RE: Old Trainer Question
LuckyArmpit,
There is absolutely no reason you can't use wood glue (Elmer's Carpenter's Glue or Titebond II). Chad is wrong with his answer, the wood glue is stronger than the wood it bonds with. The only advantage that CA has over wood glue is that it let's you build quicker. Even this advantage can actually be a problem because you have only one chance to get the joint correct, once you hit it with thin CA it is done whether it's right or wrong. With using wood glue you have the ability to place the part and make sure that it's in the correct position before the glue sets.
As with all glues, the key point is the fit of the parts and not the glue itself. There is no substitute for having good tight wood to wood contact where the parts join before you glue them. Some think that since the glue says "gap filling" that they can use that if the parts don't fit correctly. While this can be done, it makes for a weak joint. But if you have a good joint then the wood glue will be stronger than the surrounding wood.
Another disadvantage of CA is that it is very hard to sand. When you join parts you have to be careful when you are doing your final sanding because the surrounding wood will be sanded away faster than the CA joint itself.
CA is a chemical that causes a reaction in everybody's body, some just have a more severe reaction than other. The reaction can be mild with a minor discomfort when inhaling the fumes, but can be severe enough to cause breathing problems for days after inhaling the fumes. If you use any kind of CA you need to have good ventilation of your work area and avoid breathing in the fumes.
I have been building for 8 years now and I switched from using CA to using Elmer's about 2 years ago. The last 5 planes that I built were done with Elmer's and I feel that they are built stronger and built better because of the wood glue. The build is also a lot cleaner and better looking than if done with CA.
Ok, let me boil it all down for you. You can use either CA or Elmer's glue to build with, but there is no reason why you shouldn't build with Elmer's. There are disadvantages for using CA which I listed above. The biggest disadvantage to using wood glue is the time it takes to set, about 30 minutes. But if you plan ahead you can keep the building moving along and the 30 minute set time won't slow you down too much. You should be fine using either glue that want to. But you don't have to worry about anything if it was built with Elmer's. It's going to be very strong if built with Elmer's
For the strongest joints epoxy should be used, but you don't want to use too much epoxy because it is very heavy. Some people think that they can use epoxy on all joints because they think it's stronger that way, but all they are doing is making the plane too heavy. Epoxy should be used sparingly. Most instruction books will tell you where to use epoxy during the build. A good rule of thumb (but not a complete list by all means) would be to use epoxy for attaching the firewall, joining wing halves, attaching horizontal and vertical stabilizers, attaching wing bolt blocks, landing gear mounts, etc....
Hope this helps.
Ken