While most people associate hot glue guns with small hobby crafting projects, that doesn’t mean that they cannot be used for a more serious and demanding application such as woodworking.
And since we see more and more manufacturers starting to produce heavy-duty glue sticks for woodworking, that further broadens the possibilities of using the guns for our woodworking projects.
But not all glue guns will be sufficient for such a demanding job as woodworking is. We can’t expect to use a $2 glue gun and get a solid bond, fast results, and a long-lasting tool.
We need to get a hot glue gun that is designed and suited for professional use. But since so many glue guns are advertised as the best glue gun for woodworking, how can we know which one is truly the best?
To answer that question, we compiled a list of the 4 best hot glue gun models for woodworking that are all durable, drip-free, and quick-melting. Along with the list, we’ve included a guide where you can learn more about the hot glue guns and the way we chose them.
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Hot Glue Gun For Woodworking – Reviews
Our research wasn’t easy. We started with more than 30 models that looked promising and high-quality. Only 4 hot glue guns made it to our list because they passed our strict criteria. They all had to be made of high-grade materials, safe to use, and perform excellently.
We included both more expensive and more affordable models, as well as corded and cordless glue guns so that you can find the best hot glue gun for yourself!
Our Pick
AdTech Pro 200 Hot Glue Gun
Wattage: 200 Watts
Output Per Hour: 3.5 lbs
Heat-Up Time: 3 Minutes or Less
The best performing glue gun on our list is the AdTech 200 that has a super quick heat up time, a lot of power, and high-grade construction. It is capable of doing professional work and is great for heavy-duty jobs where you need a helping hand. It’s, in our opinion, the best hot glue gun for woodworking when it comes to power and performance.
Features & Build
This hot glue gun is equipped with everything a high-grade tool should have.
It comes with a 200W heating system which is more than double the power most over $20 glue guns have.
The body is made out of high-quality, thick, and durable plastic that looks and feels sturdy. It’s not the cheap and easy-to-heat plastic you mostly see on inexpensive Chinese glue guns.
It is a corded glue gun with the standard US power adapter, which means that you will get more power and get it more consistently than with the cordless gun.
We like the large and ergonomic trigger design on this gun that provides more accuracy and comfort. It requires less force to dispense the glue since you can use more fingers to pull the trigger. The built-in metal base stand is also a nice addition that adds more convenience to using the hot glue gun.
The size and weight of the glue indicate that it’s designed for professional usage such as woodworking. It has a solid weight of 1.6 pounds and doesn’t have that cheap, lightweight Chinese feel to it.
A nice security feature that we always want to see on hot glue guns is the nozzle temperature isolation. If you accidentally touch the nozzle while using the gun, you can get serious burns which won’t happen with this gun.
All in all, the build of this hot glue gun is as good as it gets. They’ve thought about everything, and that’s why we think that with moderate usage, this gun can last for years!
Performance
The performance of this glue gun matches its superb features and build. It’s the best performing glue gun for woodworking on our list.
The high 200 Wattage enables work under high temperatures that can go up to 410° Fahrenheit, which melts the glue extra hot! This is excellent for bonding heavy-duty materials such as wooden heavy boards and other woodworking materials.
The high power of this hot glue gun also speeds up the heat-up time. With most glue guns you can wait as much as 10 minutes for the glue to fully melt, but with this gun, you won’t ever wait more than 3 minutes! Its lighting-fast melting time will speed up your woodworking projects significantly!
The amount of glue you can output is amazing as you can dispense up to 3.5lbs of adhesive per hour! This will be more than enough for most woodworking projects!
One of the most common issues with cheap glue guns is the leakage of the adhesive. It starts seeping when it shouldn’t, which makes a mess and ruins your mood and results. This doesn’t happen with this hot glue gun as it won’t leak before and after use, dispensing glue only through the nozzle when you pull the trigger.
This hot glue gun works with any full-size, 0.44-inch hot glue stick. Pick some high-quality hot glue sticks for woodworking, and you can start gluing wood right away!
