Taping Glue Up Panels

I read a tip once about adding tape when gluing up panels to help cleaning up squeeze out.  When gluing up panels first put them in the clamps and clamp them tight.  Put masking tape on over the joint.  Remove the panel from the clamp and do it again for the other side.  Cut the tape on the seam of the joint.  Add glue and clamp the panel back up.  After the glue dries peel the tape off and squeeze out come off with it.

I am working on some more cradles and the bottom panel is solid wood.  I have a lot of ¼” material that I would like to use up.  However there is not a lot of material that I can still plane off.  I did not want to deal with removing a lot of squeeze out and planing the board much thinner.  This is why taping the glue up tip came up.

Not a bad tip.  As normal it was not an immediate success.  First was I expected the tape to come right off.  It tore around the squeeze out.  An old sharp chisel was used to take the rest of the tape off.  It came off clean.  I did not have any tear out and I only need to touch up the glue joint.  A word of caution, make sure the tape does not get inside the joint.  That will never come out.  I use blue painter’s tape so that will stick out all down the joint.

I will probably use this tip again.