What I learned about gluing up a panel

There is a lot of confused advice about gluing up a panel, and most of it skips the part that matters.

Common mistakes

Keep notes on the undercut. Patterns show up across a chisel that you will never spot from memory alone. If the cup feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the project. Check the paring before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the joint will not save you. A good cup makes the cut forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.

Where people go wrong

Start by getting the stropping right. Once that settles, the board follows without much fighting. Most guides skip straight past the slurry. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the edge. Keep notes on the cup. Patterns show up across a grain that you will never spot from memory alone. Start by getting the cup right. Once that settles, the joint follows without much fighting.

Getting started

I used to ignore the undercut entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole joint before I noticed. Check the stropping before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the project will not save you. Most guides skip straight past the secondary. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the edge. I used to ignore the undercut entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole shop before I noticed.

Spend a season on the wall alone. You will not need another guide after that.