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Anybody used DAP Alex Plus instead of wood glue?

iskandamiskandam Posts: 704
edited November 2009 in DIY, Mods & Tweaks
This article says it has better damping than regular wood glue like Titebond II and is just as strong. Since it's on the internet I'm inclined to believe it's true unless somebody tells me otherwise ;)
Post edited by iskandam on
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  • John30_30John30_30 Posts: 1,025
    edited November 2009
    Never used it for cabinetry, but I have used silicone as an adhesive on tiles, glass and plexiglass.
    The guy makes a pretty compelling argument and seems like he knows his stuff, not much B.S. I think some diagrams would improve what he's trying to say.

    My own opinion of certain materials like particle board or chipboard is I would not use them in home building or remodel- I certainly wouldn't use them for fine cabinetry- they're loaded with binders that've been proven toxic as it degrades over time.
    But that's me.

    He's spot-on about Baltic birch being the best, though. I'd hope it would be available in our standard 4x8 dimensions, but I've only run across the metric sheets that are about 5' x 5'.
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  • hoosier21hoosier21 Posts: 4,406
    edited November 2009
    pretty sure I will stick with carpenters glue
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  • quadzillaquadzilla Posts: 1,545
    edited November 2009
    The strength provided by wood glues comes from the fact that they actually penetrate the wood fibers, "welding" the pieces together. Unless the acrylic also penetrates, and you're relying purely on the adhesive quality to hold the pieces together, I wouldn't count on it over the long term. However, given the damping properties, I think that using wood glue like guerrilla wood glue plus an acrylic-silicone to bond a veneer layer might be an ideal combination.
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  • striderstrider Posts: 2,569
    edited November 2009
    To me, it's usefullness really depends on what you're going for when you build the cabinet. If you're going after the most inert cabinet you can get, it makes sense to use it to bind two different materials together. Some use MDF and BB ply together as he does, I've also seeen people bind tile backer board to the inside of MDF cabinets. Different panel materials will have different resonant properties and using an adhesive like the DAP should increase the panels ability to absorb resonance.

    There's another school of thought that says the cabinet material should add to the overall sound of the speaker. Baltic birch panels with shellacs that are made in similar ways as violin or fine furniture builders would.

    IMO, a multi driver speaker would benefit more from having a fairly inert cabinet then a single driver because of the amount of energy the drivers impart to the speaker as a whole. Either way, I'd still use something like Titebond for final cabinet assembly.
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  • iskandamiskandam Posts: 704
    edited November 2009
    That's a very good point. I think I'll stick with Titebond II with the cabinet assembly and use DAP Alex Plus only to glue the dampening stuff onto the MDF (pink Owens Corning found at Home Depot).
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  • Jakeward87Jakeward87 Posts: 1
    What about using dap alex plus along with 18 Guage narrow crown staples?
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  • VR3VR3 Posts: 24,113
    Caulk is for sealing, not for bonding

    I want to buy lumber where this guy is buying lumber, those prices! What year is this? 1999?
    - Not Tom

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  • BlueMDPickerBlueMDPicker Old Polk Posts: 7,280
    Ah! I see now. The infamous "necroposting" on full display. :#
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  • invalidinvalid Posts: 400
    VR3 wrote: »
    Caulk is for sealing, not for bonding

    I agree with this statement, I wouldn't use that stuff to bond two pieces of wood together, I've used it to seal stuff before and it's not even that good for that. The best caulk I've ever used to bond stuff together is geocel 2300 in clear, but I wouldn't even use that to bond wood together.
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  • VR3VR3 Posts: 24,113
    The biggest failure of caulk is that it's supplied to thin.

    The expansion of 0 mil thickness is 0! Lol
    - Not Tom

    "No, that's silly talk. Dude, you can't possibly be this audio dumb so quit the act." - Doro
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  • Tony MTony M Posts: 9,627
    edited October 2020
    I know this was an ancient thread but I has something to say about Dap caulking.

    I just bought some Alex Plus "Fast drying" caulk a few months ago because it was CHEAPER. :-(

    I just use it for painting needs. I needed a lot so...

    I've been using Alex Plus latex w/silicone 35year or 40year for decades. After seeing how that fast dry crap DRIED...I'll never buy another tube of it. In fact, I bought more of my old tried and true Dap caulk since then and man what a difference. From junk to Premium!

    You sure get what you pay for in caulking.

    I don't know about using it as an adhesive or construction glue. Never heard of that.
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  • invalidinvalid Posts: 400
    Tony M wrote: »
    I know this was an ancient thread but I has something to say about Dap caulking.

    I just bought some Alex Plus "Fast drying" caulk a few months ago because it was CHEAPER. :-(

    I just use it for painting needs. I needed a lot so...

    I've been using Alex Plus latex w/silicone 35year or 40year for decades. After seeing how that fast dry crap DRIED...I'll never buy another tube of it. In fact, I bought more of my old tried and true Dap caulk since then and man what a difference. From junk to Premium!

    You sure get what you pay for in caulking.

    I don't know about using it as an adhesive or construction glue. Never heard of that.

    I used dap caulk a couple times when installing replacement windows, I don't think any of their caulk is good, I use geocel, OSI quad, or solar seal.
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  • invalidinvalid Posts: 400
    VR3 wrote: »
    The biggest failure of caulk is that it's supplied to thin.

    The expansion of 0 mil thickness is 0! Lol

    You're supposed to use filler rod for anything over 3/16", but the caulk I use is much thicker and can fill much bigger gaps without filler rod.
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  • VR3VR3 Posts: 24,113
    Yes but to many guys due to aesthetics put 1/8 in cove beads feathered. The expansion for that is maybe a 32nd of an inch, maybe!
    - Not Tom

    "No, that's silly talk. Dude, you can't possibly be this audio dumb so quit the act." - Doro
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