Best removable double faced tape

[Thomas Wilson]

I am looking for a double-faced tape to temporarily attach a guide or template to a work piece. It has to be removable without damaging the work. In other words, strong enough to hold the guide in place while cutting or routing but not too strong remove it. What do you use?

[Jason Evans]

Xfasten on Amazon is really strong. I have some older stuff and some newer. Seems they made it stronger, but leaves a bit more residue. Sometimes it comes off kind of easy, sometimes it leaves a bit of residue. I used to use shure carpet tape, xfasten is better.

I also have some lee valley stuff, it is really sticky, but it is pretty difficult to remove and sometimes I can’t even get the backing plastic off

[Jim Becker]

The really good double stick tape is just that...really good, really thin and really hard to take apart. I've moved to using the painter's tape and super glue method for holding things like this. It's secure, fast and easy to take apart without damaging things. I've used it for some pretty delicate workholding on the CNC even...

[Thomas Wilson]

The really good double stick tape is just that...really good, really thin and really hard to take apart. I've moved to using the painter's tape and super glue method for holding things like this. It's secure, fast and easy to take apart without damaging things. I've used it for some pretty delicate workholding on the CNC even...

Supergluing the blue tape to the template is a great idea that I had not considered. Thanks. I have seen lots of tips about using double stick tape but not for a brand of low to intermediate bond. Most tape manufacturers are formulating for the strongest tape possible. I am not looking for “strongest” bond, just strong enough for the task. The task at hand is making neat round holes in my hardwood floors for dust collector ductwork. The idea of cutting through the nice floor is has made me near catatonic. My idea is to pre-cut a slightly undersize hole with a jigsaw then trim to exact size using a template taped to the floor and a flush trim router bit. Aside from making the hole round, there is also the problem of a lot of screws and flooring staples that I will have to cut through. I may be buying out the regional inventory of flush trim bits.

I am motivated to get the dust collector into the basement, so I will take a deep breath and cut through it.

[Steve Fish]

I might be tempted to use a slightly over sized hole saw and then make some sort of trim rings. Just not crazy about potentially routing into steel things

[Tom M King]

I ordered several types from Amazon, to try, for gluing a dually fender back together.

Some were too thick. Those without a separating paper weren't very strong. This one was Just Right. I haven't tried it for your use, yet, but expect it should work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNWXG5X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's pretty strong, not too thick, and comes back off.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Using XFasten from Amazon, work great, leaves no residue and doesn't damage the wood.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BBL4JXJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71g4km%2Bt3fL._SL1500_.jpg

[lowell holmes]

https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AwrE19y1_MBgvH0AYhlXNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2 NjY3OQRfcgMyBGZyA21jYWZlZQRmcjIDc2EtZ3Atc2VhcmNoBG dwcmlkA3JTV01FWW8xUTdTVGFxeFdYR0dBaUEEbl9yc2x0AzAE bl9zdWdnAzEwBG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcw MxBHBxc3RyA2RvdWJsZSBzdGljayAEcHFzdHJsAzEzBHFzdHJs AzE3BHF1ZXJ5A2RvdWJsZSUyMHN0aWNrJTIwdGFwZQR0X3N0bX ADMTYyMzI2MDM3MAR1c2VfY2FzZQM-?p=double+stick+tape&fr2=sa-gp-search&fr=mcafee&type=E211US739G0

[Bruce Wrenn]

Supergluing the blue tape to the template is a great idea that I had not considered. Thanks. I have seen lots of tips about using double stick tape but not for a brand of low to intermediate bond. Most tape manufacturers are formulating for the strongest tape possible. I am not looking for “strongest” bond, just strong enough for the task. The task at hand is making neat round holes in my hardwood floors for dust collector ductwork. The idea of cutting through the nice floor is has made me near catatonic. My idea is to pre-cut a slightly undersize hole with a jigsaw then trim to exact size using a template taped to the floor and a flush trim router bit. Aside from making the hole round, there is also the problem of a lot of screws and flooring staples that I will have to cut through. I may be buying out the regional inventory of flush trim bits.

I am motivated to get the dust collector into the basement, so I will take a deep breath and cut through it.


Years ago, had a job cutting holes for volleyball post in a gym floor. Made an OVERSIZED, as about three feet square template of hole. Used non slip shelf liner under template, and five bags of sand (rented from Lowes) to hold it in place. Rented from Lowes, means I returned them after job.

