A tool which might be useful in removing white glue is a "cabinet
scraper".  Available for less than $10 from most woodworker's supply
companies, a scraper is a piece of flat, .020" thick piece of steel
with a microscopic hook edge on it.  This edge is dragged across wood
and produces a fine shaving -- much like a plane.  When you first try
it, it seems like magic!

The hook edge is produced in two steps:

Start with a rectangular piece of steel about 3 inches by 5 inches and
.020 inch thick.

First, the edge of the steel is draw-filed with a single-cut file to
produce a clean 90-degree edge.  This edge should be cleaned up with an
oil stone to eliminate the "wire edge" and any fine chips.

Next, the edge is turned by burnishing with a smooth tool-steel rod
(a screwdriver shank will do).  Use light oil as a lubricant.  The
burnisher is tipped about 10 degrees and drawn across the clean 90-
degree edge with fairly hard pressure two or three times to start
turning the edge.  Then the burnisher is tipped to about 15 degrees
and drawn once more across the edge.  The resulting hook is a few
thousands of an inch tall, and is strong and durable.  A square piece
of steel can have all *eight* edges turned!

In use, the scraper is held 30-45 degrees to the horizontal work piece
(wood), and bowed with finger pressure to curve the hooked edge into a
gentle arc so the center of the edge -- not the sharp corners of the
steel -- contact the wood.  Then with moderate pressure, the scraper is
dragged toward the user.  Some folks prefer to bow the scraper with
their thumbs and push it away.  With a bit of fiddling with the angle
and pressure, the scraper will produce a very fine shaving of wood.

Scrapers have been used for years on "curly grain" woods where machine
tools tend to chip out the chaotic grain.  They are also used to remove
the slightly-soft white glue residue from a glue line -- typically seen
when boards are edge-glued as for a table top.

John Rhodes
jrhodes@pacifier.com