Packing Tape

[heppnerguy]

2 hours ago, JimErn said:

I tried the blue tape for stack cutting, then one day someone mentioned hot glue, so I tried it.  For me it works so much better.  I put a dab of hot glue on each side, by the corner and the middle while clamping the wood together.  A razor knife separates them when I am done and a small block plane removes any left overs.

I also use blue painters tape when i stack cut, which is something I rarely do, and next time I am going to try the hot glue idea and see how I like it. Ideas we have not heard about or perhaps failed to try, give us an opportunity to find something that works even better when we reach out  and experiment with them.

Dick

heppnerguy

[Bill WIlson]

I don't use tape, as a general rule.  I use hot glue on the edges to hold stacks together and apply spray adhesive to the back of the pattern and attach it directly to the wood.  This works for me.  Your mileage may very.

As for the lubrication qualities of the tape (adhesive, release agent or whatever it is), I was skeptical for some time.  That is until one day I was trying to cut a puzzle out of some 3/4" thick cherry.  I've scrolled plenty of cherry over the years, mostly with no real burning problems, unless I was pushing the blade beyond it's useable life span.  However on this particular piece of cherry, I got burning almost immediately.  I changed blades a couple times, so I'm pretty confident it wasn't the blade.  It wasn't until I added packing tape that I was able to cut the piece.  It cut smoothly, with no burning, even using the same blade that wouldn't cut when no tape was applied.  The difference was so stark, I reconsidered my general skepticism of using packing tape in this way.  I still don't use it all the time as I don't think it necessarily makes a huge difference in all applications, but there are definitely some times where it does.  I now use it if I notice or suspect that I may have trouble with burning, especially cutting cherry of 1/2" thickness or more.

[heppnerguy]

On 11/6/2019 at 7:47 PM, flarud said:

When I first got back into scrolling a few years ago I would use the spray glue on the pattern and attach it directly to the wood.  I would use a heat gun and or goof off or oops to remove the pattern but there was always a sticky residue left behind that would have to be sanded off... that could be damaging to the cut out.  So I started using the blue tape and no need to worry about the sticky residue but now it's time consuming to remove all of the tape.  

I have found with BB Ply that the blue painters tape sometimes tears some of the wood fibers off when removing it. I do not have the problem with that when I put the pattern directly onto the wood. Giving the glue a minute or so to set after applying Mineral Spirits results in a pattern fall off in its entirety and not leaving any residue behind. The residue that is left is usually just because it did not have the time to diminish or the spray was put on too thick in the first place. I often will feel the wood after i remove the pattern in this way and if there is any residue, I dampen a rag or paper towel and rub it over that part and the left over residue is gone. Only downside I see doing it this way is one has to give it a little time to dry  before any paint or finish is applied. Just me experience. Not that I am right or wrong, just my take on this subject .

Dick

heppnerguy

[heppnerguy]

On 11/6/2019 at 2:49 PM, scrollingforsanity said:

What Ray said is the correct way. Cover your wood with packing tape or blue painters tape the apply your pattern with glue or whatever you use. I use clear shelf liner from Walmart with great results.

.

Clear packing tape has a really good sticking effect but don't you find it will remove some of the wood fiber if used on BB Ply? Just wondering as that is the problem I see in this method. On a hard wood I do not see this to be a problem.

Dick

heppnerguy

[heppnerguy]

On 11/6/2019 at 5:44 PM, dgman said:

I do use clear packing tape over the pattern. The trick is to apply the tape tightly without air bubbles. Do not wrap. I then use a small block of wood to burnish the tape to remove any air bubbles. With the tape tightly applied, you won’t get any sawdust under the tape. A far as glare, I use a lighted magnifying light and an additional light to the side of the saw table. With this setup, I don’t get any glare.

I did not know this. I tried packing tape a couple of times and found it to be a problem with it catching the saw dust and making the cutting lines difficult or impossible to see. Thanks for the tip. If I ever feel a need to try this idea again, I will definitely keep this in mind.

Dick

heppnerguy

[heppnerguy]

On 11/7/2019 at 5:45 AM, ike said:

I do not use any tape on my patterns. On fretwork it is a real pain and on compound cutting I use a vice that I got off Stevve Good dweb sitd

IKE

Ike, what and how can you use a vice on your patterns when cutting them? I am completely confused by what you say. Can you please explain this or show a photo of what you are talking about?

