Clean Tape Adhesive from Wooden Furniture

Do you have some tape that you can't get off of your furniture? If so, you can clean tape adhesive to remedy this issue.

Steps

Spray the WD-40 onto the tape without trying to remove the tape first. After a year or so of storage, the tape will not just pull off easily and a "preconditioning" of WD-40 will loosen it right up.
Spray it and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes. If you are careful, it may go faster if you use a single-edged razor blade as a scraper before you shoot the adhesive reside with WD-40.
Try it both ways and decide for yourself. For the single-edged razor you need to have a blade holder so you have a grip of some kind to ensure that you can control the angle of the blade. That will cost you less than $2 if you have to buy one.

Understand that if you sprayed the tape with WD-40 first, this will probably go a bit easier. However, it will work if you don't "precondition" the tape with WD-40.
Use your razor scrapper at a very shallow angle to the wood, and gently peel the tape off. Work with the grain of the wood, rather than working across the grain.
Go slowly. Keep the razor at about a 2 to 4 degree angle to the wood. You don't need to get obsessive and measure the angle; just don't dig into the wood. If the blade starts to carve wood, you will feel the resistance to motion instantly.
Stop and work from the other direction, always with the grain of the wood.
Understand that the first pass at removing the tape, with or without WD-40, will leave tape adhesive on the wood. It may be very soft and ready to wipe off, or you may need to shoot it with WD-40 again. If you cannot wipe it off with a cloth, shoot it again and wait another 10 minutes.
Keep in mind that the razor scrapper can be used on the softened adhesive residue very effectively. Use the same method: work with the shallow angle slowly, and with gentle motion.
- You will be amazed at how easy this is. The WD-40 softens the tape goop and lubricates the blade, so it is less likely to dig into the wood. It is smooth as silk, but it will still leave a very thin layer of tape goop behind.
Use a soft cloth, like a terry washcloth. Wipe the remaining very thin, almost invisible, and with the layer of adhesive off.

Some recommend nail-polish remover. That is usually Acetone, and it will almost definitely remove the finish from your wood. It may or may not attack the adhesive. It is a very "hot", volatile and combustible solvent, so you shouldn't mess with it.
Use the DARK finish variety of Old English, and every home should have a bottle of it, along with a case of WD-40. That stuff has more uses that duct tape.
Try both sides of the razor blade scraper. One will usually work more smoothly than the other.
Paint remover is methylene chloride, and it will remove the finish from the furniture. That is what it is for, so don't use it for tape or adhesive removal.
- It is fairly easy to make a small dig in the wood with the razor. Don't panic. If the blade tries to dig into the wood you will feel it, like said above. Just pull the blade back and you will probably never see the mark. However, Old English Scratch Cover (it has been around for about 200 years) will blend the scratch into the original finish and you'll be all good.