What is the most versatile glue for fastening the returns on molding such as cove or chair rail at open ends in order to keep installing without waiting for glue to set up? – Tom Gentile
Chris Marshall: Although I haven’t tried it, Titebond® sells a product that’s specifically formulated for installing molding and trim. The company claims their Molding & Trim Wood Glue is the “thickest, fastest-drying glue available for use with porous and semi-porous materials.” The open time is rated at just 3 to 5 minutes, so pretty quick compared with other PVA wood glues. If you are just gluing small returns, you could also try a gel-style cyanoacrylate glue, which will basically set up instantly if you spritz it with the accelerator recommended for the glue. Since returns are typically end grain-to-end grain joints, I would still tack the return in place with a few 23-gauge pin nails to reinforce the glue bond. These nails are so small that they almost disappear.
