Best Value Biscuit Joiner

[Mike OMelia]

I don't have a lot of uses for one, and if push comes to shove, I can use my router, but I'm interested in finding a "best value" (as in FWW) biscuit joiner. Best value in my mind balances cost and quality in a way that an occasional user will appreciate. Recommendations are welcomed. I am totally ignorant on this tool/subject.

Thanks!

Mike

[Ken Deckelman]

Since you have no immediate need for one, just watch CL till one shows up there.

[Will Overton]

I am not an advocate of buying used tools. However, there are always exceptions. With so many folks buying the Festool Domino there are a lot of unused biscuit joiners sitting around. I never thought about getting rid of mine until my neighbor mentioned he was going to buy one. I gave him mine.

The Porter Cable 557 is probably the best of the reasonably priced ones. I would post a "want to buy" on the woodworking forums.

[Carroll Courtney]

I had this posted about couple weeks ago,but got no responces just questions.Make me an offer,which includes shipping---Carroll

[Jon Toebbe]

+1 on keeping an eye on Craigslist. I just picked up a nice Craftsman Professional (the re-badged DeWalt) for $40. Not too shabby. :D

[Andrew Howe]

I got a Freud biscuit joiner for $80 at lows

[Fred Preston]

reply to carroll! the lamello is the best on the market IMHO. His asking price is fair.;-]

[Hank Wangford]

I don't have a lot of uses for one, and if push comes to shove, I can use my router, but I'm interested in finding a "best value" (as in FWW) biscuit joiner (http://biscuitjoiner4u.com). Best value in my mind balances cost and quality in a way that an occasional user will appreciate. Recommendations are welcomed. I am totally ignorant on this tool/subject.
Thanks!

Mike

Pretty much the same situation I am in.
Thanks for starting the post and saving me the trouble

:)

Thanks also for the responses. Good info.

[Ken Frohnert]

+1 I was wondering about this same thing. I want to make a couple of shop cabinets and thought a biscuit joiner might be useful.

[John TenEyck]

A bisquit joiner was designed for joining sheet goods, and is ideal for building shop, kitchen, etc. cabinets. It's also useful for a lot of other jobs; installing faceframes to cabinets, joining solid wood to sheet goods, reinforcing miters, etc. It is very fast, plenty accurate, and produces joints of surprising strength. Not much wears out on a bisquit joiner - I'm still using the same blade that came with my Ryobi 20 years ago, and I have built at least a hundred cabinets with it. I would not hesitate to buy a used one since most people never use their's enough to appreciate its capabilities, nor would I regret buying a new one.

[Paul Stoops]

I like my Porter Cable 557 very much. It also comes with a 2" diameter blade for use with the small mini biscuits for picture frames, etc.

[Gary Curtis]

The differences in Biscuit Joiners is primarily in the fence. However, you can override machine differences if you use Lamello brand biscuits. They don't cost much more, but gosh is there a difference in manufacture and consistency.

[Bob Landel]

I own the Porter Cable 557. It works very well.... like a dream. My first biscuit cutter was a Harbor Freight $29.99 special. It worked perfectly fine! I still have it in the original box. I use a biscuit cutter very rarely. The Harbor Freight cutter would probably serve all my needs, however I'm a tool nut.

[David Larsen]

The porter cable biscuit jointer will allow you to do FF biscuits along with regular biscuits so for the money, it is pretty universal. I have one and it does a good job. I also have a Dewalt that I use for the full size biscuits and leave my PC for FF only.

[Peter Scoma]

+1 on scanning craigslist. I got an unused Dewalt, nearly 1000 biscuits, and a brass dovetail marker for 40$ in philly.

Peter

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have a PC 557 also.
Had I known then what I know now, I would have applied the ~ $180.00 I gave for it towards a Domino or a Dowel Max.
Or a real good Grex 23 ga pin nailer.
Or a Bosch jig saw.
Or a cordless impact driver.
Or a PC dovetail jig.
Or a Fein Multimaster.
Or - well - I guess you get the picture...
Something I would actually use on a regular basis.
I'd sell it - but for the fact that I have so much into it & haven't gotten anywhere near half that much out of it.

[Neil Brooks]

Lots of people shelve theirs. I use mine.

PC557 is the best value/2nd best tool, after the million $$ Lamello.

Later models, allegedly, better than earlier models.

[Chris Fournier]

I've had a Black and Decker Professional (now DeWalt) for approaching twenty years and it has been a trusted workhorse as well as indespensible in my shop.

[Will Blick]

Its a pretty simple tool.... if you use it creatively, a better fence is helpful, like the pc557.
I am impressed PC sells this tool at such a reasonable cost, even cheaper used, as previous poster mentioned, the domino has become the loose tenon tool of choice, as its a bit more versatile...
but dowels and biscuits will rival a domino, maybe not in speed, but surely in the finished product.

