Sticking the pattern onto wood

[Claymore]

Hi,
What technique do you guys/gals use to stick patterns onto your pieces of wood ready for cutting?  I have been sticking it directly onto the wood using a Pritt Stik and then covering with clear sellotape..... this works fine for larger pieces but i find when i cut the tiny parts for my motorcycle patterns the paper tends to either curl up or come off the wood as I cut the piece out which is pretty annoying when I am trying to assemble a wheel with fifty separate pieces grrrrrrrrrr
Have any of you used spray adhesive and if so which type and did it make a mess of the wood?
Cheers
Brian

[Wooden Lace]

Hi Brian,  I always use spray adhesive, and it doesn't make a mess of the wood.  Spray ONLY the back of the pattern, not the wood, and make sure it's repositionable.  You'll learn how much to use as you practice....not enough and the pattern will lift off as you are cutting, and too much won't come off at all without without help from mineral spirits.  For me, too much is better than not enough, because you've already found how much fun it is trying to cut something that's lifting off. 

A paper towel or sponge with some mineral spirits works great...wipe it on and wait about 5 minutes.  Peel the pattern off, wipe the wood with a clean paper towel, and then repeat the process with the mineral spirits to get any glue residue off the wood.  Sounds like a lot of work, but as I said, you'll learn how much to use so that when you're done cutting, you can just slowly peel the pattern right off and you're done.

I've tried 3M, Elmer's, Aleene's  and CRC and all work well.  I've found the Elmer's needs a bit more than the other 3.
Good luck,
Nancy

[herrwood]

I usually use spray adhesive but the other day I picked up a cheap wood burning kit on amazon and transferred a few simple patterns by heating the image I printed on my laser printer. Don't work for letters as they come out reversed ( mirror image) on the wood. 

[Judy Hunter]

I wipe my wood with tack cloth, apply contact paper (sticky shelf liner from Walmart) to the wood. Print my pattern on cheap paper, cut roughly around it, spray the back of the paper with spray adhesive, stick it to the contact paper, then go to cutting.  It peels off very easily usually in one piece.  If you feel any residue a quick wipe with fine sandpaper gets rid of it. 

Here is how our own Russ Does It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLJGiNsfoy8

[Brian Pardue]

Claymore
As you know I do a lot of intarsia as well. Sense I'm always cutting 1" thick hardwoods I wrap the wood with clear packing tape 1st than I use 3m repositional spray adhesive and I have a can of Elmer's for back up (just in case i run out ) and apply the pattern over the Tape. Process works great. Tape helps preventing the wood from burning, The pattern comes off without any issues. Eliminates the need for mineral spirit.
Brian   

[ChuckD]

With intarsia it doesn't matter that the pattern sticks to the cutout anyway.  More than likely it will be sanded.  I most of the time use something as simple as glue stick.  As soon as I cut the piece I label it on the bottom.  When you have 400 pieces it can get interesting.  Even with ten. Have phun and good luck 

[Claymore]

Thanks for the tips guys/gals 8-)  I will do some experimenting to see which suits my projects..... Chuck  my next project looks like it will have 800+ parts!  so should be fun lol  I am working on the pattern at the moment but will be a slow process. Keep ya posted
Cheers
Brian