Does anyone use biscuit joiners anymore?

[Roger Bell]

And, if so, for what specific application(s) do you feel they are the best method of joinery?

[Charlie Hinton]

A couple maybe three years ago I got the hots for a biscuit joiner and bought one.
When I told my buddy he said if I knew you wanted one I would have given you mine.
I asked why he would just give it to me and he said he used it once and didn't see any reason to use it again.
I used mine on two projects and put it back in the carrying bag and it's been there ever since.
It didn't really help alignment all that much on edge glue ups for me and it didn't seem like sufficient strength to substitute for any normal joinery techniques.
It's odd that this was posted because just the other day I was thinking about trying to use it on something again....LOL

[lowell holmes]

I have a biscuit joiner and I find that it is quite useful when making wide boards out of 3/4" thick boards.
I would not be without it.

[Jim Morgan]

This past summer I rebuilt our front porch and did not want to face nail the floor boards, so I used InvisiFast biscuit-style concealed fasteners. I used my biscuit joiner to cut slots in the 5/4 meranti. Otherwise, since I got a Domino, not much use for biscuits in furniture.

[Simon MacGowen]

And, if so, for what specific application(s) do you feel they are the best method of joinery?

I used mine once or twice (for picture framing kind of work), and then never used it. It was sold after sitting on the shelf for years; I felt lucky I was able to recover more than half of the price I paid for after all these years! You don't need anything for edge to edge jointing other than glue and clamps (plus shop-made cauls in some cases) as long as the edges are proper prepared.

If you are thinking of buying one, save your money for something else. If your needs are in furniture joinery, the Domino joiner is the way to go (worth every cent of its price if you do a lot of projects).

Simon

[Warren Lake]

like any of these questions it depends what you do,. ive had two Lamelloes second one just start fresh with a new one. Been used tons over the years.

[Andrew Seemann]

I use mine (a 20 year old Makita) pretty frequently when laminating boards on edge for alignment, particularly long and wide panels like desk or table tops. For shorter glue ups, I find that just clamps are usually OK, but on anything long, the boards tend to be a little out of flat with each other, especially if they have sat for more than a day. I know you are supposed to fit and glue the boards immediately after milling them, but life doesn't always work out that way.

I don't tend to use it for joinery, except maybe for all plywood construction to reinforce butt joints. Not my favorite type of construction, but it has its uses.

[Jamie Buxton]

Corners of mitered cabinet doors.
Registering panels of cabinets for glue-up.

[Bruce Page]

I use mine whenever I'm edge gluing 3 or more boards together. It helps me to keep everything aligned.

[Edwin Santos]

Hi,
The system of biscuit joinery was invented in Europe by Lamello, and outside of pro shops, I have found that it is not well understood in the US market. For example, a great many people seem to think that biscuit joinery is primarily intended to aid alignment and strength in edge to edge joints such as panel glue-ups. While biscuits "can" be used in this application, it's not where they are designed to excel. Where they excel is in corner joints, especially when joining composite materials. To support this point, have a look at this video that Lamello made and you will see several operations demonstrated - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IecEPB64TgU
What you won't see is a demonstration of an edge to edge joint.

Unfortunately, there are some very poor sloppy biscuit machines on the market which may have contributed to the negative bias in America. Also, some manufacturers of the biscuits themselves have quality control issues which is why I recommend buying only Lamello biscuits. As a big fan of biscuit joinery, I sprang for a Lamello and have never regretted it. I have always heard the DeWalt and PC machines are decent.

Biscuit joinery can be taken to a whole new level if you look up a FWW article by Michael Fortune where he demonstrates how to mount the machine to a custom little table thus turning it into a stationary machine. If you do this, it improves the accuracy and opens up a lot of applications.
I've made more drawers than I can remember using 1/2" baltic birch mitered at the corners and reinforced with biscuits. Never had one come apart.

