ORIGINAL: Gray Beard
Other then the work time, and 5 min. is fast, one of the thoughts behind the longer setting epoxies is that it absorbs into the wood for a better bond the longer it takes to cure. It's one of those deep thinking things and you have to make your own call on it??
I have used 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minute epoxy and never noticed it soaking into the wood. I once used a finishing epoxy on a wing and it worked, that has about a 15 hour set up time and had me worried for a long time, it seemed a little brittle to me but the wing stuck together until I did a bad thing, even then the center section held.
I agree completely. I try not to write a novel on every post, and you've done an excellent job of distilling what's up. It is a sort of deep thinking thing, this seeping/absorption occurs on nearly a molecular level.
If anyone has scientific specs on glue/mastic absorption of different woods it would be interesting to see.
I do remember at least one instance of poorer results with 5 minute, which is why I avoid it - but that could have been surface prep on an old firewall that would have presented issues anyway.