I use 3/4 inch particleboard -- cheapest I can find, and deal with the staple holding problem by using an occasional brad. the forms are basically disposable. Even if I use a lot of brads, it is still a cheap expense.

I may go to screws next time, though. ( thats 'cause i have a new cordless electric drill/screwdriver and want to play with that toy )

Of course those people who have good techniques for staple-less construction do not have this worry. they fins ways to clamp the strip in place, and particle board is great for them. You might want to search the board for some of those ideas, and apply them in areas where your staples aren't holding enough.

someone suggested painting the cut edges of the forms with a coat of epoxy resin, which would soak in and provide a better staple holding surface. Others cut their forms 1/4 inch smaller and bend a 1/4 inch strip around the forms.

As for glue to hold on patterns, the old standard has been plain old rubber cement. Get a bottle for under a dollar at most stationery stores. You do not need to cover a large area of the pattern with this. Just dab a bit on near the cut line, and brush it out a bit along the line. If you put on a strip an inch wide you shoud be fine. The solvent in the rubber cement does not wrinkle paper. Even if you wait a few minutes too long, the rubber cement is still tacky enough to hold your pattern in place. When you finish cutting the pattern will peel off, and you can rub the rubber cement off of the back of the pattern so that you can save it, should you need to remake a form.

Keep that rubber cement handy. For canvas-skin covered kayaks (and canoes) rubber cement can be used to make a quick patch, too. Put two thin coats on your patch, two thin coats on the area around the hole. let them dry completely, and put the patch over the hole. It works like a contact cement. a little rubbing or burnishing around the edges seals things and away you go.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson