The apparatus for combining tobacco sheets comprises a first shaft for carrying a first bobbin of tobacco sheet and a second shaft for carrying a second bobbin of tobacco sheet. The apparatus also comprises a splicing unit for combining an end portion of tobacco sheet from the first bobbin to a head portion of tobacco sheet from the second bobbin. The splicing unit comprises a cutting device for cutting the tobacco sheets such as to provide complementary cuts to the tobacco sheets from the first bobbin and from the second bobbin, a dispensing device for dispensing water to at least one of the tobacco sheets, and a combining device for applying force onto the tobacco sheets thereby producing a spliced tobacco sheet.

The invention relates to a method for automatically splicing a first article, unwound from a first reel, to a second article wound around a second reel, the articles being flexible and in the form of webs or strips. According to the invention, the method comprises steps consisting in: positioning an adhesive tape on an end that is to be spliced belonging to the second article; automatically moving a portion of the first article to a cutting plane situated facing the end that is to be spliced belonging to the second article; holding the portion of the first article downstream of the cutting plane with respect to the first reel; cutting the first article transversely; automatically moving the end that is to be spliced belonging to the second article as far as the cutting plane; and pressing a cut end of the first article at the cutting plane against the end that is to be spliced belonging to the second article in order to stick them together using the adhesive tape.