Double stick tape is great they said, you'll love it they said...

[Cameron Wood]

So not to be left behind, I used some to put angled cauls on the legs of my stool for the glue up.

But on removing them, the sticky film was left behind, and one tore some of the wood off the leg. The cauls were end grain blocks, so I split them into small sections to avoid damaging more of the (fortunately not museum quality) workpiece.

Scraping off the residue has made a sticky mess of a couple of chisels, and there is still some on the legs.

Maybe clamping it made the tape stick on too hard, but I haven't seen that mentioned by the modern-day masters on Youtube.


Signed, not a double stick tape fan so far

[Lee Schierer]

Not all double sided tapes are created equal. You can remove the goo from your chisels with either lacquer thinner or "Goo Gone". I prefer double sided tapes with an internal mylar or polyester layer that makes them much easier to remove. Most adhesive tape bonds will get stronger over time, so it is best to remove them as soon as practical.

[Kevin Jenness]

I'm not a big fan of double stick tape for the reasons you encountered. I probably haven't found the right one yet, but there are some alternatives for temporary mounting. Hot melt glue is one, though it may need some scraping or solvent to remove the residue. It can be softened with heat, as can most tapes. The old paper joint is another, with bag thickness kraft paper in conventional glue, easily split apart. If hot hide glue is used it is quickly made and easily cleaned up. You can also use a strip of painter's blue tape on each piece with ca glue between the tape layers, not super strong but sufficient in many cases and easily removed.

[George Bokros]

You didn't use automotive tape did you? That stuff really sticks.

[Prashun Patel]

You can use mineral spirits to remove that residue.

I am partial to lining both surfaces with blue tape, and then using CA glue between the faces.

I find the best 2 sided tapes have a backer that's really hard to (for me) remove.

[Kent A Bathurst]

When I need to stick a caul-ish thing to an important wood surface, I'll put the double-faced tape on the caul, then cover it with Official Blue Tape upside down - aka sticky surface up, and in contact with the target. The OBT will stay in place on the caul/block via the DFT, and has just enough stick to hold on the target. I also have purple low-tack tape for nervous times.

I've also used the caul with DFT to hold a chunk cut out of a router non-slip waffle pad - as a cushion. Then wrap it with some tape to hold it on the target until the clamp is in place.

[Bob Jones 5443]

I recently needed some double-stick tape for a template routing. I was making a 3/4” template from a 1/4” template, so surfaces were not a chief concern. I grabbed some tape my wife had bought for some household purpose. It left a tenacious, sticky goo. I used a sharp-edged putty knife to get most of it off, and Goo Gone for the rest. Most unpleasant.

When I needed to use the new template on the bubinga work piece, I needed a different solution. I googled Woodworking double sided tape and came up with two candidates: XFasten Woodworking Tape (Amazon) and Avery Dennison Woodworking Tape, which was in stock at Rockler. The marketing copy for both extolled their virtues for template routing. Not wanting to wait even a day or two for delivery, I drove over to Rockler and bought the Avery Dennison.

It held the template very firmly, enabling positive bearing contact*. Success. It’s quite thin, so you do need a thicker template to clear the gap between the bearing and the bit. I was glad I had the 3/4” template now. After use, the tape leaves a thin film (some type of plastic) on the work piece that peels off in one piece, leaving no residue. Very satisfying: the right tool for the job (temporary use with a template).

*Cameron: I don’t know if it would be strong enough for clamping cauls.

[Christian Hawkshaw]

I have the used the xFasten brand a while back, and I don't recall it leaving a big mess of adhesive behind. I believe someone recommended it here on sawmill creek.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[David Zaret]

get the right tape. the canadian-made stuff from lee valley is the best i've found yet.

[John TenEyck]

Intertape 591 holds really well and comes off cleanly, at least for the CNC projects I've used it for which is short term, maybe a couple of hours and with no additional clamping. Following up on what Prashun recommended, I normally use blue tape on both halves with CA glue between. Apply the CA glue to one side, shoot the other with accelerator, stick together and instant bond, yet it all comes off cleanly when you are done. Just pry them apart and peel off the tape. This is my preferred method for most things on the CNC these days.

John

[Cameron Wood]

I have the used the xFasten brand a while back, and I don't recall it leaving a big mess of adhesive behind. I believe someone recommended it here on sawmill creek.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got some of that (1"wide) I think from recommended here, but seem to have used some that I had previously.

[Brian Tymchak]

This thread gives me deja vu... I bought a 3 pack of that XFasten ftom Amazon. Trying to save a few bucks over the SpecTape I ran out of. It usually didn't stick well, easily folded on itself, and in one case, stuck well enough to pull wood fiber on removal. I threw it in the trash and spent the extra money on a roll of SpecTape.

[Jim Morgan]

get the right tape. the canadian-made stuff from lee valley is the best i've found yet.

Holds well and doesn't leave significant residue, but I've had a devil of a time getting the release film off.

[Michael Burnside]

I have the used the xFasten brand a while back, and I don't recall it leaving a big mess of adhesive behind. I believe someone recommended it here on sawmill creek.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use this and the 1" version all the time. Folks trying to use any-ol double-sided tape that isn't meant for wood will have varying degrees of success. I've built many-thousand dollar furniture pieces with this stuff where the pieces were held for days at a time while assembling and it never leaves residue or fills the pours of the wood when staining. It's not cheap, but it works EXACTLY as it should.

[Christian Hawkshaw]

This thread gives me deja vu... I bought a 3 pack of that XFasten ftom Amazon. Trying to save a few bucks over the SpecTape I ran out of. It usually didn't stick well, easily folded on itself, and in one case, stuck well enough to pull wood fiber on removal. I threw it in the trash and spent the extra money on a roll of SpecTape.

Did you get the "XFasten Double Sided Woodworking Tape w/Yellow Backing"? XFasten makes many variations of double sided tape.