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I have been using the "tape" method for many years (I think I was the first to mention it on the MIMF as a way of joining plates), and generally with good results. I tape and glue up a number of tops and backs, attach a spring clamp top and bottom and hang them in a closet on hangers like you would clothes. Any slight misalignment could be eliminated during thicknessing.
As I started doing more laminated backs the veneers were finishing out at the final thickness, which is good in the sense that no further thicknessing is needed, but it makes aligning the plates when gluing up more critical. I like the simplicity of the tape method, but for laminated plates I have added using go bars to keep the plates flush with each other.

Something I am trying are the glue syringes from Taytools ( the eBay seller we are buying "blem" rules from) for HHG dispensing. I have been using the little squeeze bottles, but I have run into situations where the nozzle gets plugged with gelled glue sometimes. Usually a quick dunk in the hot water of the glue pot clears it, but the syringes have a tight fitting cap and I put them spout down in the glue pot which keeps it free flowing. I've just started using them, but so far, so good.

Are you stretching the tape on the second side then putting on the go bars to keep them flush? What glue are you using? I like the idea but I don’t think I would be fast enough to streak her all the tape prices the. Apply the go bars before the HHG gelled. Maybe I’m selling myself short because I never tried it. I push the sides down as flat as I can get them and try to hold them down as I stretch the tape but I always end up with a bit of misalignment.

I use more tape strips than your picture shows. Perhaps I could save some time there. The nice thing about the go bar method with HHG would be that you could take it out of the deck and hang it up relatively soon after you clamp it. The greatest thing about the tape method is you can just hang the plate up out of the way. There is no bulky glue up jig taking up bench space.

_________________
Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Not seeing the tape being used to pull the two plates together or, in other words the tape applied to slightly raised plates so that when the plates are pushed flat the tape draws them together.

This is the beauty of the tape method using tape to draw two plates that have been properly prepared joint wise together. In addition the simplicity of the method is what led me and many builders that I know to nix the jigs, go-bar decks, pipe clamps, wedges, Spanish tourniquets etc in favor of this method.

Below is a thread where if you look at my post there are some pics of how I apply the tape so that the plates are pulled together when pushed flat and weighted down also to help ensure proper alignment. There is also another link to a full tutorial that I did on this method from 2008.

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=16278&hilit=+tape+method+

Hi Bryan,
I stretch the tape across the first side with as much force as possible and then run a piece of tape along the seam to retain the glue in the joint and keep it from gluing the piece to the bench (I still place a "non stick" surface under it). I then "tent" the plates, quickly apply HHG, lay them flat and stretch pieces of tape on both ends then a few in the middle, and then put the go bars on the tape. It does take some preparation but goes pretty quickly.
If you have the tape strips precut and hanging off some convenient table edge, a syringe or squeeze bottle to apply the glue, and go bars that can be quickly put in place it is certainly doable. The only difference between this and the usual tape method is you are not adding spring clamps top and bottom and hanging it up, but rather sticking in a few go bars. Time wise it is probably about the same.
If you don't mind wasting a few pieces of tape you could do a dry run and see how it compares.
Where you have additional wood to remove the "tape and hang" method allows you to do a number of plates at the same time, but if the plates are close to final thickness or are slightly warped the tape and go bar method will allow you to align them better.

Hi Hesh,
I checked out your post in the thread you linked. It certainly looks like that way would work fine. I use fewer, but longer pieces of stretchy masking tape, and tape both sides. Probably no savings of tape, but it does allow me to hang the plates in my humidity controlled closet when alignment is not critical.
I'm always interested in seeing how others accomplish the same task. Sometimes I find a better way to do things and sometimes I find a way to solve a problem that is peculiar to a particular situation. Thanks for the link.

I glued the back graft on the plates today and used the go bars to hold it in place. I use epoxy glue for the graft to avoid the swelling and curling that I've had happen with water based glues. I place a go bar flat on the graft to help prevent sliding of the graft as the go bars are placed.
For mixing small batches of epoxy I used to use the small one ounce graduated mixing cups, but now I count the drops as they drip out of the spout. Considering the meniscus thing and trying to read the lines with dime store cheaters I think the "counting drops" method is just as accurate for small quantities. I use the handy little compound tool as a mixing stick and do a quick clean up with an alcohol dampened paper towel to make the job a little neater.
The plates I joined measure .090 inches and after final sanding will probably go to .080, so there wasn't a lot of room for misalignment.