I find myself making lots of little things small boxes, wooden jewelry and the like. Until I discovered a couple of tricks using double-faced tape, I had a devil of a time sawing the little hunks of wood needed for this kind of work.

To make a straight cut on an odd-shaped, thin slice of wood, run a scrap board through the saw using the rip fence. Stick down a length of double-faced tape to the top of the scrap, peel off the protective paper and mount the odd-shaped slice on the tape for cutting, as shown in the first drawing. Don’t rely totally on the tape’s holding power hold the piece down with a finger or stick while cutting.

Double-faced tape can also be used effectively in cutting thin strips from the edge of a board. Cut a scrap board with a built-in stop, as shown in the second drawing, and mount the tape along the inside edge. The tape holds the slice away from the blade after it is cut. Use the same care in making the cut as if the tape were not there.

H.N. Capen, Granada Hills, Calif.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, April 1980 No. 21

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