I just read Michael Dresdner’s answer on “Stain Before Gluing.” Do I need to avoid using stain (particularly oil-based such as Minwax) on the areas where glue (e.g., Titebond) will be applied? Or will the glue hold even on waxed areas?
Michael Dresdner: You must mask off all glue areas prior to staining or finishing during prefinishing. Glue will not adhere over stain or finish. Mask with blue painter’s tape, which comes off easily even after a week or more, and leaves no glue residue on what will be the gluing surface. Set the tape about a sixteenth of an inch inside the edge of the glue joint so the finish or stain will go slightly inside the edge of the joint. That way, you won’t ever get a white line at the corner, but you will still get good adhesion on your glue up.
Rick White: I think it would be a gamble to rely on a glue joint holding if you’ve applied stain to it. You want the glue to soak into the pores of your wood, and if you interfere with that action, you’re weakening the joint. As a good practice, I would leave the corner unstained, glue it, then apply the stain. On any glue-up, I prefer to use raw wood.
