: Any suggestions on a better adhesive?

The old method for attaching patterns was to use rubber cement. Since it is not a water based adhesive it does not stretch the pattern. ISince you apply it to the pattern, it does not tend to soak into the wood. Little is any excess adhesive will remain on the wood, and what does is easily removed with an eraser, or light sanding. Usually it won't soak into the grain to interfere with staining, but if you paint it directly on the wood it can be used as a resist -- if you don't want that effect, confine your application of the rubber cement to the pattern.

Paint a swath of rubber cement around the line you will cut on, and press the pattern to the wood. No need to coat the entire pattern. Just make sure you put most of the adhesive on the part of the pattern that stays with the wood part you'll keep, and not just on the waste area. Otherwise, as you cut off the waste your pattern detaches from your work.

After you remove the pattern from your part you cna rub off the rubber cement so you can store the pattern neatly for later reference.

If your jig saw is pulling up the pattern you might consider changing the blade to one with finer teeth. I usualy use a bandsaw, which cuts "down", pulling the pattern into the wood. A sabre saw cuts "up", and any splinters that pull off of the wood are going to loosen the hold of the pattern near that edge. A pattern cut from really stiff paper, or even cardboard might be more durable.

Or, forget about gluing down the pattern. Get some carbon or tracing paper and use it to trace the pattern directly onto the wood. This leaves a line on the wood. You can cut slightly outside the line and then plane or sand the wood right up to the line.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson