Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
End grain’s the thief of your glue and your finish—it wrecks your joints and leaves splotches or dark spots when you try to finish it. But you can lock it down with an old-school trick called glue sizing…and you have everything needed to make it.
Here’s what’s under the hood: end grain acts like a bundle of straws. The second you brush on glue, stain, or finish, it vanishes—sucked deep into the wood. That starves your joints, especially miters and butt joints, leaving them weak or ready to fail.
Glue sizing is kind of a misnomer. Instead, think of sizing as a simple ratio: water to your regular wood glue.If you’re sealing end grain for a joint—like a miter—a 1:5 ratio works best. That’s one tablespoon of glue to five tablespoons of water. Just mix it up, brush it on, and let it soak in—adding a second coat once the first feels tacky.
If the wood’s more porous, like oak, bump it up to a 1:3 ratio.
Once the sizing has soaked in and dried until it feels tacky, add full strength glue and clamp it up like normal.
If you're prepping for finish or stain, thin it out to a 1:10 mix. Once it’s dry, lightly sand back the raised grain so your finish sticks cleanly.
Check out my other channel! → @makethingswithrob
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
William L McNally
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
End grain’s the thief of your glue and your finish—it wrecks your joints and leaves splotches or dark spots when you try to finish it. But you can lock it down with an old-school trick called glue sizing…and you have everything needed to make it.
Here’s what’s under the hood: end grain acts like a bundle of straws. The second you brush on glue, stain, or finish, it vanishes—sucked deep into the wood. That starves your joints, especially miters and butt joints, leaving them weak or ready to fail.
Glue sizing is kind of a misnomer. Instead, think of sizing as a simple ratio: water to your regular wood glue.If you’re sealing end grain for a joint—like a miter—a 1:5 ratio works best. That’s one tablespoon of glue to five tablespoons of water. Just mix it up, brush it on, and let it soak in—adding a second coat once the first feels tacky.
If the wood’s more porous, like oak, bump it up to a 1:3 ratio.
Once the sizing has soaked in and dried until it feels tacky, add full strength glue and clamp it up like normal.
If you're prepping for finish or stain, thin it out to a 1:10 mix. Once it’s dry, lightly sand back the raised grain so your finish sticks cleanly.
Check out my other channel! → @makethingswithrob
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
William L McNally
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