All this said, whether you should get one or not depends on the kind of work you intend to do. Also there are always numerous ways to do most operations in woodworking, so sometimes it's a just a matter of personal preference.
I hope this info is helpful
Edwin

[Cary Falk]

I have the Porter Cable 557 and the Ryobi mini(r1,r2,r3) I use them all the time. I am currently using them for attaching face frames to cabinets. I also love them for picture frames and angled joints on stuff like hollow columns. I had a Domino and wasn't impressed so I sold it. To each his own.

[Charles Lent]

I have a DeWalt and have built the stationary alignment jig for it. I use biscuits mostly for alignment or where shear strength is needed. If edge to edge gluing panels, I have quit gluing in the biscuits and only use glue on the edges of the boards, because I have had them telegraph their shape to the surface of the panel as the glue completely dried. This happened in two pine table tops. I think there would be less chance of this if the top was made from a hard wood, but I no longer am willing to take the chance. It took almost a month before their shape appeared in the table tops and I had to re-make both.

Charley

[Mike Cutler]

I have one, given to me by a friend. I too use it to aid in edge alignment during glue ups.
I have also used it to make plywood step boxes, and simple cabinets. When it is used in plywood construction, it's intended function, it's a pretty great tool to have for the job.

[Curt Harms]

My understanding like similar to Edward's, biscuit joinery was intended primarily for sheet goods. I have a Porter Cable and use it where appropriate. There's a technique issue that can affect the fit of biscuit joints, particularly edge to edge. If the machine is not held exactly perpendicular to the work as it's plunged, the slot will be cut at a slight angle and the biscuit, when inserted will be at the same angle. Unless there's a complementary angle cut in the mating piece there'll be a slight ledge where the two pieces meet. When cutting slots in the face of a piece near the edge, there's not much of a bearing surface for the fence. I found that a jointed square 2 X 4 clamped to the face flush with the edge provides more of a bearing surface for the biscuit jointer fence. If I were trying to replace/duplicate mortise & tenon construction a domino would be a much better choice.

[Robert Parent]

I have a Ryobi mini and use it several times a year.

Robert

[Rod Sheridan]

I bought a biscuit joiner years ago, I almost never use it unless working with sheet goods. I bought a 4mm cutter for the shaper which I find is often better for edge applications if I want to use biscuits.

I don't edge glue with biscuits when making panels, I normally just use my finger tips to check for alignment. If I'm really worried about alignment I'll run the boards through the shaper with a glue joint cutter.

Due to the type of work I do, my biscuit joiner spends most of the time on the shelf..............Regards, Rod.

[glenn bradley]

People develop a preference for different ways of doing things. Their favorite drawer joint, methods for making mortise and tenons, preferred dado method and so forth. I'm one of those that bought a biscuit joiner and used it once and sold it. It was a PC 557 and was just as good as everyone said. I just prefer other ways of doing those things.

[Bill Orbine]

Just about every job I use the Lamello biscuit joiner. Then there's the Domino, too! Both have it's place in the shop.

[Mark Bolton]

I use mine whenever I'm edge gluing 3 or more boards together. It helps me to keep everything aligned.


This is where we are at as well when we have to glue up something and want fairly accurate face alignment. When your gluing up alone any kind of registration aid helps.

[Chris Fournier]

I have used thousands of biscuits over the years for every conceivable application. Wouldn't be without my B&D professional joiner or the three to four thousand biscuits I keep in stock. This tool has helped me make money!

[Jim Becker]

I still own my Freud biscuit joiner. It rarely gets used, but sometimes is the "right" tool for the job. I'll use it to help with vertical face frame alignment for a built-in, for example, where the face frame is getting installed after the cabinet boxes are in place and secured. The biscuits help hold the assembly up while glue and 23 gage pins do their work. Another application I've used it for is to cut slots in the edge of a panel to assist with creating a floating edge not unlike a bread board end on a table where there is a cross grain situation. I had that recently for some edged panels that were to cap the top of some room-height storage areas in a kitchen with a lofted ceiling. The edges were VG d-fir to match other workin the room and had to be on both the front and one side of the panels. On the cross-grain side, the edge was allowed to float back from the corner using splines set in slots created by the biscuit jointer tool.

