Quick Tip for Cleaning up Wood Glue Squeeze Out

When you build a wood project, there’s a good chance that there will be some glue involved. And when there is glue, there is a high probability of seeing wood glue squeeze out. In fact, if you don’t have some amount of wood glue squeeze out, it is likely that you have not applied enough glue to the joint.

Even if you have chosen the best type of wood glue for your project, there is no substitute for applying the right amount of adhesive, which will result in a light but continuous bead of wood glue squeeze out across the entire span of your joint. If you don’t clean it up completely, the wood glue squeeze out will stick out like a sore thumb on your project after a finish is applied. There are a couple schools of thought around the best strategy for cleaning up wood glue squeeze out:

Wipe it with a damp cloth right away. This approach can cause adhesion problems if water is driven into the glue joint, compromising the glue’s strength.

Let the wood glue squeeze out partially cure, then scrape. This strategy takes advantage of the rubbery state that wood glue achieves as it transitions from liquid to solid, which can allow you to remove it fairly easily with a sharp chisel or a wood scraper.