Gluing Benchtop

Dave Emerson replies: My bench top that used to go to Sunapee is glued with titebond, but it is also rodded. It’s fine, though it did open up a little when I left it out on a porch all summer.
Al Breed replies: I don’t think that there’s any particular advantage to using epoxy in general, let alone in a bench glue-up. I’ve put all my benches together with titebond. I would reconsider the configuration of your wood for the top however, as gluing two wide boards together as you have described is far less stable, in my opinion, than ripping them into 31/2˝ strips and gluing them up butcher-block style. Maple isn’t as stable as you might think, so there’s really no advantage to leaving those boards that width, as wonderful as they may be.

Marty Milkovits replies: I would use Titebond 3. It has more creep than the other titebonds as well as being water resistant.  I would only use an epoxy if the mating surfaces are not well fitted or will be subject to severe outdoor use.