[Gary Ragatz]

Just watched an episode of Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking last night. Tom McLaughlin built a live edge coffee table with a waterfall edge. He used biscuits in the miter joint for the waterfall edge - so, somebody who knows his way around a wood shop thinks they're useful.

[Peter Kelly]

https://youtu.be/p_eQ7YTOYG4

Bit specialised version of the Lamello but a very clever RTA fastener system.

[Randall J Cox]

I have a 20+ year old Porter cable biscuit cutter that I still use 5-10 times a year on various projects. Don't own a festool…..

[Simon MacGowen]

I have the Porter Cable 557 and the Ryobi mini(r1,r2,r3) I use them all the time. I am currently using them for attaching face frames to cabinets. I also love them for picture frames and angled joints on stuff like hollow columns. I had a Domino and wasn't impressed so I sold it. To each his own.

While a biscuit joiner excels in non-structural functions such as alignments or where joinery strength requirements are lower, the Domino joiner is not the ideal tool for small picture frame type of work. Yes, one can use a DJ for face frames and picture frames, but the DJ shines in where structural strengths matter, such as chairs, cabinets, tables, stairs, and doors. After all, it is a loose M&T joinery machine.

The DJ has a much deeper learning curve than the BJ, and the Festool videos out there show you the results but not the skills that are required to achieve those results. It is like watching Cosman finish a 3-minute dovetail with just a handsaw. He does not tell you the skill behind using that handsaw.

Simon

[David Eisenhauer]

I switched to using biscuits for face frame joinery many, many years ago (1980's?) when I was involved in cranking out lots of cabinetry with face frames attached to ply carcases. Biscuits were so much quicker and more accurate for that application than dowels were. I got the idea from a large cabinet shop in the area that switched to the Lamello system for face frames and likes what I saw.

[Cary Falk]

Just watched an episode of Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking last night. Tom McLaughlin built a live edge coffee table with a waterfall edge. He used biscuits in the miter joint for the waterfall edge - so, somebody who knows his way around a wood shop thinks they're useful.

Nahm thought they were useful also. He is probably responsible for 95% of the hobbiest biscuit joiners sold. I'm not sure why so many people turned on then after he went off the air. I never watched his show so I don't know how he used his.

[Cary Falk]

I will agree that a hand cut dovetail takes skill. Saying that the Domino has a MUCH deeper learning curve than a biscuit joiner is a bit of a stretch. Lack of knowledge on how to operate one is not the reason I am unimpressed.

[Mark Bolton]

While a biscuit joiner excels in non-structural functions such as alignments or where joinery strength requirements are lower

Most definitely true in a long grain to long grain application or one that really needs to rely on M&T or floating tenons, but in an endgrain to long grain or end grain to eng grain situation (like a face frame, picture frame, etc) the biscuit is most definitely a structural element.

We have never biscuited or doweled face frames because we use pocket screws to eliminate clamp time but a biscuit is definitely a structural element eve though it doesnt add any value to a long grain glue up.

So much of it depends on how you work and what you need from your specific application. We use biscuits for alignment and registration regularly but if we are in a critical application where we need to edge glue planks very accurately because we have no material thickness to waste we go to dowels because they give dead-on alignment where biscuits still will allow some fudge.

[Peter Christensen]

I have a Lamelo and have even used it for an Oak screen door for my front door that was still going strong after 2 more that 25 years. I use it for solid wood joinery but not for alignment. I also have on of the Ryobi mini biscuit tools and like it for small boxes etc. Maybe when I grow up I'll get a Domino but the biscuits will stay.

[Michael Costa]

I've never used one and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe biscuits are commonly used when making marquee flooring.

