Jig for shortening biscuits?

[Phil Thien]

My name is Phil and I'm a biscuit-a-holic. The type used in woodworking, AND the type you eat.

I once saw a jig for cutting down biscuits. The issue is that sometimes you have narrow stock you want to join. In this case, I'm building a few drawer boxes that are only 3-5/8" high. The correct biscuit for the 1/2" thick plywood is a #0, but the wood is only wide enough really for one biscuit.

But I can overlap the biscuit slots and cut about 1/4" off one side of two #0 biscuits, and they work fine.

I once saw a jig for the table saw that allow you to quickly and safely cut down biscuits to use when they overlap, but I can't find it now.

Any ideas?

[Matt Meiser]

Couldn't you do it with a vise and a hand saw in about 1 stroke? Maybe not even the vise. I'm a power tool user through and through but some things are easier and more safely done by hand.

[George Bokros]

If your biscuit joiner will do face frame biscuits (Porter Cable) use those.

[Phil Thien]

Couldn't you do it with a vise and a hand saw in about 1 stroke? Maybe not even the vise. I'm a power tool user through and through but some things are easier and more safely done by hand.

Undeniably true, and that is what I've done on my test box joints.

But I sort of like making jigs and I was pretty sure I saw it either here or another woodworking forum and my problem is if I Google "shortening biscuits" all I get is hungry.

[Bob Wingard]

Nip the ends off with a set of wire cutters or tile nippers.

[Phil Thien]

Nip the ends off with a set of wire cutters or tile nippers.

I did try some wire cutters. I think the tile nippers would work better.

[Mike Henderson]

I assume you know about FF biscuits. I use that for 1/2" stock and it works fine.

About half way down on the page here (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/RectangularTray6.htm)you can see the jig I built to cut slots for the biscuits.

Mike

[Wade Lippman]

I expect you could cut 1000 on a bandsaw (or 300 on a jigsaw) in the time it would take to make a table saw jig.

Before I got a domino I would have used dowels in your situation.

[Phil Thien]

All great advice, thanks.

Wade, you're right, I could probably just use the bandsaw. I had been thinking table saw. I could use dowels, also. The biscuit are SOOOO fast and really strong in my tests, so I'd just as soon use those.

Mike, my jointer will use FF biscuits, but changing the blade seems like a pain, so I wanted to stick to #0 if possible.

I think the tile nippers will work great. I had tried the wire cutters but it required more force than I would have thought. I think a set of compound nippers or just using the bandsaw as Wade suggested will be the ticket. I'll try both ways.

And you're all correct, this seems like a lot of consideration over something simple. But she wants new kitchen cabinets this winter so I'm trying to come up with methods that will allow me to produce oodles of drawer boxes because she wants the base cabinets to be all drawers, no shelves.

[Tom Ewell]

Just cut a bunch of 40mm dominos down to 35mm using the bandsaw with a simple jig attached to the miter gauge, could stack 'em three at a time without modding the jig (fingers to hold) might be able to really go to town if I rigged up a clamp to the jig.

[Matt Meiser]

And you're all correct, this seems like a lot of consideration over something simple. But she wants new kitchen cabinets this winter so I'm trying to come up with methods that will allow me to produce oodles of drawer boxes because she wants the base cabinets to be all drawers, no shelves.

Then in that case, first I highly recommend http://midmichiganwood.com/ for drawers. Mine were an average of $40 a piece for dovetailed maple drawers with a nice lacquer finish. I only had to install the front mounting clips for my Blum Tandem slide and attach my drawer fronts. He could have sold me another brand (Grass maybe?) of soft-close undermount slide which would have been a substantial savings over the Blum's but I had already bought them.

