Stack Cutting

[oldhudson]

I've never tried stack cutting. But I want to do some bookmarks. What is the best way to hold the layers together. I was thinking double sided tape, but maybe there's a better option. Thanks.

[jollyred]

I did some bookmarks using 1/32" plywood and held them together by wrapping them with blue painter's tape.  Worked real well.  I think I did about 8 at a time using a #2 blade.

Tom

[kmmcrafts]

Tape around the edges is what I do most.. I have also used screws in the waste areas and then take them out to reuse again.. just make sure they don't poke through the back side and scratch the saw table all up. I also and more now than ever use a pin nailer.. again.. be sure they don't poke through the back. 

I've read where some use hot glue around the edges. Gotta be careful with double sided tapes as they might peel up some larger wood fibers and create a problem..  

[NC Scroller]

I stack cut a lot.  I use a hot glue gun. A narrow bead on all 4 edges.

[Jim McDonald]

1 hour ago, NC Scroller said:

I stack cut a lot.  I use a hot glue gun. A narrow bead on all 4 edges.

Another vote for hot glue. Clamp the stack and dabs of hot glue around the edges. 

Just make sure the glue doesn't protrude below the bottom layer. (Doesn't slide really good on the table)

[TAIrving]

The real requirement is to ensure that none of the layers move while cutting - not even a little bit.  Don't ask me how I know this.

I have used all the techniques mentioned except the ones about double layer tape and screws in the waste area.  I am currently working on a 2-layer stack using wood glue in the waste area - just be very careful not to get any in the pattern area.  (I don't think I will do it this way again.)

I would be concerned about using blue painter's tape for a stack of 3 or more as the stack could shift.  Think of cutting a pattern part way, then lifting and moving the pattern and finishing the cut.  That is effectively what happens to the lower layers when the stack shifts.  

[dgman]

2 hours ago, NC Scroller said:

I stack cut a lot.  I use a hot glue gun. A narrow bead on all 4 edges.

Exactly as I do!

[Norm Fengstad]

I have used dab of glue around the edges, pin nailers, and or tape to hold things together. They all work, lately my my go too method is using blue painters tape. 

[Wichman]

I have used all the methods mentioned so far here's my take (for what it's worth)

pin nails

     Pro: very good at holding the stack and keeping it from moving.

     Con; have to have or buy a pin nailer, I use hardwood and the pins would bend inside the wood and be in the pattern line ( this is very bad for the blades)

double sided tape

     Pro: works well, adds lubrication to the blades

     Con: removing the tape can be problematic, wood fibers may come off with the tape.

Hot glue:

     Pro: works well

     Con: I've have one or more layers come loose in one or more areas around the piece

Blue painters tape

     Pro: works well

     Con: can't see wood grain through the tape. If your'e using BB plywood this is probably not a concern

Packing tape

     Pro: works well, can see grain

     Con: packing tape can be a real pain if you have issues with static electricity, the adhesive can be wildly different between batches/manufactures   ( The roll I'm using right now has to be cleaned with acetone, MS just won't dissolve the residue ).

My current system: Cover top and bottom with clear shelf liner, packing tape to hold the stack. Pilot hole for the outside cut and enough room around the pattern so that the waste area keeps the layers of the pattern locked in place as the ouside is cut.

I have recently cut 5 layers of 1/8 BB plywood for ornaments, using 2/0 blades. The stack limit is the length of the small drill bits.

I did try putting wax paper between each layer (for lubrication), but I didn't notice any difference.

     

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

My method that I have been using for a long time is a combination of a few mentioned already. I always use blue painters tape under my patterns for I find it easy to peel that off than any pattern stuck to wood. If the pattern being cut is very delicate I will switch to a less adhesive tape such as purple or green but process remains the same. When stack cutting I put blue tape on top and bottom of wood that is the middle of the layer. I then use spray adhesive 3M77 on a sheet of plain white copy paper both sides and place that between the layers on top of the blue tape. I rinse and repeat for as many layers as I am cutting. Usually no more that 4 if thin 3/32" When everything is all lined up the stack does not move and I do not worry about hitting nails or pieces sliding around. After cut out I gently peel everything off. If I need to some Mineral spirits or DNA works well to get any residue or small bits of tape off. Works well for me. Just my method, not sure where I picked that tip up years ago from. I think someone here suggested the last time I mentioned this method and asked why not just spray the tape and not use the white paper. My answer to that is overspray on project and it is alot easier taking the paper off the tape. I practically falls off without much effort and yet is strong enough to keep everything aligned as cut. Good luck.  

[BadBob]

I have used almost everything and settled on wood glue in the waste area. It is cheaper than all the others. It doesn't leave a gap between the layers like double-sided tape or hot glue.

Downsides: You need to clamp it long enough to cure the glue. I use Titebond II and let it set in the clamps for at least 20 minutes before cutting. You must be careful about how much glue you use and locate the glue far enough away from the cut so you don't glue the pieces together. Little dots of glue around the edges are all that is needed.

[barb.j.enders]

I won't add any "this is what I do" but I will say DON'T use double sided tape on small delicate cuts.  I tried it on a Tree of Life.  Made some great designer work!!  The tape was so strong it broke off leaves as I separated the pieces.

[Bill WIlson]

Like most veteran scrollers, I've used several methods to hold stacks together.  I've pretty much settled on the hot glue across the edges technique.  It's fast, simple and works well for me.  I hate fussing with tape, but I understand the appeal.  I have a pin nailer, but unless I'm working on a pretty large piece and have concerns about areas in the middle being secured, it doesn't offer any advantages over the hot glued edges, at least for me.  We all work differently and not every method works as well in every application, so having options and flexibility is always a good thing.

