Attaching Patterns Using Blue Painters Tape

Before attaching a pattern, many times I like to apply Blue Painters tape to my project before I apply the spray adhesive. This allows for a heavier coat of adhesive, while making pattern removal easier.

A heavier coating of adhesive will usually stop the edges of your pattern from coming lose while cutting, then you won't have to guess where to start or stop your cut, nor use some kind of tool to hold the pattern down with your other hand while you complete the cut.

Two things to remember when using the painters tape: There are 2 kinds of blue painters tape to choose from, the #2080 & #2090. The #2080/Delicate is probably your best choice for fretwork or small delicate patterns, it has the lowest adhesion level for very delicate surfaces and can be left on for up to 60 days and still be removed easily. This is very helpful for me as sometimes I can't get back to a project for 2 weeks or so.


The second tape is the #2090/Multi surface tape it has a medium adhesion level, just a bit stickier and can be left on for up to 14 days. although they look similar they have different properties, so look before you bring home the one you didn't want.





Another good choice is the Henkel Duck brand Purple Painters tape, it has basically the same qualities and can be left on for up to 1 month/30 days.


When you mask your project you don't have to overlap the tape, just a careful edge butting will do, this also makes removal easier as you take the tape off in strips vs. one large sheet or mass, if you do have some glue reside in small areas you can remove it with a little mineral spirits. Good quality painters tape costs much more than it's cheaper cousins, so less is more here.

Now you can use your favorite spray adhesive without worrying about clean-up.

One last thought about masking tape, even the best painters tapes will petrify with time and become rock hard, so remove it as soon as possible to avoid problems and ruin your hard work!

RIDGID 2600 Random Orbit Sander

I recently picked up a RIDGID Tools ZRR2600 5 in. Random Orbit Sander, what a pleasure to use! The sander has an electronic soft-start feature that virtually illuminates the kick that you get when you start up most sanding and grinding tools without this feature, and has very little vibration which lessens operator fatigue greatly.

The sander has a 12' rubber cord, not the usuall stiff plastic variety, plenty long so your not always looking for a short extension cord, and the plug has a built in power indicator that lights up to tell you that theres juice where your plugged in at. The tool also stops quickly when you turn it off so your not wasting time for the sanding pad to come to a halt, and you don't need to make a landing pad for this machine like the older and or cheaper types.

Another great feature of this sander is that it can use either 5 in. 8 - hole Hook & Loop or PSA style pads, the H&L pad is attached to the sander as you get it, but the conversion pad comes with the kit so theres nothing else to buy.

The sander has excellent dust collection capabilities with just the little ridged cloth bag attached, or it can become virtually dustless as it accepts either a 1-1/4" or 2-1/2" Shop-Vac hoses.

I liked the position of the on-off switch better than some of the other brands, which were located on the front of the machine making it somewhat awkward for me to reach for, and the speed control is sturdy and positioned well also and has a range of 7,000 - 12,000 RPM, and the rubberized soft grip is very comfortable, this machine is probably better suited for people with medium to large sized hands however. The sander is fairly quite, well balanced, runs smoothly and has plenty of power to spare. The ZRR 2600 comes in a sturdy molded plastic case.

I'm very pleased with the sander, this is every bit a professional grade tool and is reasonably priced.

Cleaning Circular Saw Blades

I read a tip about cleaning saw blades with baking soda. I tried it, and it works very well and with almost no effort. The blade that I chose was really full of pitch and gum, so this was a good test for the tip.

Place a small amount of water in a flat bottom pan, just enough to cover the blade, then add a little of the baking soda to the bottom of the pan, lay the blade on top of the soda and sprinkle more baking soda onto the blade till its covered with about an 1/8" of an inch of soda and let it sit a couple of hours or overnight, use a toothbrush and a green scouring pad to clean off the crud and rinse with clean water, dry off your blade and it's ready to go.

This works very well and it's thrifty and easy on the environment, save your money for something that you really need, not an $8-10.00 bottle of commercial blade cleaner. I've read quite a few reviews on blade cleaning products, and many don't meet the expectations one would have for a commercially prepared product.

United We Stand - Free Fretwork Pattern

Here is another patriotically inspired summer time project, it's a really nice fretwork pattern courtesy of Judy Gale Roberts and Jerry Boorer, it looks like it was inspired by a recent U.S. postage stamp. You maybe more familiar with Judy & Jerry's work with Intarsia, as thats what they're well known for.

You can print out a copy of this pdf here