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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/wood-open-time-meaning

In woodworking glue terms, what is "open time"?

The time between spreading the glue and joining the pieces.

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  1. Time from spreading glue to joining the parts ✔
  2. Time the clamps must stay on
  3. Time a mixed batch stays usable

Why: Open time is your window to get the parts together. The time the clamps stay on is the clamp time, and how long a mixed batch lasts is pot life. Higher temperatures shorten all of them.

Huh, didn't know that: Most adhesives take hours or even weeks after pressing to reach full strength.

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References

Answer: Time from spreading glue to joining the parts. Open time is your window to get the parts together. The time the clamps stay on is the clamp time, and how long a mixed batch lasts is pot life. Higher temperatures shorten all of them.

  1. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material, FPL-GTR-282 (USDA Forest Products Laboratory, 2021) research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/62200
    Open time is the time between applying the adhesive and joining the pieces.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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