In this work, the multiepoxy functional glycidyl ether (GE) modified urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins were synthesized via a traditional alkaline-acid process under low formaldehyde/urea (F/U) molar ratio. The synthesized resins were characterized by 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C-NMR), indicating that GE can effectively react with UF resins via the ring-opening reaction of epoxy groups. Moreover, the residual epoxy groups of GE could also participate in the curing reaction of UF resins, which was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The storage stability of GE-modified UF resins and the thermal degradation behavior of the synthesized resins were evaluated by using optical microrheology and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. Meanwhile, the synthesized resins were further employed to prepare the plywood with the veneers glued. For the modification on bonding strength and formaldehyde emission of the plywood, the influences of addition method, type, and amount of GE were systematically investigated. The performance of UF adhesives were remarkably improved by the modification of GE around 2030% (weight percentage of total urea) in the acidic condensation stage during the resin synthesis. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013