Among the many modern adhesives available to woodworkers, cyanoacrylate stands alone in its wide range of applications. Often called “super” glue, cyanoacrylate can tackle some woodworking chores that other, more conventional adhesives simply can’t touch. Cyanoacrylate bonds almost instantly, so it’s perfect for quick repairs or situations where it would be awkward to apply clamps.
Another nice thing about cyanoacrylate is its ability to bond a wide range of materials, like the pewter insert and the wooden box in the main photo. This can be especially useful for inlay work, allowing you to use exotic materials like shell and stone as inlay material. It’s also helpful for making jigs in the shop, attaching wood and plastic (like Plexiglas) with a reliably strong bond. If you run into a situation where the glue doesn’t seem to be sticking, you can add moisture by exhaling on one surface, like you would if you were cleaning your glasses.
You wouldn’t consider most glues suitable for use as a finish, but cyanoacrylate actually works very well on small turnings. It provides a hard, glossy finish with plenty of protection for the wood. It’s especially useful on woods that are too oily to take a conventional finish, like this bocote knob.
The uses for cyanoacrylate I’ve cited so far easily earn it a place in the shop. But when you learn to do small repairs by mixing it with sanding dust, you’ll have a great way to save a workpiece that might have otherwise ended up in the scrap pile. For example, I was cutting an inlay channel and the saw blade jumped and scarred the workpiece. All I did was scoop up some of the dust and I can make a repair in minutes. For the highest-quality results, I usually sand a piece of matching scrap to collect the fine dust to mix in with the glue. With the channel masked off, mix some glue and sanding dust into the cut. After scraping and sanding the area, the repair is both solid and barely noticeable.
