Biscuit Joiner

[Peter Dufresne]

Hello All,

I am looking to buy a biscuit joiner... any opioins on what I should get?

[Joe Unni]

Peter,

I've had very good luck with the Dewalt, though I've found the dust chute and bag pretty useless.

Good luck,
-joe

[Kevin Post]

I have the DeWalt also... I feel the same as Joe.

-Kevin

[Dale Rodabaugh]

I have had very good luck with the Porter Cable,had it about 6 yrs now.:confused: :D :eek:

[CPeter James]

The Porter Cable 557 Type 3 is my choice. It gets 2d best ratings (after Lamello, but at $500, who can afford one).It works easy and accurate and does face frames with a second blade that comes with it. The dust collection works good, but if I am in the shop, I just use the deflector tube and dump them on the floor and seep up after.

CPeter

[Erin Stringer]

I will second the Porter Cable suggestion. The adjustments are very accurate and easy to do. I made the mistake of buying a Harbor freight unit and got so frustrated that I borrowed a friends PC to finish the job I was working on. After using his for one day I bought one the next time I saw it on sale. You can usually find them with some decent rebates or sale pricing these days.

[Steve Aiken]

I love my Porter Cable 557. The magazines test the Lamello as best, but I couldn't afford the price. I've had my PC for 4 years, and it is a great tool.

steve

[John Dingman]

Peter,

I have the Freud JS102 Biscuit Jointer and I love it!

John

[Jim Becker]

The PC 557 is the most versatile, but like John, I have the Freud JS102 and it does what I need in the rare occasion I use biscuits.

[Steve Cox]

PC 557. Very versatile and accurate plus it can use the small FF biscuits which are sometimes very useful.

[Jeff Fritzson]

Peter,


I have to chime in with another Porter Cable vote. I received it as a gift and it has performed very well for me.

Jeff

[Doug Shepard]

For general WW the Porter-Cable 557 is great. The FF biscuit size does come in pretty handy sometimes, and the dustbag setup works reasonably well. If you're mainly doing picture framing or other smaller scale stuff though, the Ryobi Mini is probably a better choice.

[John Dingman]

Boy oh Boy, I guess I missed the boat when I didn't get the PC 557 :D Sounds like the Biscuit Jointer of choice around here. Just curious about one thing, and I hope this is not thread theft, if it is, I apologize. What will the PC 557 do, that the Freud JS102 won't do?

Thanks!
John

[Jim Becker]

What will the PC 557 do, that the Freud JS102 won't do?

More adjustability and the abilty to cut (with a smaller blade) for the tiny framing buscuits.

[Steve Cox]

John, I don't know what the Freud will do but here are some of the features of the PC that I like (which I think keeps us on the subject of the thread). It has a knob to adjust the height of the fence. The Lamello classic I used was slid up and down by hand and was more hit or miss. The PC has two sizes of blades. The standard one that all plate joiners use and one about half that size that allows the PC to use a small biscuit that they call FF (for Face frame). I can't remember the exact size now but it allows you to use biscuits on wood down to around 1.5" in width without blowing out the sides. There is also a HUGE range of angles compared to others on the market. Other ones I have seen allow a 45 degree angle of the fence to be set only one way, usually by tilting up. The PC allows 45s both directions up and down which allows you to capture the wood you're cutting more effectively between the face and fence. BTW the dust collection is really nice. I have a Bosch hose that I use hooked up to my shop vac and it captures everything. So anyway, do I use all these features everyday? No, but on the occasions I need them they sure are nice to have.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Another vote for PC.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've got the PC. I've used it only a few times but it has performed well.

[Ted Shrader]

Peter -

I have had a Porter Cable 557 for several years now. Works well. The FF option is useful when you need small biscuits. Besides the regular 4" blade, it comes with a second, 2" blade for that purpose. I also like that the handle where the left hand goes stays still and holds the tool to the work. The right hand pushes the motor (and blade) in and out of the wood. (Assuming a right handed user.) On some other types, both hands move.

Ted

[Dale Thompson]

Peter,
I like my Dewalt a lot. :) I think that I have solved the dust problem about 100% by removing the bag and attaching my shop vac to the supplied adaptor. :D With the bag on, the exhaust vent plugs up quite quickly if you are cutting biscuits even at a relatively slow pace. Thus, the dust problem. :(

By the way, my biscuit joiner has seen a lot less use since I bought my Kreig Pocket Hole System. :D :D

Dale T.