[Thomas Wilson]

Years ago, had a job cutting holes for volleyball post in a gym floor. Made an OVERSIZED, as about three feet square template of hole. Used non slip shelf liner under template, and five bags of sand (rented from Lowes) to hold it in place. Rented from Lowes, means I returned them after job.
Love it, Bruce, especially the part about sand rental.

[Thomas Wilson]

Thanks everyone. I have ordered some XFasten tape. The shop is well equipped with blue tape and Super Glue. I coincidentally read an article in Fine Woodworking by Bob van Dyke on an L-fence. In it, he used double stick tape. I asked the brand and Ben Strano replied that BVD uses SpecTape, so I ordered that as well. I have some flooring that was ripped up because it was the wrong color. I will make a mock-up section of floor to test holding and removing of those three kinds of tape. I am anticipating potential problems of getting sufficient leverage on the template to lift the tape. I will try adding a frame slightly oversize around the edge to form a lip so I can use a pry bar with a scrap of plywood under it to protect the floor. My main concern is pulling the flooring up with the template. Plan B is shelf liner and sand bags (plus me) on a big template. That may get promoted.

I ordered from Amazon. Thanks Lowell for the handy tip.

I looked up 6 1/4 inch hole saws to see if they are available. They are and I already have a massive hand-held 1/2 inch drill but the idea of a drilling such a hole terrifies me. All I can see is a trip to the emergency room with a broken wrist.

Some more background on the project, the flooring consists of 2 layers of 3/4 plywood and 3/4 oak flooring, so 2 1/4 inch total thickness. The screw pattern was laid out with a chalk line to hit the joists so the screws should not be in the way. If they missed a joist, I will be able to see the tip of the screw from underneath and avoid it. The flooring has staples every couple of inches. I will be unable to avoid hitting these. I will remove most of the waste with a jig saw that will expose the nails. I will start the trimming with shorter, cheaper 1/2” D by 1” CH bits. That will get me through most of the metal. I will finish the hole with a 3/4” D by 2” CH bit. The last pass is done with the template removed and using the top of the hole itself to guide the cut.

[Mick Simon]

I've been using the blue tape/CA method on the CNC with great results. For the router table I've been using Rockler's double stick dots (https://www.rockler.com/rockler-2-sided-stick-it-dots) - easy on, easy off and they hold fine for template work without requiring a scraper to remove.

[Mark e Kessler]

Here is what I use, holds tight easy to remove and leaves no residue....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ASGL02/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Thomas Wilson]

Here is what I use, holds tight easy to remove and leaves no residue....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ASGL02/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That is what Bob van Dyke uses. I ordered some.

[Thomas Wilson]

I've been using the blue tape/CA method on the CNC with great results. For the router table I've been using Rockler's double stick dots (https://www.rockler.com/rockler-2-sided-stick-it-dots) - easy on, easy off and they hold fine for template work without requiring a scraper to remove.
Thanks. I will try the blue tape and CA for sure. The Rockler dots are probably just one of the roll tapes repurposed into a different form. The idea does point out that amount of adhesion can be controlled by the area and distribution of the tape used. Thanks.

[Jim Dwight]

I am using Fastcap double sided tape on my current dining room chair project. My template for the back legs has to be applied to each leg blank for routing to final shape. It holds well and can even be resused several times before being replaced. It is also thin. When I separate the pieces, sometimes it pulls a bit of the top layer of the plywood template but does not damage the workpieces. There is a small residue on the workpiece but it comes off with sanding and isn't enough to gum up the sandpaper. The back slats (6 per chair) also get template routed so I've been doing this a lot (10 chairs). The residue on the template of the tape doesn't come off real easy but it does come off using a knife or chisel to scrape it away.

[Mark e Kessler]

that fastcap tape is great, use it when I need a better bond

[Lee Schierer]

Here is what I use, holds tight easy to remove and leaves no residue....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ASGL02/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mark, how thick is the tape once the paper is removed?

[Mark e Kessler]

Mark, how thick is the tape once the paper is removed?


0.006 is what I get

[Curt Harms]

One lesson I learned about double stick tape - make sure whatever you're sticking the tape to is SMOOTH. I was making a cutout for a router table plate and the plywood I was using as a template was a little rough. The tape held well to the table surface which was smooth, the tape - plywood template interface moved. That is why I have wood filler around my router table plate. No real harm done and lesson learned.

[John Terefenko]

That is what Bob van Dyke uses. I ordered some.


I use this all the time and does work great. You can get at Woodcraft also. Thin and no residue.