The answer might be found in a simple roll of tape. So the next time you’re faced with a dilemma and you’re at a loss for a solution, look around – it’s not difficult to find magic in the mundane. But you will be surprised by just how many things it can do. Will it take all the dust nibs out of your finish? Not likely. These are just a few examples of the many nifty “magic tricks” you can do with masking tape. This trick is especially useful when cutting expensive plywood with a jigsaw. Once again, masking tape to the rescue! By laying down a strip of masking tape on the cut line, the fibers are completely supported during the cut and the cut quality increases dramatically. In most cases, with a little extra support during the cut, the fibers will remain intact. Sharp blades and zero-clearance inserts can help, but sometimes these options aren’t available to us or they are just not effective enough. Masking tape significantly reduces the amount of tear-out caused by an aggressive jigsaw cut.Īs many woodworkers have discovered the hard way, both plywood and solid wood have a tendency to tear out during crosscuts. By masking off all your joints with tape during a dry fit, you can easily protect the surface from that inevitable wayward glue at final glue-up. Now whether you add finish before you assemble your work or not, glue squeeze-out is always an issue. Dados and rabbets can be protected with a long piece of tape tenons can be protected by a full wrap. To prevent this, I use masking tape to protect the joinery from any finish. The finish seals the wood and the result is a much weaker glue bond. The risk we run, however, is getting finish on our joinery. On some projects, it just makes more sense to finish the components prior to the glue-up. I most often use blue or green tape, along with brown paper, to protect specific areas from the accent color.įor most woodworkers though, the most useful type of masking comes into play while applying finish on projects prior to assembly and during assembly. When creating a two-tone finish, proper masking is essential. The one function of masking tape that should be obvious is, of course, masking. A strip of blue tape protects the inside of the groove from finish materials and keeps the fit tight. The green tape works well too, but I reserve that for special applications where I need increased holding power and greater chemical resistance. It holds well and leaves little to no residue. Although you can use regular masking tape for most of these tasks, my preference is for the blue painter’s variety. So here is a quick introduction to some of my favorite woodworking shop uses for masking tape. Soon after, rolls of this moderately sticky paper were being mass-produced and they soon found their way into homes and shops everywhere. Masking tape was invented by the 3M company, in 1925, at a time when the company’s primary business was abrasives.Ī clever employee, Dick Drew, saw a need for a less aggressive tape in the automotive painting industry, and realized his company already had two of the key ingredients, which are paper and adhesive. To understand the real magic of masking tape, we should first learn about its origin. As a result, I buy this stuff by the case! Origins of Masking Tape Just when I think I have exhausted its list of uses, I come up with another way to incorporate the sticky stuff into my workflow. One item, however, deserves to be purchased specifically for your shop and stands out as the ultimate multi-tasker – masking tape. Certain family members might not appreciate their favorite coffee grinder being used to pulverize shellac flakes! But here’s a fair warning: Don’t take these items out of the house without permission. I have found great utility in common household materials: old Tupperware, measuring cups, shelf liner, string, Dixie cups and old T-shirts, just to name a few. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a woodworker is to never underestimate the seemingly mundane. Find magic in the mundane using this humble problem solver. Take it out of your drawer – it’s not just for painters anymore. Masking tape, a multi-tasking workhorse in the shop, has earned a place of importance hanging on my tool rack.
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