Cyanoacrylate glue as a clamp

When I am trying to work fast and strength is not an issue I use Cyanoacrylate(CA) glue. But what if you need speed and strength? I then will use wood glue with a small amount of CA glue in the joint. The small amount of CA glue dries fast and hold the joint until the wood glue can set to strengthen it.

The key is to use spread the wood glue on the joint leaving small spaces for a little CA glue. You then come back and fill those spaces with CA glue. Now you can put the joint together and hold for about 15 seconds and the CA glue will cure holding the joint together. The CA glue is not very strong but is strong enough to “clamp” the joint together allowing the wood glue to cure and add strength to the joint.

If you want an ever faster cure time you can add CA glue activator to the mating piece and the CA glue will cure almost instantly. This method works well for trims and odd pieces that are difficult to clamp or in odd places.

Here is a good video showing the process.