Portrait help needed

[Reaper]

Hey guys, well tonight I made an attempt at a portrait.By this writing you can probably tell it didn't work out so well.Well I'll start and you guys can tell me where I went wrong.I used spray glue to attach the pattern to the board.Then I taped 3  1/8 pieces together.Drilled a few starter holes and placed a # 2 blade into the saw.So when I started cutting, the lines kind of dissappeared. It seems the sawdust stuck to the tape and when the lines became narrow, I couldn't see them.Any help anyone can give will be great.I don't like making firewood.Thanks in advance Dave

[dgman]

Hey Dave, I assume you used clear packing tape over the pattern. after you apply the tape, Burnish it with a plastic putty knife. This will assure the tape is stuck down to the pattern. If you don't have a plastic putty knife, you can use a piece of wood to do this. Make sure the tape is as tight to the pattern as possible.

[jim stiek]

for me I use blue painters tape on the wood then glue the pattern on and never have a problem with it coming up or with removing even the most fragile pieces.
jim

[newfie]

i put painters tape on first then my pattern i don't use spray glue anymore that was one of the small problems i had with it. i use 8.5"x11" self adhesive sheets its faster and no mess.i tried the clear packing tape like a lot of people use but i found that the sawdust stuck to it like static cling and i got a lot of glare from it as well so i don't bother with anymore.

[mrsn]

What kind of saw do you have, and how well does your blower work?
My bellows works well sometimes, others not so much. The little puffs of air move a surprizing amount of dust away from the cutting line. Many people use an aquarium pump instead of the factory bellows, which commonly wear out. It is on my list of things to do, but I haven't gotten one yet.

If I put tape on top of a pattern, I do like DGMan and burnish it down so it is really well stuck. otherwise try putting the pattern on  top of the tape.

[Reaper]

Ok, thanks for the help. I am going to try again this weekend. Hopefully it will turn out better than the first time. Does the plywood thickness matter. I stacked 3 1/8 together. Thanks again..."Dave

[dgman]

Thickness should not matter up to five or six layers. I cut five layers all the time.

[mrsn]

3 pieces of 1/8 should be fine. I try to keel my stack less then 3/4 inch (but thicker will work)