Affordability
The only thing that draws people away from going for this gun is its price. It is more than what most people want to pay for a glue gun, but what they don’t realize is that this gun is a better deal in the long run.
Most under $20 glue gun models will last only a few months and sometimes even less! Whereas this gun can work for years given its sturdy build and high-grade materials.
The higher price is definitely worth it, and if you want a professional glue gun for woodworking that can get the job done, this is the one to go for!
Ryobi P305 One+ Cordless Glue Gun
Wattage: 60W
Battery Capacity: 3.5 Hours
Heat-Up Time: 6–8 minutes
Ryobi is one of the most renowned tool manufacturers for a reason. They produce outstanding power tools, and this P305 One+ is the best cordless glue gun they’ve produced. It offers exceptional performance and power for a cordless gun that adds much more convenience to your woodworking projects.
Features & Build
First thing first, the main part that this glue is lacking is the battery, which is not included with it. The gun itself is amazing, and that’s what we are getting here.
If you already have Ryobi batteries, this is a terrific deal. If not, you’ll have to get them separately, but it would be well worth it for the excellent performance and convenience this glue gun offers.
This hot glue gun operates at 60W, which might not seem as much, but is plenty when we consider that this is a cordless glue gun.
As with all Ryobi tools, this one is built to last. The body is made out of thick and durable plastic that can withstand banging, dropping, and pressure from all directions.
The handle is what we like the most as it has the classic Ryobi rubber design that offers great grip and comfort.
The two-finger trigger is also great as it requires less pressure to pull and offers more precision for application.
The safety features are on point, and the glue gun doesn’t eradicate heat when working with it since it’s well isolated from high temperatures.
Since the glue gun is cordless, you get a lot more convenience and maneuvering space with it. You don’t have to worry about the cord tangling up or if it will reach a confined spot. No need to worry about power outlets as you can go from room to room and continue working right away.
Performance
This cordless glue gun lives up to the Ryobi standards when it comes to performance as well. It’s by far the best cordless glue gun for woodworking we tried in terms of speed and consistency of the power.
It heats up in 6-8 minutes which is amazing considering it’s a cordless glue gun and has less power.
It can reach high temperatures, no other cordless glue gun can, because of its power. You can melt glue hotter than with any other cordless glue gun and achieve better adhesion on woodworking materials.
The glue is dispensed very precisely and consistently, making you waste less glue and get cleaner results. No drippage occurs after you’ve done with your work, and the glue comes out precisely from the nozzle and nowhere else.
When equipped with a Ryobi battery, this gun can work for 3.5 hours non-stop. That is an amazingly long working time and will most of the time be enough even for long workdays.
Affordability
This is obviously a great deal if you already have some Ryobi batteries but can get a bit expensive if you don’t.
Depending on where you acquire the batteries, the cost can go over $60, which is more than some people are willing to spend on a glue gun for woodworking.
Still, if you can benefit from the excellent performance and convenience of this glue gun, it’s a great deal either way! It will be a great help in your woodworking projects!
Surebonder Ultra Glue Gun
Wattage: 100W
Heat-Up Time: 4 Minutes
Glue Stick Size: 7/16 Inches
This excellent corded glue gun for woodworking comes with a few unique and useful features and extras. Its high performance and sturdy build make it a great choice for a professional environment.
Features & Build
The unique feature we were talking about is the auto-shutoff function that this tool has. You would think that such a simple yet crucial safety feature will be present in more guns, but for some reason, it isn’t.
It automatically turns off the hot glue gun after 30 minutes of inactivity, saving power and wastage of glue. We’ve lost count of how many times hot glue destroyed the items close to them after we forgot to turn them off. This convenient feature would have saved us from a lot of stress and wasted money!
Another feature we like is the low and high setting mode. If you need to bond heavy-duty woodworking materials, you can choose the high temp setting and melt the glue to extreme temperatures that will provide you with a more resistant bond. If you’re working on lightweight projects where extreme strength isn’t required, choose the low setting and save time and energy.
