Hi Larry
I understand what you are saying and if I may, I'd like to offer a couple of explanations or experiences I've had or observed:

: My observations using TB II: The glue dries too quickly. I used a lot of full
: length (almost 20') strips on my boat. By the time I got to the far end
: with my staples (yes I love staples), clamps, bungees, etc. the glue was
: setting up.

First: Titebond has a limited use time ( shelf life ). I have had situations similar to what you describe and on each occasion, I looked in the gallon jug and the glue was seperating. The older Titebond bottles had an experation date on them or stated to use within a year or so. The one I have presently does not. And I have never tried, but I suppose you could remix it. The gallon jug I'm using right now ( as I just looked down into it ) has some seperation happening and it was purchased in early 2001. I've used it up to about a month ago, and it worked fine, but I will either mix it back together or just waste it and get more.
Second: The proper ( best ) method of gluing with yellow glues is to apply a thin layer of glue to each side of project, wait till it soaks in, then apply a fresh bead of glue and press together. If you just apply one bead and squeeze the parts together, you sometimes don't get good absorbtion on both pieces, especially if the bead has started to skin over before clamping. These glues work by capilary action, soaking into the wood fibers and therefore require a Good Fitting solid joint.
Which brings me to Third: You MUST get a good solid fit of parts. Unlike resin which works better with a thicker application, these glues work best when they soak into each piece and the pieces actually make contact over the entire surface being glued. They will NOT gap and anywhere there is only glue and no wood contact, there is NO joint, only the dried glue which will shatter.
Fourth: Titebond, Titebond II or Elmers ?? are NOT Waterproof in any way. They are water resistant, which is not the same. Put anything with these glues around moisture and they will disolve, just some slower than others. Titebond is a longer lasting bond with moisture. But they are all Water soluable. Which brings me to the next Question....

: Clean-up is a pain. The fast drying glue stains the wood quickly and is
: difficult to remove with wet rag before it stains. I hope this staining
: comes off. Newfound Woodworks says to NOT use Titebond II for this reason.

I don't understand why anyone ( especially the manufacturers ) would recommend clean up of these glues with water. The mere statement that they are water soluable should give them a clue. When mixed with water, as in wiping with a wet/damp rag, they break down, thin out and are much more easily absorbed into the wood and therefore leave marks or stains. In the shops I've worked in, NOBODY ever used a wet rag to wipe off these glues. You end up with glue ( thinned ) soaking into a project and causing a multitude of problems. The biggest being that no finish will stick to it, or will stain or discolor. It soaks in much deeper than just the glue would. Much sanding is in order!
Fifth: and maybe not something that happens often, when wiping down glue before it's set, you are adding water to the glue joint and thinning the glue or at least affecting it at the joint. Water Kills these glues or weakens them.
I sometimes wonder if the humidity in certain areas would affect it. ??

: I test broke some scrap cut-outs from my deck to see where the break would
: be. All my sample breaks were at the cove bead glue joint which was very
: well clamped during drying. The broken joint only tore a little wood from
: the opposite surface, mostly broke at glue joint itself. Not good!

: My conclusion: The very best glue for STRIP building I have used so far is
: Elmers yellow carpenters glue. It stays wet longer, making it easier to
: move strips around. It cleans off the surface easily without staining. The
: viscosity is about perfect, better than Titebond carpenters glue or TB II.
: When I test broke scraps. It did not break at the glue joint as it did
: with TB II.

: These are just my observations, your mileage may vary.

: Larry C.

I have not had any problems with Titebond other than a couple of times when the glue was old/bad. I use the method I mentioned above. I wet both sides with the glue and in the case with strips, I would put the glue on one side, fit them together, shift the strips back and forth to get good coverage and pull them apart to double check. Then just add a tiny bead again and put together to clamp. Clamp until you see a squeeze-out along the whole length and tighten just a tad more.

For clean up, THE ONLY WAY I do it is wait until the glue has set to a gel state and take a chizel or scraper and scrape it off. If you do it too soon, you risk pressing the wet glue into exposed wood and causing a stain, or at least a spot that will have to be deep sanded to get the glue out. If the glue is starting to harden, it won't wet the surface and will usually just chip off easily. If you wait until it's hard, it can often take some of the upper grain of the wood with it. ( that's what it's made for ). This method works VERY WELL for me and I never have any glue stains in the surrounding areas. If you leave the squeeze off and/or runs alone, they will just run down the surface and do not soak into the wood. Let them set up good ( maybe an hour or so ) and then just peel them off or scrape them. No Harm / No Damage

NEVER USE A WET CLOTH TO CLEAN UP A WATER SOLUABLE GLUE. It just sets off too many alarms for me....

These are just some of the things I've observed over the years that I've been using the Titebond and Titebond II formulas and I've had excellent results with it. On the other hand, the Elmers Yellow glue is a relative new comer to the market and I've never used it, so have no experience to offer, so You may be correct in it's abilities. ?? I have learned to trust the Titebond glues and will stay with them until I no longer trust them.

And of course, that's all just an opinion as most everyone will learn to like whatever brand they use personally, as they learn all it's particular quirks and the methods I use may not work for other brands. ??

Hope this is of some use. ??

Rehd