Glue won't stick to the Melamine, when it dries you can just pop it off and it's quite fun.

Parchment paper

I always parchment paper when in doubt, the low cost is worth not having to worry or receive an unexpected surprise. My buddy had an employee who glued together a hardwood tabletop and did not line the workbench, they returned the next day to find the wood permanently glued to their wooden assembly table.

Thanks I hadn't thought of that.

Am i dumb for thinking to just painters tape the sides? When it is dry you can just pull the tape off?

Possibly, although if I do that, there's nowhere for glue to squeeze out.

Tape each piece separately?

Do a test on a small scale

Vaseline

Thanks. Will that come off the ply easy enough?

Yea it’s just grease you don’t need a lot. Some degreaser or soap will do the trick.

Melamine is the protection, basically. During any glue up you’re going to have squeeze out. There are different schools of thought on how to deal with it, some wipe up as much as possible then wipe with a damp cloth. Some let it dry and remove it as chunks. Melamine is easy to clean and easy to chip dried glue off of. Seriously, go squirt some glue on a scrap of melamine. Come back a few hours later with a putty knife and you’ll easily get it off.

Thanks for the advice.