And if you insist on making/sanding/finishing/sanding/finishing/sanding/finishing (...) drawers :)...
Pocket hole drawers work great for drawers with applied fronts. The PHS go on the front and back of the drawer and are never seen unless you remove the drawer. On my most recent set which go in my mom's laundry room I did experiment with using PHS to attach the drawer front because I couldn't use my usual method of using screws through the front of the box into the back side of the drawer face due on these shaker-style drawers because there was nothing to bit into. I did the PH's on the outside and plan to glue in the white plugs after they are complete and it will look acceptable, but if I do that again, I'll put them on the inside of the drawer where they'll be all but invisible once the drawer is full of ....err..."stuff".

[Phil Thien]

Then in that case, first I highly recommend http://midmichiganwood.com/ for drawers. Mine were an average of $40 a piece for dovetailed maple drawers with a nice lacquer finish. I only had to install the front mounting clips for my Blum Tandem slide and attach my drawer fronts. He could have sold me another brand (Grass maybe?) of soft-close undermount slide which would have been a substantial savings over the Blum's but I had already bought them.

Yep, considering having the drawer boxes made. I think $40 may be a bit more than we want to spend, but we've found other places that make plywood drawer boxes for less than $20. Do you make the cabinets first, take your final measurements, and then send-out an order for drawer boxes?

We still haven't completely decided against using Ikea cabinets and making our own doors and drawer fronts. Over the next few weeks I'll probably put together some ballpark prices and let her pick.


And if you insist on making/sanding/finishing/sanding/finishing/sanding/finishing (...) drawers :)...
Pocket hole drawers work great for drawers with applied fronts. The PHS go on the front and back of the drawer and are never seen unless you remove the drawer. On my most recent set which go in my mom's laundry room I did experiment with using PHS to attach the drawer front because I couldn't use my usual method of using screws through the front of the box into the back side of the drawer face due on these shaker-style drawers because there was nothing to bit into. I did the PH's on the outside and plan to glue in the white plugs after they are complete and it will look acceptable, but if I do that again, I'll put them on the inside of the drawer where they'll be all but invisible once the drawer is full of ....err..."stuff".

Yep, just have to get some 1" long pan-head Kreg screws next time I'm at the home center to try making a drawer box or two, to see how they go together and how strong they are. That may, in fact, be the way we go. I can see a lot of advantages to the pocket-hole method, I just want to try it once or twice.

[HANK METZ]

Got a stationary belt or disk sander Phil? Trim away using the sander- faster and safer than sawing IMHO. A little study of the situation will no doubt yield a jig or fixture design to accomplish this.

[Matt Meiser]

Yep, considering having the drawer boxes made. I think $40 may be a bit more than we want to spend, but we've found other places that make plywood drawer boxes for less than $20. Do you make the cabinets first, take your final measurements, and then send-out an order for drawer boxes?

I planned everything out in Excel and quadruple checked. Then I made all my face frames and checked my door dimensions again before placing the door/drawer order. It took less than a week before my order arrived. I started running all the components through the finishing process and built boxes at the same time. I also had all the "custom" stuff like a wine rack, various trim pieces and stuff like that to make. The whole process worked great.

I've done a kitchen from scratch and a kitchen buying drawers and boxes. The latter is definitely the way to go. When you figure in materials, consumables, and energy, I'm not sure you really save much DIY.



Yep, just have to get some 1" long pan-head Kreg screws next time I'm at the home center to try making a drawer box or two, to see how they go together and how strong they are. That may, in fact, be the way we go. I can see a lot of advantages to the pocket-hole method, I just want to try it once or twice.

I think this method is particularly well suited to plywood boxes. Our bathrooms and my parents kitchen is built with Kreg drawers. All are holding up great. I've never done it, but you could pre-finish your drawer side material, chop to length, and assemble using this method using prefinished ply for the bottoms.

[Phil Thien]

Thanks everyone for the tips, the tile nippers don't really close all the way so they didn't work that great.

I found a pair of end cutters that DO close all the way and these make it a quick job.

I think I will time myself making these four drawers, and use that as an input into deciding if I want to make all the drawers for the kitchen.

[Sam Murdoch]

Maybe a Lion Trimmer with a hold down of some sort. Those 0s aren't much to hold on to. I usually just nip them with end cutters.