Surebond definitely knows their stuff as they make some excellent glue guns that last for a long time. This one is no different as it’s very well made from sturdy and high-grade plastic.
We like the long trigger that allows for more fingers and less fatigue. We are big fans of this trigger design as it requires very little pressure to dispense the melted glue.
The glue gun operates at 100W of power which is sufficient for most medium and high-strength woodworking applications.
The gun is full-sized, which means that it doesn’t feel or work like the toy models we see being sold for under $10. It feels like a truly professional tool that will be up to any task you need it to do.
We like the base and the built-in metal stand that keep the gun in place when not in use. All those simple and little features aren’t huge benefits themselves, but when you combine them all, you start to realize how they save you a ton of time and make your project more enjoyable.
They aren’t present on the cheaper models and can ruin the whole experience and make you wish you spent a few more bucks on the real deal.
Performance
Almost all of the Surebonder glue guns we’ve tested perform excellently, and this one isn’t an exception. It works as a professional tool should and will help you get expert-like results.
The glue gun can heat up in 4 minutes only, which isn’t as fast as the AdTech model but is still faster than the competition. It will speed up your work and make you finish your woodworking projects much faster.
You can get the melting time even faster if you use the low setting. If you’re working with lightweight materials, the melting time can get as low as 1 minute on the low setting.
The maximum temperature that this glue gun can reach isn’t stated but is indeed high and will be adequate for most woodworking applications.
One of the best ways to check the quality of the glue gun is to see whether it drips or not. The Surebonder glue gun drips minimally and doesn’t make a mess like other glue guns in this price range do.
All in all, the performance of this glue gun is almost on par with the AdTech glue gun we reviewed earlier. It is a bit weaker in terms of wattage but is definitely capable of bonding wood successfully.
Extras
Accessories are always nice, and we like that this glue gun comes with 20 all-purpose Surebonder glue sticks. These are solid sticks that have the bonding strength for most woodworking work.
Verdict
This glue gun is close to the AdTech model in terms of what you get for your money. They are both excellent glue guns that can assist you in your woodworking project, but we will give a slight edge to the AdTech glue gun for its unmatchable performance and power.
Chandler Tool Glue Gun
Wattage: 100W
Heat-Up Time: 4 Minutes
Weight: 1.3 pounds
The last glue gun on our list and the only budget glue gun for woodworking that lived up to the task is the US-Made Chandler Tool Glue Gun. It has all the features we want in a glue gun for woodworking and is priced under $30.
Features & Build
This glue gun is surprisingly well made for its price range. The materials are much sturdier and have the feel of a high-grade tool.
While it might be obvious and simple, an on and off switch is nice to see as it is often missing from hot glue guns in this price range.
The security features are perfect, and the fact that this gun is UL-Certified is amazing. Most budget tool companies won’t bother with getting the UL certification, mostly because they wouldn’t pass it! This glue gun, however, is proved to be safe to use and has all the necessary protective features.
We like that you get a nice and stable base stand and a cable stand for keeping everything neat and organized.
This glue gun is 100W and has enough power for most medium and some high-strength woodworking projects.
The handle offers a solid grip and the trigger has enough room for at least two fingers, which is what we want for easier application.
All in all, this gun has a solid build and will certainly last a lot longer than the other glue guns in this price range. The manufacturer has done a great job and was able to keep it simple and make the glue gun durable with a limited budget.
Performance
While this hot glue gun is advertised as a 100W gun, in reality, the wattage is a bit lower than that. This is not unusual at this price point, as you rarely see hot glue guns that are truly 100W. The power is still sufficient for most woodworking projects.
The heat-up time is phenomenal as the gun only needs 4 minutes to fully heat up. We mostly see 6+ minutes heat-up time below $30.
The maximum temperature isn’t as high as with the AdTech and Surebonder models but is enough for medium woodworking projects. If you need extra hot glue for heavy and hard-to-bond boards, then you’ll probably want to go with the two guns we mentioned above.
It wouldn’t be correct to say that this glue gun is drip-free but rather drip-minimal. The amount of dripping is definitely bearable and won’t be able to do any substantial damage.
