For years I have used double sided carpet tape for temporary clamping in the shop (e.g., fence guide). I saw on YouTube that painters tape on both surfaces with CA and accelerator is a potential option. I also recently bought hot glue gun but have yet to use it.
My question - what is everyone's favorite for a temporary bond? The carpet tape I use is strong, but can leave some residue (not as bad if I "roll" it off rather than pull it). Guessing there may be better woodworking related options. Appreciate any specific product recommendations!
I'm a ds tape guy. Acetone is good to clean glue residue, won't damage wood. I don't know what all chemicals can self combust, so everything fabric in contact with any chemical goes in a bucket of water.
Hey, you don't know me, but you don't like me ... Buck Owens
DS tape here too barb. the blue tape with ca just doesn't make any sense to me barb. why ? and i dont ever use hot melt for temp bonding. DS tape is quick, simple and leaves no issues to deal with.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
I like the DS tape for small things, templates etc. But use the painters tape with CA for larger things and thin boards attached to a base to made thinner through the planer etc.
I went back to carpet tape. I started with painters tape+CA, but that's not exactly a cheap solution. Tried carpet tape for a while before trying some CNC specific tape. Hated that and went back to carpet tape. I was the carpet tape for a lot beyond just the CNC too.
Sounds like DS tape is the go to (thanks Splintergroup for the link to your favorite). I saw this one as mentioned on YouTube that claims to be for woodworking (and her mentioning this is what lead to my question).
I use XFasten double sided tape. Can get it on amazon. Ridiculously strong bond, but the mastic comes off easy enough if there’s any left over. Use it all the time when using the Shaper Origin, and for small pieces to sand or plane. 👍🏼👍🏼
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
I mostly use TBII and a piece of office paper (splits pretty easily if you can get a chisel in between and pry) or hot glue (also a chisel, but usually a rap with a mallet rather than prying). Both of those require more work to remove residue than carpet tape, but I’m less likely to break the piece I just finished with either of those than with carpet tape, at least in my experience.
I just use whatever carpet tape they have at Menards. I think it's Duck brand. I keep both the regular and the heavy duty stuff around, depending on what I'm doing. The XFasten was actually what I tried and didn't like. For my use case (CNC) it didn't feel rigid enough. The tape is thick enough and the adhesive gummy enough that it wasn't as rigid as I desired for CNC. It also loses its hold at a relatively low temperature, so I couldn't use it with aluminum. For template stuff though I bet it'd be great, because it did a good job of peeling off afterwards for me, usually.
I use both DS tape or blue tape and CA depending upon what I am doing. The BT & CA is usually easier when attaching to my CNC bed because there are gaps in the bed that sometimes do not work as well with DS Tape I buy the widest BT rolls I can find and I can cover a large area quickly. The biggest advantage with the BT is no residue to clean up from either the bed or the workpiece. It is especially handy for large pieces that are difficult to find clamping solutions to the CNC bed. You also get a few seconds (unless you use activator) to get it into the right position while the DS tape sometimes is less forgiving. If your first position is not quite right, moving it either messes up the DS tape causing you to start over or doesn't stick as well the second time. I think that the BT also sticks better when there is dust on either surface because I generally cover a larger area than I do when I use DS tape.
For about a year now, I have been using hot glue to attach bowl blanks to wood face plates, especially when using my Ringmaster. I have had one release but I usually have a hard time getting the glue to release and have to dribble some DNA on the wood to help with release. I think that the one that released may not have been totally flat, though it worked fine the second time I attached it. I typically only use hot glue when I can apply it just around the edges. Putting it between two surfaces doesn't work that well because the thickness of the glue layer is unpredictable and uneven. You also do not have much time to apply glue and attach it before the hot glue starts to set.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
I bought some turner's tape to try and found it way to strong for my uses. PITA to get parts separated but for turning I suppose that is a bonus. There are the mesh styles (thicker) and some other non-mesh types I've tried that were difficult to remove the tape after parting.
Each one has its own issues/techniques required to remove the protective film to expose the second side. The stuff I linked can be tricky, but I use a small exacto knife to lift a corner and after doingi t a few times it gets a lot easier. Some of the mesh type was really tough to peel the film, but the thicker ones just needed a fingernail.
There are certainly different tapes for different applications. The stuff I use is thin (maybe 0.003") which is just under that of regular masking tape. Smooth flat surfaces, only takes a few squares so no need to fully cover a surface. Really good for holding work that will have shear forces on the tape joint (routers). Turning has the heavy overhang loads and shocks that require something really grippy and tough.
DS tape here as well. I have a largish supply so experimentation to a lower cost alternative will have to wait until I run out. I've wondered about the blue tape and CA glue, so will likely try it if/when I run out of DS. Seems like on most any order to Tay tools I earn at least one free roll of it, so my supply lowers, and get's refilled constantly.
The stuff I generally use for sanding (ROS or drum) and thicknessing is nowhere the heavy duty Splinter uses. Mine is 0.2mm including the backing paper, the 150mm caliper should give a rough indication of it's size. I haven't tried for holding power for turning on the lathe as most stuff I use it on is relatively small as anything larger I tend to use air clamps. This hint article should link to which type I use and how I use it... don't let the description fool you. Being relatively light weight, removal is simply rolling it off using the fingers after you manage to separate the two parts without breaking 😒.
On Splinter's diagram, I might use 2 or 3 strips running most of the the length of the job which I've found to be way stronger than most lateral forces I would use against it.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
