Plate Joiner Consistency...

[Adam Kaufman]

I've got a question about plate joiners.

I bought a Ryobi JM82 a while back and while it's done okay, I've found that while gluing up stuff, the stock just doesn't line up well. I have to sand quite a bit afterwards.

Is this the nature of plate joiners or is it the quality of the tool (or user)? I've got a line on a Porter Cable 557 and was just wondering if I could expect very close seems with my glue-ups if I traded up.

Thanks!

[Brad Patch]

I've got a question about plate joiners.

I bought a Ryobi JM82 a while back and while it's done okay, I've found that while gluing up stuff, the stock just doesn't line up well. I have to sand quite a bit afterwards.

Is this the nature of plate joiners or is it the quality of the tool (or user)? I've got a line on a Porter Cable 557 and was just wondering if I could expect very close seems with my glue-ups if I traded up.

Thanks!
Plate jointers can be a very fussy tool resulting in the edge mismatch that your getting. The stock which should be flat and not cupped must be placed on a flat surface and not allowed to move. The tool must be held with both hands, one to control the plunge action and the other, and most importantly, to firmly hold the fence flat against the stock. If the fence is not in total contact the edge alignment will suffer.

[HANK METZ]

Unfortunately the Ryobi JM82 is the least accurate plate joiner marketed, it has been this way for years, yet Ryobi does nothing to improve it which is why you see them going for cheap on the for sale sites. The Porter 557 is a good model, but don’t get overly focused on the face frame plates, they are getting harder to come by, require a blade swap out, and have largely yielded to pocket screwing for this task. Here are some reviews of the tool, you decide if it’s right for you:
http://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-557-Amp-Plate-Joiner/product-reviews/B00004YKUO/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

I have some videos posted up on Youtube showing how to use it without the fence, which accounts for most of the user difficulties. I am currently using a dirt cheap Harbor Freight unit that cost $35.00 and can match the quality of DeWalt, Porter, Makita, etc. joint for joint.

http://www.youtube.com/user/beachsidehank?feature=results_main
Look at the Woodworking Made Easy videos for tips on biscuit joinery.

- Beachside Hank
Improvise, adapt, overcome; the essence of true craftsmanship.

[John TenEyck]

I have a 25 or 30 year old Ryobi biscuit joiner, and it works just fine. I almost never use the fence. I clamp the workpiece flat on my bench. Never use your hand as the only clamp, or you may end up with a painful experience like I did. Fold the fence straight up, lay the biscuit joiner flat on the bench and, with both hands on the joiner like the manual says, plunge your slots at your marked locations. If you need to adjust the slot height, put a shim under the joiner or board. There is really no way the boards can't line up correctly if both pieces are the same thickness to start with and you have them clamped flat.

I'm sure you will get many responses that say that biscuit joiners are old school, no school, unnecessary, a poor substitute for "real" joinery, etc. As for me, I love the thing. I've been using it for over 25 years, have used at least 3000 biscuits, and never had a joint failure yet besides the ones I beat apart. Where I do use the fence is when joining beveled pieces. There is almost no faster way of cutting joinery that gives near perfect registration of long beveled parts.

264630

John

[Mike Henderson]

If your goal is to get boards to line up when you're gluing up a panel, consider the use of cauls. You'll get the boards aligned and you won't have to worry about cutting into a biscuit one day - or the accuracy of the biscuit joiner.

If you're not familiar with the use of cauls, do a search on the web for woodworking cauls and you'll probably find a lot.

Also, cauls are a lot less expensive than any biscuit joiner.

Mike

[Joe Shinall]

I have a Dewalt biscuit joiner and have been very pleased with it. Had it about 4 years now and used it a few hundred times with no bad joints and no adjustments.

[Alden Miller]

I originally had a Freud plate jointer and it was junk. Replaced it with a Dewalt and I have been quite pleased with the results I get from it.

-Alden