Stacking basics

[RegisG]

I am very new at scroll saw. I have a pattern for 4 sided box like vase. Front and back are same and both sides are same. I'd like to stack the 2 and cut together but, I really don't know how. Read comments here about taping or tacking or gluing but, am not sure which is for pattern only or stacking. I'm using 1/8 cedar plywood for this but, have other stock if that's important. Pattern has both inside and outside cuts with plenty of detail but, no real fragile/thin areas.

Appreciate any helpful info.
Regis

[marshall]

Regis I myself brad nail the corners of my work when stack cutting 2 3 4 or even 5 pieces at once , some the guys here like using the clear package tape . If you do brad nail just make sure and grind the nail ends off if the nails are to long - of course you'll nail in the waste area.......I use this brad nail when stack cutting when I'm cutting Christmas ornaments ........

[RegisG]

Then, for this thin sack, would a staple in each corner do the same. Or?
Thanks

Regis I myself brad nail the corners of my work when stack cutting 2 3 4 or even 5 pieces at once , some the guys here like using the clear package tape . If you do brad nail just make sure and grind the nail ends off if the nails are to long - of course you'll nail in the waste area.......I use this brad nail when stack cutting when I'm cutting Christmas ornaments ........

[marshall]

If it holds it tight it may , you'll just have to be the judge , in this it's a lot of time trail and error . Your going to have to find your comfort zone , and your way of doing it . I know you may not have a brad nailer , some use double faced tape and it may also aid you too . Wouldn't hurt to use both ...........

[Bill Wilson]

There are a number of methods that can be used for stack cutting. Regardless which one you use, I think it's best to cut all the blanks the same size. It makes it much easier to line them up and hold them together. I get them positioned and put spring clamps on them temporarily. That way they don't shift while I'm fastening them together. My preferred method is to use hot glue along the edges of the stack to hold the layers together. However, since your material is only 1/8" thick, you will have relatively little edge area to work with, so careful placement of the hot melt glue is important. You want to keep it on the edges only.

Some folks will use small brads and nail their stacks together in a waste area. Might be pretty tough to do with only a 1/4" total thickness. I recently read a tip where someone used round toothpicks like brads. They drilled a hole and inserted the round toothpick. The hole would need to be a tight fit to the toothpick, but then all you have to do is cut it off flush with the top & bottom and you're good to go.

You can wrap the stack in painters tape. Line the tape up and apply it so as to not have overlap. You want to keep the surfaces as flat as possible. Then you can adhere your pattern to the tape with spray adhesive. Or you could apply the pattern to the wood first and then wrap the whole thing in clear packing tape. There's a whole thread on this topic in the General Scroll Saw forum.

http://www.scrollsawer.com/forum/gen...-saw/41169.htm

Theoretically, the blanks can be larger than the piece you are cutting, you would just have more waste on the outside of the piece. If the pattern has straight edges to it, line them up with straight edges on the blanks, where possible. That's just that many fewer lines you have to cut with the scrollsaw. Make all the inside cuts first, then the final cut will be the outside. If the stack is held together on the edges only, like with the hot glue or tape wrap, be aware that as you are cutting, you are freeing the pieces from the areas that are held together. They may want to wiggle a little on you for the last little bit of the cut. That is one reason why you always do the inside cuts first.

Hope this helps! Good luck and have fun making sawdust!

[RegisG]

Very helpful. Thank you. I did read that entire thread on blue painter's or clear tape. It left me unsure of which was for what purpose...stacking or lube or pattern.

Thanks again,
Regis

[Bill Wilson]

The preference for painter's tape vs clear tape comes down to a couple things. Painters tape is usually applied to the wood first, because it is easy to remove, with no residue left behind. Then the pattern goes over top the tape, for obvious reasons. The clear packing tape can be applied either directly on the wood or over the pattern, whichever is preferred. By carefully and tightly wrapping either kind of tape around the stack, it can also serve the dual purpose of holding it together as well as provide lubrication.

[Mindy]

Bill, I notice you said to use hot glue around the edges only in a stack. What kinds of problems will it cause if one were to have exuberantly put glue all over the wood? I couldn't get the stack to stick, so I used more hot glue, but then noticed that it's not very easy to peel off (which was a surprise, because it's usually very easy to peel on other projects--I rarely use it because I don't consider it a permanent glue). I have noticed some burning, which hasn't happened before--I don't know if that's the glue or the lack of tape-as-lubricant.

Thanks!
Mindy

[Rolf]

Mindy,
If you are going to use glue between layers make sure that the glue is only in the waste areas Like Bill I have taped stacks together, especialy if the pieces are already cut to size (i.e. box parts) I have clamped a stack and edge glued with a glue gun. For normal stacks with waste areas I now use a pin nailer on an anvil so that the pins are flush on the bottom.
I have also used drops of CA glue in the waste areas. I spray accelerant on one piece the glue drops on the other, carefuly line up and put them together. It is instant.

[Bill Wilson]

Bill, I notice you said to use hot glue around the edges only in a stack. What kinds of problems will it cause if one were to have exuberantly put glue all over the wood? I couldn't get the stack to stick, so I used more hot glue, but then noticed that it's not very easy to peel off (which was a surprise, because it's usually very easy to peel on other projects--I rarely use it because I don't consider it a permanent glue). I have noticed some burning, which hasn't happened before--I don't know if that's the glue or the lack of tape-as-lubricant.

Thanks!
Mindy

Hi Mindy,

Hot glue wouldn't be my choice to use between layers, mainly because it's so thick. You want the layers to be tight against one another, so a thick layer of glue wouldn't be all that helpful. Funny thing about hot glue, for me, it often seems to stick better when/where I don't necessarily want it to. I've not had any problems with just gluing the edges, but you can always use brads, or CA glue in the waste areas, as Rolf mentioned. This would be helpful on larger pieces where you may need the stack held tight together, closer to the center of the boards.

If the edges are actually part of the finished piece, I sometimes don't use hot glue at all because it can be a pain to get cleaned off the edges. I'll use some alternative method of holding the stack together. If the edges are part of the waste, then the hot glue works perfectly for me.

[Mindy]

Thanks! The hot glue was an experiment and, as I said, didn't work especially well, so I think I'll scrap it as a stacking method. I was using tape, but found the stacks came apart as I got close to the end. Maybe I'll try the CA glue in the waste areas.

Thanks again!
Mindy