Glues made from natural ingredients have been used for gluing wood for thousands of years. Protein glues are the oldest glues. In good conditions natural glues can create durable glue joints, but they endure weather and microorganisms poorly.
Protein glues:
- Glutin glue was made from animal waste, such as leather, bones and fish.
- Caseine glue was made from whey.
- Albumen glue was made from the dried blood of bovine animals.
Vegetable proteins have also been used to make wood glues. Soybeans have been one of the most important raw materials for this.
Artificially produced synthetic resin glues are cheaper and their technical properties; the durability of joints, the curing rate and versatility are considerably better.
The development of glues in the wood industry has made it possible to glue almost everything on wood. This has enabled the processing of wood products even further.