# Double faced tape



## sbwertz (Jun 22, 2011)

Normally I use wood glue with a piece of brown paper bag between the work and the faceplate to hold work on the faceplate. This week, Rockler had their double faced tape on sale so I bought a roll. 

Long story short, the bowl came flying off the faceplate and broke a big chunk out of the rim.

I clamped the work to the faceplate for an hour before I started turning. It seemed solid, until I started hollowing deeper into the bowl, then it came flying off.

Is there some secret to using it? The wood is dry, sanded smooth on the bottom, prepped like I would to glue it on the face plate. I just didn't want to have to wait overnight for the glue to dry so I used the tape.


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## holmqer (Jun 22, 2011)

So far, I've only used the double sided tape for small stuff like pendants and the lids for my salt vaults. I don't know anyone that uses it for larger turnings like bowls.


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## pfde4 (Jun 22, 2011)

I agree with Eric small stuff double sided tape is fine I would not use it for larger materials.  I do a lot of router work and the smallest amount of dust reduces the surface area and you will have failure on the bond.


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## JimB (Jun 22, 2011)

I once did a plate using the double tape but that required taking very light cuts. I've also done a couple of shallow dishes but primarily I use it for small items. My tape is from Rockler as well. As others have said, it isn't for doing large items like bowls.

If you are using this method becuase you do not have a scroll chuck then I would recommend using the waste block method for mounting to the faceplate. That is what I did before I bought a chuck.


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## sbwertz (Jun 22, 2011)

JimB said:


> If you are using this method becuase you do not have a scroll chuck then I would recommend using the waste block method for mounting to the faceplate. That is what I did before I bought a chuck.


 
I have two scroll chucks, but the blank was only about 1 3/4" thick and I didn't want to give up depth of the bowl to turn a tenon for the chuck, so I was turning it flat-bottomed on a face plate to give me that extra 3/8" in depth.  Now, with the chunk broken out of the rim, it is going to be a VERY shallow bowl indeed.


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## AceMrFixIt (Jun 22, 2011)

Have you tried double sided duct tape? I picked some up at wally world in the paint dept. It may hold better.


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## robutacion (Jun 22, 2011)

sbwertz said:


> JimB said:
> 
> 
> > If you are using this method becuase you do not have a scroll chuck then I would recommend using the waste block method for mounting to the faceplate. That is what I did before I bought a chuck.
> ...



Sharon,

Definitively a no no that double side tape on anything larger than pendants...!

With shallow blanks, instead of turning a tenon to hold the piece, why not turn a recess...??? those shallow pieces will not need any more than 3 to 5 mm to hold on a proper jaws.

You can finish that small recess as part of the piece, and something that you always will have there, if the piece ever needs to be repaired...!

To me, is a totally nonsense that well made bowls, plates, platter, etc, can not have any signs of what was used to hold it into the lathe, that is an absolute ridiculous "condition", to good craftsmanship...!:frown::wink:

Good luck with its repairs...!:biggrin:

Cheers
George


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## JimB (Jun 23, 2011)

If you feel like buying yourself a new toy you could always buy or build a vacuum chuck. 

Also, you still could have used the waste block method. You lose virtually none of the bottom of the bowl if you are carefull when parting it off, just a bit when sanding it smooth.


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## sbwertz (Jun 23, 2011)

I remounted it on the faceplate with a waste block and a piece of brown paper bag glued between the pieces.  I have used this in the past when I wanted a flat bottomed piece. The paper makes it easier to break them apart. The bowl is only about 5" in diameter and now it is only about 1 1/4" deep.  I let the glue set overnight and will finish turning it today.  

The reason I used the tape was because of a thread on lumberjocks where someone was using it to turn platters.  I have to assume it was a MUCH larger faceplate and could hold a lot more tape.

Live and learn.  It is a nice piece of wood, the other half of the piece of acacia I made my other small bowl from. So it is worth trying to salvage.  If all else fails, I'll cut it into pen blanks :biggrin:.  I've done that before...I have a whole box of olive blanks with rounded ends!