[kmmcrafts]

Like Bill said, we all work differently and one method doesn't work well for one or another.. I've never tried the hot glue method.. but many here have said that's how they do it which is interesting to me. Someone mentioned the pin nailer having to get one and many of the lower cost ones require a air compressor etc.. Being I'm usually in the mindframe of production cutting and do mostly stack cutting between 4 and 6 to a stack for the past 15 years.. my most used method was always tape around the edges.. IF you make sure to have the stack held together very tight and make the tape go over the edges tightly etc etc.. it has always worked very well for me.. I usually use shelf liner on the top layer and have my pattern already glued onto the top layer before taping the stack together.. this way peeling it back off is easy other than the very bottom piece but that is on the back side anyway so it could be sanded off etc. if needed.. I usually use clear packing tape as it is thinner than most of the painters tape.. 

The pin nailer work really well for me too for large projects.. as it keeps the middle of the stack good and tight.. I've not had any issues with that method either but I also have a small die grinder that I'll quickly use to grind down the pin nails so they won't scratch the table top etc. 

I could see myself a bit annoyed with the glue gun method as I'd have to wait for it to warm up to work.. I suppose if I planned it right and plugged it in while prepping the pattern etc.. that'd probably work well to once I got the system down. I've been using the tape for so many years without issues that sometimes if in a rush I  don't bother and just use tape.. on occasion with big projects and the middle does start bouncing around I'll drive a screw or pin nail in a waste area just to help out. 

Anyway, I think I'll gift the glue gun method a try one of these days.. maybe I'll start a new method or maybe I'll hate it and continue what I've always done. I'm not one of those that my way is the way it has to be done and open to trying new ways.. This topic has been interesting to me to see how many are using the glue gun.. so I have to try it. 

[Bill WIlson]

It doesn't really take all that long for the glue gun to heat up.  I usually work on organizing stacks of blanks, applying patterns and clamping them together while it's heating up and by the time I'm ready for it, it's ready to rock.  I actually have a couple of them.  One takes the mini glue sticks and the other takes larger ones.  I didn't buy them for scroll sawing, but that is what their primary use is these days.

From some of the comments I've read, I think there may be a mis-understanding on how the hot glue is applied, not from Kevin's reply, but from others over the years.  The hot glue is not applied between the layers.  It's applied in strips, across the edges of the stack.  All pieces in the stack need to be the same size, so that the edges all line up.  It does not cause any gaps between layers.  It merely holds the edges together, sort of like the binding on a book.  I use this technique mostly when I'm cutting Christmas ornaments.  I'll place patterns for multiple ornaments on the blank.  Most of the time, the edge of the blank is not part of the pattern and gets cut away.  I do not cut into any edge from the outside, until I've made all the internal cuts and have freed the finished pieces from the stack.  That way the stack stays together throughout all the cutting.

[kmmcrafts]

I assumed that all the sizes would need to be the same.. that has always been the case for taping around the edges too. I ended up with a lot of oddball sizes a few years ago and that is actually why / when I bought the pin nailer.. quicker than screws and the pieces can be all different sizes.. that is actually what started the pin nailer method.. It has paid for itself just using up all those oddball pieces I had. There was a large lawn cart and two wheelbarrows stacked full of oddball sizes that was too large to just toss out but not the standard blank size I used and most was not the same size as any of the other pieces for a stack.  

[Fish]

I always used packing tape. I just didn't think about trying anything else.  I'm going to try other ways you folks have suggested too. Thanks.

[Scrappile]

I have used most of the methods above, but usually, I tape the edges.  I hate messing with hot glue.   In addition to taping the edges, I use small wire nails on larger pieces.  I put a nails in some of the waste areas.   I have a steel bar I lay the pattern on,  Pound the nail(s) in with a Hammer, remember hammers(?).  No pin nailer/compressor required.  The point of the nail is flattened when it hits the steel bar.   Then I cut the protruding top of the nail off with clippers.  

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

For those that use pin nails or brad nails, of some sort that mention air compressor, as with just about all tools these days they make battery operated pin and brad nailers. Of course the cheapest way out and more useful is the compressor and air nailers. The one thing I would caution when using this method is that if using hard woods or soft woods they all have grain patterns and even with pin nails you can split the wood. Those splits could run into a section that you need to keep. When using a metal backer to flatten nail it can mushroom and  cause splits also. Plus one more thing if using a metal backer that nail can now jam that gun. Best to use nails just short enough to accomplish the mission and skip the metal backer. Just some points that I have seen happen before. 

Edited June 4 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[Denny Knappen]

Like your idea, I use double face tape.  Just be sure you apply it in the waste area.  I have it on my website.  Here is a link:  Hand Held ATG Tape | Pegas scroll saw (artcraftersonline.com)

[tomsteve]

since I have a brad nailer I shoot some brads into scrap areas to hold the stack together

[crupiea]

I am not a big stack cutting guy but when i do i use blue painters tape around the edges. 

[danny]

Forever and Ever I have used just a dab of Glue mostly in All Patterns.  In the Corner.

Clamp and wait to dry.  Works perfectly....  Danny  :+}

[Anthonywb1]

Maybe I’ve been doing it wrong but I always stack cut making clocks and boxes but I use spray glue and when I’m done I separate them by soaking with mineral spirits.

[danny]

And thats One Way.  Like I used to Spray glue like that and strait on the wood,  After Cutting I

would Spray Mineral Spirits wait for minutes and lift the pattern off in One Piece.  Well that

was well and Good, but The Smell of the Spirits and the Afterwards Clean up proved more

that its worth.  So Back to the Tape on the wood blank and I use Self Adhesive Paper to

print my patterns on.  This has been my go way for Years.  Never Changing.  Danny  :+}