[Frank Carpenter]

I have found that they are rarely needed and there are alternatives. Mine sits in the box most of the time.

[Per Swenson]

Another vote for the PC.
But, as Dale said, I too discovered the kreg
rather late in life.
This means I have 5000 mini
biscuits gathering dust.
I was thinking of taking them down
to the local frat house, making some malarky up
about a finger football drinking game, and selling them
for a quarter a piece.
Per

[Steve Cox]

Okay, I'll chime in on the latest twist. I have both the Kreg and the PC and use the plate joiner quite a bit more than the Kreg. I think that biscuits make a stronger, longer lasting joint than pocket screws do. It is slower I admit but I still think its' better.

[Von Bickley]

I have the Dewalt and it has worked fine for me. I don't think you would go wrong with the PC or the Dewalt. I would look for the best price between those two.
Mine has not been out of the case in a long time.... :rolleyes:

[Norman Hitt]

I've had the DeWalt for several years and am very pleased with it. It won't do the FF biscuits, but I've never had a need for that so it works great for me. The dust/chip collection works with the bag, but fills too quickly, but works great with the shop vac hose attached. (attached with tape, I might add, :D ).

[George Summers]

I bought the Freud JS102 about 3-4 years ago.

1. I (and your use may be different) use it 95% of the time for flat 90° slots. You don't need a fancy fence for those.

2. I have never found a need for FF biscuits and if I did I'm not sure I would want to futch around changing the blades back and forth. Besides, I can buy the little (used to be Ryobi) Craftsman and have a dedicated mini-biscuit joiner.

3. Some say that the DeWalt and the PC will do 135°, implying that the Freud won't. You don't use a biscuit in just one side of a joint, if I need to biscuit a mitered corner, I can place the two mitered pieces face to face, with both long ends in the center coming to a point. I then have a 90° reference angle with which to place a slot in each matching miter face.

4. I bought mine for $110 on sale ($125 regular). If I ever buy the Craftsman mini joiner, I will have spent less than the cost of the PC and just a tad more than the cost of the DeWalt (and have a dedicated mini joiner).

As exciting as it may seem, you don't need to buy a Ferrari to drive to and from work when a Ford will get you there and back.

George

[John Miliunas]

So I'm probably the odd man out. I've run a Freud for many years and it's done OK, but recently, a good friend of mine upgraded to a Lamello and I bought his old Makita. I like it better than the Freud. Smoother plunge action, which in turn, tends to keep the whole unit from "wandering" away from the mark. Very nice fence adjustment, as well.:) And, if purchasing new, I believe it's less expensive than either, the PC or Dewalt. Doesn't do the FF biscuits, however.:) :cool:

[Ken Salisbury]

I really do hate to burst bubbles or start controversies :D However I determined over 10 years ago that biscuits were just another gimmick in the attempt to make an average woodworker appear to be something else. I purchased a PC biscuit jointer (very expensive at the time I might add) more than 12 yrs ago. It really didn't take me long to realize that I really didn't need it. I eventally sold it 10 years ago for ¼ of what I paid for it and threw in several 1000 biscuits to boot.

I think using biscuit jointery is about as efficient as a one legged man in a butt kicking contest :D Biscuits do go very well with sausage gravy though. :)

I sure hope I don't have to go back and delete this thread because it gets out of hand.

http://www.oldrebelworkshop.com/smiley2.gif

[Steve Cox]

US!!!!????? Get out of hand? We would never do something like that!:p Yours certainly is not the first opinion I've heard that says biscuits are just a gimmick. I happen to disagree with you but not so much as you might think. I have (very occasionally) watched NYW and some of the applications for biscuits have just floored me (in a negative way). I use them for carcase assembly or in places where the design of a piece gives me cross grain gluing surfaces. Could I use something else? Sure, carcases could be assembled with dados and glue, pocket holes, splines, Confimat screws (for particle board), doweled, or other methods I haven't mentioned. I also use them in place of mortise and tenon joints on my very rough and ready shop projects like my outfeed table. I double up on #20s and have had no trouble through lots of pounding and pressing on the joints (during use as an assembly table). There are always other methods that could be used, I happen to like this one because it is strong, relatively quick and very easy to grab the tool sitting just behind my workbench all ready to go rather than having to set something up on the tablesaw.

[Greg Narozniak]

I have the dewalt and I have been very pleased with it.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Have the PC, but hear good things about the DeWalt.

I mostly use other joints, but for sheet goods, biscuits are great for alignment.

