Veneer Tape

Veneer tape is a paper tape with a water-activated gummed adhesive (mechanically similar to old-style postage stamps), applied across the seam between two pieces of veneer to hold them tightly aligned while the veneer is glued down to its substrate. Wetting the tape's adhesive with a sponge activates it; once the veneer glue-up has fully cured, the tape is simply sanded or scraped off along with any residual paper and adhesive, since it was never meant to be part of the finished piece.

It's distinct from ordinary tape specifically because standard pressure-sensitive tapes tend to leave a sticky residue on raw veneer that a finish won't reliably cover -- veneer tape's water-soluble adhesive avoids that problem, and cleans up with nothing more than sanding.