PVA Glue is the category that includes standard white and yellow glue. It is the most common glue used by woodworkers. Unless you are working with materials that will be constantly exposed to water, PVA is the glue you probably will use over 95% of the time.

The glue solvent is water and works by intertwining the fibers of wood with the polyvinyl acetate as the water evaporates.

It is inexpensive (compared to other glues), non-toxic, and has a long shelf life. The basic difference between white glue and yellow glue is that yellow glue has a shorter drying time (open time).

Its only real drawback, being a water based glue, is that it is not very resistant when exposed to high moisture levels. There are new PVA glues on the market that are more water resistant than the standard white glue, but in this case it might be best to read into other glues that might be better suited for your application.

Another reason to maybe think about not using PVA glue is the fact that the high water content in the glue may not work well with certain types of wood that either warp easily (ie. beech), or are oily (teak).

Do no let PVA glue freeze. It will not be good afterwards. With white glue, if the glue has frozen and thawed, it will dry a white cloudy color instead of clear.

Some woodworkers prefer either white or yellow glue. Myself, I take the white glue because it gives me an extra 5-10 minutes of open time to set up my clamps properly. It also dries clear instead of a yellowish color.