[Wes Bischel]

As with all things, biscuits have their place. I've used them a lot in MDF and particle board. A lot faster than drilling and countersinking fasteners IMHO.

I have the DeWalt and it has been one of my better purchases. I haven't had the clogging problems mainly due to the fact that most of the materials I'm using are dust already! :rolleyes:

Wes

[Christian Aufreiter]

Hi folks,

I own the Lamello Classic C2 and like it. Before I bought it I used a dowel jig that worked ok but I prefer the biscuit joiner. Hooked up to my vac it works (almost) dustless and I do think that biscuits help a lot in order to align stuff. I don't own a pocket hole jig (yet) but even if I purchased one one day I would not want to use it for cabinets where the screws would be visible.

Regards,

Christian

[JayStPeter]

To me, biscuits and pocket holes serve different purposes. I use biscuits when I need either alignment, quick splines, or extra strength when doing something quick and dirty. Except face frames, I use pocket holes as clamps. For quick cabinets, I combine biscuits and pocket holes. The biscuits keep the pocketholes from wandering around when zipping the cabinet together.

I have a Dewalt biscuit joiner. It's OK, but if I was to do it again, I'd get the PC. There's been a few times when the FF biscuits would have been useful.

Oh yeah, dust collection is fine if hooked up to a vac, useless otherwise.

Jay

[Alan Mikkelsen]

I've got a PC also, and think it's a really good unit. But, like Ken, I'm slowly weaning myself from biscuits, too. Still, when you need to use them, the PC can't be beat.




I really do hate to burst bubbles or start controversies :D However I determined over 10 years ago that biscuits were just another gimmick in the attempt to make an average woodworker appear to be something else. I purchased a PC biscuit jointer (very expensive at the time I might add) more than 12 yrs ago. It really didn't take me long to realize that I really didn't need it. I eventally sold it 10 years ago for ¼ of what I paid for it and threw in several 1000 biscuits to boot.

I think using biscuit jointery is about as efficient as a one legged man in a butt kicking contest :D Biscuits do go very well with sausage gravy though. :)

I sure hope I don't have to go back and delete this thread because it gets out of hand.



http://www.oldrebelworkshop.com/smiley2.gif

[Michael Pfau]

Porter Cable has my vote by far...

[Dale Thompson]

I think using biscuit jointery is about as efficient as a one legged man in a butt kicking contest Biscuits do go very well with sausage gravy though. :)

I sure hope I don't have to go back and delete this thread because it gets out of hand.

http://www.oldrebelworkshop.com/smiley2.gif

Ken,
WHEW! I didn't think that "Super Moderators" were ever prone to PMS! :D MAN - I was wrong - AGAIN! :o
GEE WHIZ! Do you have a bee in your bonnet - or something? :eek:

Ken, what DO you use for edge joining? With the right saw blade and setup, I don't see where jointing is required. :confused: I found that biscuits were fine for aligning wider boards - to a point. But I also found that my drill press is an outstanding "clamp" when I have a wider "sagging" board and I want to use pocket screws. Glue, clamp, screw, unclamp and go on to the next joint. :cool:

I think that Walgreens has PMS medication that may even work on "Super Moderators"! Good Luck! I share your pain! :p :)

Dale T.

[Ken Salisbury]

Ken,


Ken, what DO you use for edge joining? With the right saw blade and setup, I don't see where jointing is required. :confused: I found that biscuits were fine for aligning wider boards - to a point.

Your question is too general in nature for a single answer. Normally I use my jointer, sometimes only a WWII 30 tooth rip blade, clamps, and cauls if necessary. In my humble opinion biscuits do not add strength to jointed glue ups. Today's adhesives are more than sufficient to provide a bond stronger than the wood itself. Of course if you are trying to joint warped, twisted, poorly planed or bowed lumber, etc then, biscuits, dowels, nails, screws, or divine intervention will not give good results. :D Since I have always planed and jointed my own stock and generally speaking, trash or burn sub standard lumber I have no need for biscuits other than the ones I buy at McD's :)




I think that Walgreens has PMS medication that may even work on "Super Moderators"! Good Luck! I share your pain! :p :)

The problem is not PMS - It is OLD AGE :D

[Steve Rowe]

Purchased the Dewalt approximately 10 minutes before I found out about the PC 557. Works good. Dust bag is useless, use a vacuum. Has a tendency to clog up on oak due to an annoying piece of aluminum casting in the middle of the dust collection path. Not sure what they were thinking here. I have since upgraded to the Lamello C2 which is excellent.

Steve