[Simon MacGowen]

I will agree that a hand cut dovetail takes skill. Saying that the Domino has a MUCH deeper learning curve than a biscuit joiner is a bit of a stretch. Lack of knowledge on how to operate one is not the reason I am unimpressed.

I am not saying you got rid of the DJ because of lack of skill or knowledge; it might be or it might not be but only you would know. You did point out face frames and miter frames are the projects you use the BJ on, and I agree, as I noted in my last post, the DJ isn't the ideal tool for them.

I am saying that to use a DJ to its full potentials, it is not simply a chuck the bit, set the depth and fence and plunge operation, which most videos out there are suggesting. Some DJ buyers got disappointed when they did not get the same results they saw from those videos when they used their DJ. The deep learning curve of a DJ is not obvious until you use it, and especially when you want to use it for complex projects, like making angled joinery or stepped joints.

Anyone who has used a DJ to do a three-way-miter joint cabinet or build will understand why the DJ excels in ordinary as well as complex joinery projects. Tage Frid did a three-way miter joint (the process is described in his book), but he admitted it was a difficult one. It is still a challenging one even if you use a DJ, but Frid would likely prefer the DJ than his method, if the tool had been invented for his use at the time.

I pointed out in my earlier post to the OP that the DJ is the right tool if he does a lot of joinery projects. I don't tell people to get a DJ if the main interest is in joining face frames and picture frames.

Simon

[Von Bickley]

I used mine recently for gluing up a top for a blanket chest.

[Pat Barry]

The only time i used biscuits was for edge gluing some oak boards for a tabletop. To my horror, the bicuit locations became evident when a gloosy finish was applied. That was 10 years ago and that's the last time I'll probably use them.

[lowell holmes]

I have one that doesn't get a lot of use, but I'm keeping it. When you need one, you really need it.

[Jared Sankovich]

I have three (actually just got the Dewalt Tuesday) the other two are stationary delta machines with the poorly engineered foot control.

I use the domino a good bit, but biscuits certainly have their place.
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[Edwin Santos]

Another way to think of it - a Domino joiner is a mortising machine for loose tenons. A biscuit joiner is a spline machine.

If you don't build anything with mortise and tenon joints you don't need a Domino, and if you don't see a need for spline joinery maybe you don't need a biscuit joiner.

I'm not sure why people tend compare them. They each have their place and function. Occasionally one can substitute for the other, but for the most part they are independent tools (and joint types).

One observation - the application of mortise and tenon joints is usually fairly obvious and commonly understood among woodworkers. Spline joinery however, is less obvious and sometimes holds the opportunity to solve unusual problems. Again, both types of joinery are important to have available and these machines add a lot of convenience to the process.

Could you imagine if the title of the thread was "Does anyone use spline joinery anymore?"
Edwin

[Paul F Franklin]

Aside from using them as alignment aids when edge gluing as others have mentioned, I mainly use mine to reinforce the miter joints on door and window casing. I assemble and prefinish the casing and install it as a completed unit. I find it way easier and get perfect fitting miter joints this way. I build a little jig that lines everything up so it is very fast to do, with no measuring or marking required.

[Mike Kees]

Paul I would love to see pictures of this process for miter joints on door and window casings. Mike.

[Jared Sankovich]

Aside from using them as alignment aids when edge gluing as others have mentioned, I mainly use mine to reinforce the miter joints on door and window casing. I assemble and prefinish the casing and install it as a completed unit. I find it way easier and get perfect fitting miter joints this way. I build a little jig that lines everything up so it is very fast to do, with no measuring or marking required.

Casing miters was the primary reason I picked up the Dewalt. Biscuits (or the ocassional domino) and pocket screws or clam clamps seem to be the norm for high end finish carpentry.

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[Jim Andrew]

I used my freud biscuit joiner yesterday, to make a spline for the feet on my new granddaughter's chest of drawers. The feet are mitered and 3" wide, and I used number 2 biscuits.

