Fair play, now you've cheered me up - that is a good one !
Edit - You are missing th epoint , Peaps.
The tape is not to help you skim straight. The tape is to protect what you are working into. My advice above it that is that if you need to use tape, then put it on straight, allowing for the thickness of your skim , so that youcan remove it leaving a clean , straight line with no need for a knife.
This is a DIY forum , for sharing advice.
Sitting at a PC saying 'I can do this perfectly' is no good to the person who needs a job doing. They need some tips on how to get the best outcome. If they could do the job perfectly they would not be here asking for help.
I'm glad that it makes you feel better posting here, as you do seem to need a bit of amusement , but perhaps something more constructive might help the posters
If you were to use tape , what would you do?
"You are going to have to think about the ceiling line- where the ceiling meets the wall.Taping up so that when you remove the tape you have a straight crisp line is not that easy, but this is something you have to do , not the plasterer .
This is especially so with artex as it is not an even surface, so you may be putting a bit more on than you think.
Your tape may be too high, and then the plaster will go over it , or too low meaning you will have some plaster on the wall which will be doubly hard to clean as it gathers between in the little gap between tape and ceiling."
"Yes, if you want to mask something up, better to put the tape on straight so that you don't need to cut it off - you can just peel it off and leave a straight line.
This useful for other applications too eg skimming into oak beams that are not treated - allow for depth of skim when putting the tape on.
It's how we mask up stone work for rendering too - a little care in prepping goes a long way."
Not what you wrote...
In all my 29 years of plastering I've NEVER had to use tape to mask up. I've NEVER known it to be used either. Cover the floor and got on with it without any problems.
I was trained to do a good job and to take extra care with corners and edges, clean up and leave the place the same as I found it except for the plastering I was asked to do.
Yes I enjoy this forum and will stick more oar in when I see what I think is **** advice..
If a plasterer went in to see taped edges he would rip it off....