[matt tennessen]

I'll 5th or 6th on the Porter Cable. For me biscuit joiners are indispensable. Aligning FF and squaring up cabinet boxes quickly, joining internal case sub-assemblies where I can't run a full dado, even keeping glue ups where I want them while I'm getting clamps/cauls. The PC557 has a fence that easily allows you to cut slots in mitered edge case assemblies. THAT is probably the deal-sealer for me. I use that feature ALL THE TIME. I know I could technically do everything without it and that biscuits offer little in terms of shear strength, but as an aid in alignment I've found it to be the quickest for me. There are enough things in woodworking that require focus and patience, if I can use a tool to bi-pass some of it, then let's do it and get on with it.

[Jerome Hanby]

I've got a Dewalt and it works great. When I was looking I originally wanted a PC because it could handle the FF biscuits. But after doing some research I found that PC had gotten into some patent problems and had to make a change that negatively impacted the quality of the joint it produced. This lead to a mishmash of look for this type number, avoid this type number, and of course the response anytime you ask a seller about the type number is "Huh?". The Dewalt got also got good reviews so I decided to give up on the idea of FF biscuits and found a good CL price on the Dewalt. I figured eventually either someone else would start supporting those small biscuits or I'd find a good price on a PC (of he correct type) that I could just leave setup for FF.

All of that said, I'd also jump on that Lamello Carroll offered earlier in this thread!

[David Hostetler]

They for the most part, all do the same thing the same way... The bigger question really is, what style handle do you feel more comfortable with. I personally do NOT like barrel handled joiners, and so the Ryobi was a good choice for me with the big D handle. Most folks seem to have trouble controlling the joiner with the D handle though. Try a few out if you can, and see what works for you...

[Mike Henderson]

I've got a Dewalt and it works great. When I was looking I originally wanted a PC because it could handle the FF biscuits. But after doing some research I found that PC had gotten into some patent problems and had to make a change that negatively impacted the quality of the joint it produced. This lead to a mishmash of look for this type number, avoid this type number, and of course the response anytime you ask a seller about the type number is "Huh?". The Dewalt got also got good reviews so I decided to give up on the idea of FF biscuits and found a good CL price on the Dewalt. I figured eventually either someone else would start supporting those small biscuits or I'd find a good price on a PC (of he correct type) that I could just leave setup for FF.

All of that said, I'd also jump on that Lamello Carroll offered earlier in this thread!
Just for my interest, can you give us a pointer to the article on the patent problem Porter Cable had with the FF biscuits, please?

Mike

[Neil Brooks]

Just for my interest, can you give us a pointer to the article on the patent problem Porter Cable had with the FF biscuits, please?


It seems to be referenced here, Mike:

http://woodworkingnetwork.com/CWB-Commissions-an-Exclusive-Test-of-Biscuit-Joiners/2006-10-12/Article.aspx?oid=961501&tid=1&contentid=1405

[Jerome Hanby]

I didn't have a single source for information, I saw numerous references to it when I was researching the PC alignment problem complaints. Here is one i just found Googling, it's a thread on another forum...http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=5104650

I thought of something just after I saved this post and thought I'd amend. I've never touched a PC biscuit joiner pre, post, or trans "alignment problem", all I "know" is what I read. But from a little practical experience, I think that problem must have either been completely horrendous or totally overblown. There seems to be enough play in my biscuit joints that a little misalignment wouldn't be a real issue as long as it was more or less consistent. To be fair, that may have something to do with the cheap HF biscuits I normally use...



Just for my interest, can you give us a pointer to the article on the patent problem Porter Cable had with the FF biscuits, please?

Mike

[John Nesmith]

I have an O'malley biscuit joiner (Does anyone remember O'malley tools?) It is a knock-off of the Porter Cable. Smaller motor and a few other corners cut, but for $60, it works well. O'malley is no longer in business. I only mention mine because it is an example of an inexpensive unit that performs well. I can't imagine what would be gained by spending $200-$400 for one. Then again, I've never used one of the top-of-the-line models, so I don't know what I'm missing.
t

[Ron Kellison]

FWIW, I've had the Freud biscuit jointer for 10 years now, used it often and never had a problem. I use the European biscuits available from Lee Valley.

Regards,

Ron

[David Larsen]

I have a PC 557 also.
Had I known then what I know now, I would have applied the ~ $180.00 I gave for it towards a Domino or a Dowel Max.
Or a real good Grex 23 ga pin nailer.
Or a Bosch jig saw.
Or a cordless impact driver.
Or a PC dovetail jig.
Or a Fein Multimaster.
Or - well - I guess you get the picture...
Something I would actually use on a regular basis.
I'd sell it - but for the fact that I have so much into it & haven't gotten anywhere near half that much out of it.

Why can't you have all of them!

[Bob Carreiro]

If you're only going to use it now & then, go to Harbor Freight - $49.95. If you don't like it, take it back. It gets the job done and you can't beat the return policy!

[Jim German]

I heartily disagree with any HF biscuit jointer recommendations. The one I got is truly awful. Its caused me far more angst and work than the savings was worth. Stay away from it.