Tape and glue work hold

CNC Machines Shapeoko
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For all you guys (and gals) that use the tape and glue holding system. Has anyone tried the Amazon Basics tape? They have 6 rolls - 1.88" x 180’ for $27.12 compared to the Scotch blue tape, same size, for $5.64 per roll ($33.84 for 6) or $1.12 / roll more. It’s only $1 / roll so I’m thinking just go with the tried method, but if the Amazon Basics is just as good then I might as well do that

Thoughts?

Stan

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I never tried the Amazon Basics tape, but I have tried some really cheap no-name tapes, and never had an issue myself. The beauty of the tape&glue method is that the tape does not need to stick a lot (or even shall not stick too much) to the piece and wasteboard, so even poor quality tape will usually work, as long as you apply it correctly (I use a roller to make sure it’s nice and flat against the piece/wasteboard)

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Tape and glue method? I’m using double-side tape and it’s been working fine for me. But if there’s a less expensive alternative I’m interested. And what are the pros and cons vs double-side tape?

Thanks,

John

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Try this, you may never go back to double-sided tape, I know I didn’t.

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I’ll give it a shot. I have some painters tape around here somewhere but I’ll need to get some CA glue. Thanks.

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I still use double sided tape for things that I won’t cut through(gums up the end mill) and when the cutting forces aren’t high (has some flex and sponginess to it). When you’re cutting aluminum or something else that generate/conducts heat, double sided tape will soften and your part will move.
Most of the time, I use painter’s tape and super glue, but I always have double sided tape for convenience.

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This tape:

https://www.amazon.com/XFasten-Double-Woodworking-1-Inch-36-Yards/dp/B07BBL4JXJ

Under $7/roll, holds great, comes off clean.

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I have a couple of rolls of the XFasten woodworking double-sided tape, which works fine, but I still prefer the painter’s tape/CA glue method. I’m using 3M blue painter’s tape since that’s what I had around the house.

The problem with the double-sided tape is, as @neilferreri mentioned, it gums up the cutter and it’s also a sticky mess to remove from the waste board if I cut through it at all. One advantage is that it has more thickness, so I’m less likely to cut into my wasteboard when I use it.

With the blue tape/CA glue method, I apply CA glue to the tape on the wasteboard, and then spray CA accelerator on the tape on the workpiece. This will make the CA glue set up almost instantly, so I have to position it pretty accurately–you have maybe 3 seconds to get it right. Without the accelerator it took more like 30 seconds for the glue to set up, which I didn’t like. That could just be due to the type of CA glue I’m using however.

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I have always used Loctite Superglue, I position the stock and then push onto it firmly (like, I’m putting all my upper body weight onto it and push a few times, monkey-style) during ~5 to 10 seconds and I’m done.

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+1 to Julien’s procedure, but sometimes I’m impatient and grab the activator.

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Note that two thicknesses of painter’s tape + glue is from 0.010" to 0.013" thick which takes away from your zero.

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I do the glue/tape method but also have discovered a good method as well if you don’t have any superglue or CA Activator. Run a few strips of painters tape along the edges of your wood sticky side up, leaving 1/2 or so of the tape exposed. Then tape that down to your waste board with another strip of painters tape. It holds surprisingly well and haven’t had it fail on me yet.

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@blackbeardflags Thanks for that tip! Sounds like you were desperate at some point. As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention”.

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True, but I take one of these approaches:

  • have an initial setup with my true stock size for a preliminary facing operation. After this, I edit my stock to have zero additional z thickness and zero off of the top face for all subsequent operations.
  • I have two layers of painters tape on my wasteboard and zero off of that with a piece of paper.
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It’s not a big issue if you put your part down and then zero off the height of the part mounted to the bed.

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You may notice differences, noticeably thickness variations and inconsistent adhesive coating on them, not to mention some other quality defects like buckling and aging concerns. The Scotch Blue painter’s tape works well for me as do any of the other 3M masking tapes like the contractor grade or the automotive masking products (201+, 301+, 401+). I’ve found them to work well, not that I work for the company and develop tapes or anything…

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