The performance of this glue gun is above our expectations. We can definitely call this gun a heavy-duty budget glue gun.
Verdict
We couldn’t find any glue guns that were good enough for woodworking under $20, but we had slightly more success in the $20 to $30 price range. This is the only gun from it that deserved to be on our list because of its amazing price to performance ratio. We can safely say that it’s the best budget hot glue gun for woodworking!
Why Use Hot Glue Gun For Woodworking
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, hot glue is usually associated with small crafting projects and not with a high-strength job like woodworking. But as we see an increase in glue gun usage within the woodworking community, we begin to wonder, could a glue gun be used for professional applications?
While most woodworkers don’t use hot glue as a bonding adhesive that will hold the two parts of wood together for a long time, they use it as a helping hand to make their work easier.
PVA adhesives are much stronger on wood than hot glue but are also more expensive to use as temporary glue. That’s where hot glue comes in and makes the job of a carpenter much easier.
You can use it to keep the boards in place to drive screws, keep wood steady before applying adhesive or clamping, and much more. Hot glue becomes sort of a co-worker that helps with all the simple but necessary tasks.
Keep in mind that you still need to use woodworking glue sticks since the regular ones won’t be able to hold the wood, especially if it’s a large heavy board or plank of wood.
- Wattage: 200 Watts
- Output Per Hour: 3.5 lbs
- Heat-Up Time: 3 Minutes or Less
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
What To Look For When Choosing Glue Gun For Woodworking
The regular crafting guns that you can get for $1 and a professional woodworking glue gun differs. If you’re going to use a glue gun for this heavy-duty application, you will need a reliable tool to do so properly.
We will now go through the main features you should pay attention to when choosing a hot glue gun for woodworking.
Wattage
The main difference between cheap and high-grade glue guns is their power and consistency. A glue gun that costs a couple of dollars has about 2 Watts of power, which by itself tells you what it’s capable of. It might glue a popsicle stick, but it sure won’t bond heavy lumber.
For woodworking, you will need to get a hot glue gun that has at least 50W and can heat up in 10 minutes max. That amount of power is sufficient to generate enough heat to be able to melt glue sticks for woodworking, which usually requires a higher working temperature.
Be wary of cheap guns that claim to have high wattage, such as a glue gun that has 150W and costs $10. The glue gun might start well but won’t be able to hold the high temperature long enough for the glue stick to melt.
Always be realistic about what can you expect in a certain price range so that you can avoid getting a glue gun that’s not fit to do the job.
Build
Making crafts out of paper and doing woodworking are polar opposites when it comes to the weight of the materials, tools, and equipment.
In order for a glue gun to survive the woodworking environment, it has to be heavily built and very sturdy.
Almost every glue gun is made of plastic, but we have to consider that hundreds of types of plastic vary in cost and quality. Cheaper guns will use cheaper plastic, the one that won’t withstand drops, banging, and accidental hits.
That’s why we recommend never go below $20 when choosing a glue gun for woodworking. You won’t find what you’re looking for there.
Corded or Cordless
This is one of the most common debates when it comes to all power tools. Both have their advantages, and it’s very much a matter of preference and your use case.
If you work in confined places or move a lot from room to room, you can save a lot of time by going for a cordless glue gun. Some people don’t necessarily need a cordless glue gun, but just like the convenience of it, and that’s why they go for one.
On the other hand, a corded glue gun gives you more power and a consistent heating temperature. It’s much better in terms of performance but lacks the convenience and ease of use that cordless models have.
Consider what you like and what you need and make your choice based on that.
- Wattage: 200 Watts
- Output Per Hour: 3.5 lbs
- Heat-Up Time: 3 Minutes or Less
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Wrap Up
That ends our search for the best hot glue gun for woodworking.
There are quite a few models out there capable of doing woodworking work, but you’ll have to spend a bit more to get them.
All of the models we reviewed have the best price to performance ratio, and all work great for woodworking. You can’t go wrong with any of them!
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