Dick

heppnerguy

[OCtoolguy]

3 hours ago, heppnerguy said:

I am the same way. You never learn anything new from the words a person speaks themselves but it is the listening to others where one learns something new. Everyone has some knowledge to share if only the other shuts his or her mouth and opens their ears. I had a person make a remark to me when I tried to give him a compliment. I said to him, "You seem to have a lot of  knowledge". His reply to me was, "I have forgotten more then you'll  ever know". I bet he doesn't learn much from others.

Dick

heppnerguy

He must be in politics Dick.

[Bill WIlson]

23 hours ago, heppnerguy said:

Ike, what and how can you use a vice on your patterns when cutting them? I am completely confused by what you say. Can you please explain this or show a photo of what you are talking about?

Dick

heppnerguy

Not Ike, but I presume he's talking about one of these.

 

[BadBob]

20 hours ago, Bill WIlson said:

Not Ike, but I presume he's talking about one of these.

 

I use two pieces of wood and some spring clamps for this. I have tried every method, but I prefer the spring clamps because I never need to readjust them. Other clamps will loosen as you cut. I like the plastic/nylon clamps because they will not damage my blade if I cut into the clamp accidentally.

[heppnerguy]

On 1/25/2022 at 7:37 AM, Bill WIlson said:

Not Ike, but I presume he's talking about one of these.

 

oh yes. I thought you were saying you use a vice to hold the boards together when you stack cut. This vice I have made also and use it for my 3 dimensional cuts. they are a great asset. I made both sizes of them. Thanks for the explanation.

Dick

heppnerguy

[heppnerguy]

On 1/24/2022 at 8:12 AM, Bill WIlson said:

I don't use tape, as a general rule.  I use hot glue on the edges to hold stacks together and apply spray adhesive to the back of the pattern and attach it directly to the wood.  This works for me.  Your mileage may very.

As for the lubrication qualities of the tape (adhesive, release agent or whatever it is), I was skeptical for some time.  That is until one day I was trying to cut a puzzle out of some 3/4" thick cherry.  I've scrolled plenty of cherry over the years, mostly with no real burning problems, unless I was pushing the blade beyond it's useable life span.  However on this particular piece of cherry, I got burning almost immediately.  I changed blades a couple times, so I'm pretty confident it wasn't the blade.  It wasn't until I added packing tape that I was able to cut the piece.  It cut smoothly, with no burning, even using the same blade that wouldn't cut when no tape was applied.  The difference was so stark, I reconsidered my general skepticism of using packing tape in this way.  I still don't use it all the time as I don't think it necessarily makes a huge difference in all applications, but there are definitely some times where it does.  I now use it if I notice or suspect that I may have trouble with burning, especially cutting cherry of 1/2" thickness or more.

Good tip. I have also been skeptic about using packing tape. After reading your comments, I will keep it in mind and try using it when it seems I have the need for it

Dick

heppnerguy

[Gretchen R]

I haven't seen anyone else mention this pattern attachment method.  I photocopy my patterns onto an adhesive label, Avery TrueBlock Shipping Labels, 8 1/2 by 11 size, which you can buy in packs of 25 for about $18 at Staples.  If I have several small patterns I cut them apart and arrange them so they fit on a sheet of printer paper and that's how I store them, and then when I want a pattern I just photocopy the master onto the label.  It's self-adhesive so I stick it right to the wood.  When I'm done cutting, first I peel off the top layer of the paper (it comes apart very easily).  Then I dampen the whole thing with mineral spirits and use a sharp chisel (because it's flat, not because it's sharp) to peel off the remaining layer of paper/adhesive.  It peels off cleanly, quickly and easily, and leaves only a bare minimum of residue behind, easily removable with a quick wipe of mineral spirits again.  I have even stuck a pattern to a work piece and then forgotten about it and come back a year later (after I found it again) and the pattern still stayed on perfectly while cutting and still came off cleanly with mineral spirits.  You don't have to peel off the top layer of the paper when you remove it, but I think it works better if you do.  This has worked great for me for some years now and I recommend it. 

[Joe W.]

On 2/3/2024 at 1:15 AM, Gretchen R said:

I photocopy my patterns onto an adhesive label, . . . Shipping Labels, 8 1/2 by 11 size

Yep, I've been doing that for over a year now and enjoy the simplicity of it. 
I got mine thru Amazon - 500 in the box for somewhere around 7 cents apiece as I recall.
  

[Gretchen R]

I should correct my explanation above.  If you use packing tape over the pattern, you do need to peel the packing tape off and the top layer of paper will come with it.  If you don't use packing tape, you don't need to take off the top layer of the pattern paper.  Just moisten it with mineral spirits and peel it off with a chisel or a metal spatula.