Toolbox: Wood Glue

First, your joint must be clean. What I like to do is take a piece of sandpaper and go to work on the outside of the joint and on the inside of the joint. And don 't throw away those old toothbrushes, because they'll help you get into the tight spots to remove debris. You can also use the toothbrush to spread the glue.

Make sure you get a good wad of glue on the outside of the surface and the inside. And don't worry too much about making a mess initially--just get enough on the joint so it won't be starved.

Once you get some wood on the inside, you could clamp the joint; use a clamp that has a soft surface on the outside. Now once we push it in, you get it there, you get clamps, tighten up the joint, and look for squeeze out. We don't want to tighten it too much, because if we do, we'll pull all of the glue out of the joint.

Also, what I like to do is take a wet rag while the glue is still there and you can see it, and remove it now instead of waiting 'til it gets hard. It just makes it easier for me.

Carpenter's wood glue is easy to work with. Just always remember to read the directions on the back of the bottle.