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## crabcreekind (Jun 23, 2011)

I use outdoor carpet tape, you can get at home depot, or any store actually, Super strong. you need a puddy knife to get it off.


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## JimB (Jun 23, 2011)

The only platter (plate) I did was about 11" and I used a 3" faceplate with the double sided tape. It really required light cuts and sharp tools so you aren't putting a lot of pressure on it. 

That said, most of the time I use the tape for doing small dishes that are about 4", so not much bigger than the faceplate.

When I do the waste block method I use thick CA and then part the bowl from the waste block. You only need about 5 minutes from glue up to turning. I know some may question the CA but I was shown this by a 25 year veteran instructor. I only did about 10 bowls this way but never had one break loose.


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## sbwertz (Jun 28, 2011)

OK! It threw it at me again!  I now have a half dozen nicely figured acacia pen blanks with slightly rounded ends!


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## kludge77 (Jun 28, 2011)

Sounds to me like your getting a catch...
I've totally turned objects connected only with woodcrafts double stick tape on a 3" faceplate. Most turners tape is pressure sensitive, so the harder you clamp the better the bond. (Hello woodscrews!!)

That being said, while it did work it isn't ideal. You need a waste block glued to your piece. Skip the craft paper and instead try CA, Tiebond or even Epoxy.







Then just turn normally. When you reverse it to finish the bottom, turn off your waste block.


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## sbwertz (Jun 28, 2011)

Yep, it was a catch. The blank had some hairy big cracks in it that I wanted to infill with turquoise. I caught the edge of one of those cracks and split my waste block, which was mdf, in half, throwing the bowl across the shop. I'm just too much of a beginner to be turning such gnarly wood bowls, I guess. It is only my 4th bowl ever. Patience and experience. But it will make beautiful pens :biggrin:

Also, in retrospect, I won't use mdf for a waste block any more.  It has such a lovely smooth surface that I didn't think about the fact that it didn't have much shear strength.


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## Don Wade (Jun 28, 2011)

best  thing to use for a waste block is a non grainey wood.  gum, poplar etc..   anything else will shear on you.   also plywood will work if it is well bonded


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## LEAP (Jun 28, 2011)

Sharon, 
I've used double sided tape on larger plates but always left a spigot in the center of the piece for the live center until the rest of the plate was almost finished.  There is a lot less torque near the center so the spigot was easy to turn off without breaking the tape bond. I tried using MDF for a waste block but have had it break with the lightest catch so gave up on that and use an even grained "cheaper" wood like maple or poplar instead.


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## kludge77 (Jun 28, 2011)

Trust me I know all about catches!  I once pitched a blank ten feet across my garage and it's a wonder I didn't break a window!

Plus it doesn't sound like a total loss! You've learned something, you've still got a good attitude and you'll have some nice pens. 

Chuck up another piece and try again! For me I've decided to visit the city yard waste. They give away logs and I'll have cheap practice bowls for next to nothing...


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## sbwertz (Jun 28, 2011)

How do you orient the grain on the waste block? Do you mount it cross grain or end grain? In that photo it looks like end grain.


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## kludge77 (Jun 28, 2011)

For the strongest glue joint you want long to long grain contact with the blank. An endgrain glue joint would most like fail at the first bit of resistance.


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## kludge77 (Jun 28, 2011)

Here's a great video of David Marks using a glue block to turn a shallow bowl. 
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/video/player/0,1000643,DIY_33170_8201_39625-39693,00.html

He takes it a step beyond my skills but the concept is a good one.


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## JimB (Jun 28, 2011)

I often use pieces of 2x4 for my waste blocks. I've never had a failure with them. I screw (use sheet metal screws not wood screws) the 2x4 wasteblock to the face place, round it and square the face. I take the bowl and place it face down on the floor. Then I apply thick CA to the waste block, center it onto the bowl sitting on the floor and stand on it. (yep, stand on it) for 15 - 30 seconds or so. Sometimes I run a thin bead of ca around the edge where waste block and bowl meet and spray with accelerator. I let it sit for 5 - 10  minutes and start turning.

I've only done about 15 - 20 bowls this way but I have never had a blow seperate from the waste block.


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