i've never seen this before.

       carpenter in transition

      1. MikeHennessy | May 25, 2007 04:21pm | #7

        "do they sell PUR around here ?"

        Your post indicates that you are located in Transition. It that in North or South Dakota? ;-)

        I believe Woodcraft Supply carries the stuff. Check to see if there is one near you.

        Mike HennessyPittsburgh. PA

        1. timkline | May 25, 2007 06:59pm | #8

          if robert would ever fill in his profile, y'all would know he lives about 5 minutes from me.

           carpenter in transition

          1. Adrian | May 25, 2007 07:18pm | #9

            PUR=structural hot-melts....may make it eaiers to find a supplier. 3M's Jet-Weld was the first, now there are others. Some of the cabinet door shops are suing it instead of waterbased traditional glues....less clamptime, they can sand the door much sooner, and not have to woory about sunken joints.Cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

          2. dovetail97128 | May 25, 2007 07:19pm | #10

            Adrian ,
            Thank you , that is what I was looking for.
            "Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca

          3. FastEddie | May 25, 2007 07:43pm | #11

            he lives about 5 minutes from me

            That's reason enough to move.  

            :)"Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

            "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

          4. timkline | May 25, 2007 08:58pm | #12

            what do you recommend ?

            Austin ?

             carpenter in transition

          5. User avater
            PaulBinCT | May 26, 2007 01:23am | #13

            I'll second the PUR setup. It's pricey but great, can even get adhesives with different set times.  I haven't experienced any significant amount of the swelling mentioned earlier, IIRC they even state in the destruction manual that their glues don't swell, but I may be mistaken on that. In any event, it's a top quality product that's worth every penny.PaulB

             

      2. robert | May 26, 2007 02:59am | #14

         They sell a beginers kit. The industrial kits are both expensive and hard to come by.

         Someone mentioned not paying $100 for a glue gun kit? Try $1000 for the industrial kit.

         Anyway, I think Opdykes in Frenchtown NJ can get you one. If not I know that Stairworks in Perkasie has them. They sell them to rail installers.

         A friend of mine has one that I think he got from Dykes in Easton. I have to talk to him tomorrow anyway. I'll let you know where he got it.

         

        1. User avater
          Sphere | May 26, 2007 03:03am | #15

          Hey? Wasn't Stairworks in the old train station in Q-town yrs ago?  I remember some stair co. being there, and I subbed some work in Trexlertown from them.Parolee # 40835

          1. robert | May 26, 2007 08:14am | #19

             That might have been Slabaugh. They're located in Quakertown.

             As best I can tell they do some pretty high end work too.

            This the place?

            http://web.ivenue.com/slabaugh/Aboutthecompany.ivnu  

          2. User avater
            Sphere | May 26, 2007 02:43pm | #20

            Thats them, they were on Station Ave. way back when.  I did a few installls for them.  Thanks for the memories.Parolee # 40835

  2. User avater
    hammer1 | May 25, 2007 03:47pm | #6

    No offense but if you used typical hot melt, not PUR, chances are very good the molding will fall off in the future. The hot melt doesn't have much holding power. Slight wood movement can cause the adhesive to completely let go. You may want to put a few nails or pins in that job. I switched to using construction adhesive and 23GA pins.

    Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

    1. Kowboy | May 26, 2007 03:28am | #16

      Hammer1:

      Thanks for the input. My battery finally charged today, but I just couldn't bring myself to poke holes in my work.

      Kowboy

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