[Paul F Franklin]

Sure, will take a few shots and post...

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Hi,
The system of biscuit joinery was invented in Europe by Lamello, and outside of pro shops, I have found that it is not well understood in the US market. For example, a great many people seem to think that biscuit joinery is primarily intended to aid alignment and strength in edge to edge joints such as panel glue-ups. While biscuits "can" be used in this application, it's not where they are designed to excel. Where they excel is in corner joints, especially when joining composite materials. To support this point, have a look at this video that Lamello made and you will see several operations demonstrated - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IecEPB64TgU
What you won't see is a demonstration of an edge to edge joint.

Unfortunately, there are some very poor sloppy biscuit machines on the market which may have contributed to the negative bias in America. Also, some manufacturers of the biscuits themselves have quality control issues which is why I recommend buying only Lamello biscuits. As a big fan of biscuit joinery, I sprang for a Lamello and have never regretted it. I have always heard the DeWalt and PC machines are decent.

Biscuit joinery can be taken to a whole new level if you look up a FWW article by Michael Fortune where he demonstrates how to mount the machine to a custom little table thus turning it into a stationary machine. If you do this, it improves the accuracy and opens up a lot of applications.
I've made more drawers than I can remember using 1/2" baltic birch mitered at the corners and reinforced with biscuits. Never had one come apart.

All this said, whether you should get one or not depends on the kind of work you intend to do. Also there are always numerous ways to do most operations in woodworking, so sometimes it's a just a matter of personal preference.
I hope this info is helpful
Edwin

Personally I prefer to use that than dowels... yes, dowels can be (a little bit) stronger if correctly used but biscuits are muuuch more convenient, faster to work and also cheap. I am still using my supply of Wolfcraft biscuits I brought in Germany on 1998 (made by Lamello).

I also never understood why a such prejudice in the US against biscuits. Perhaps they have access to better alternatives than their counterpart outside the US... I am not sure. Anyway I think all of us will agree biscuits are not a solution for all joint challenges, even for most of them, but they have their place in the workshop, IMO.

I have several friends in Germany and a few in Denmark using then extensively... regarding to America I can say that rejection is not valid for all America as I also have friends in Argentina and Brazil happily using them... ;)

Regards,

[Frank Pratt]

I mainly use them for sheet goods, they can't be beat for strength & speed on corner joints. Anyone that says they don't add structural strength just doesn't understand where & how to use them.

[Curt Harms]

Personally I prefer to use that than dowels... yes, dowels can be (a little bit) stronger if correctly used but biscuits are muuuch more convenient, faster to work and also cheap. I am still using my supply of Wolfcraft biscuits I brought in Germany on 1998 (made by Lamello).

I also never understood why a such prejudice in the US against biscuits. Perhaps they have access to better alternatives than their counterpart outside the US... I am not sure. Anyway I think all of us will agree biscuits are not a solution for all joint challenges, even for most of them, but they have their place in the workshop, IMO.

I have several friends in Germany and a few in Denmark using then extensively... regarding to America I can say that rejection is not valid for all America as I also have friends in Argentina and Brazil happily using them... ;)

Regards,

My introduction to biscuit joinery came from New Yankee Workshop and I'll bet I wasn't the only one. New Yankee workshop was sponsored in part by Porter-Cable who made the biscuit jointer shown though he did user other brands initially. For a while it seemed like no matter the joinery question, the answer was biscuits:). I guess people used biscuits where they weren't a good solution and concluded that they were no good for anything anywhere. I can't recall having an appropriately placed biscuit joint fail.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have used thousands of biscuits over the years for every conceivable application. Wouldn't be without my B&D professional joiner or the three to four thousand biscuits I keep in stock. This tool has helped me make money!

What he said.........

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Another way to think of it - a Domino joiner is a mortising machine for loose tenons. A biscuit joiner is a spline machine.

If you don't build anything with mortise and tenon joints you don't need a Domino, and if you don't see a need for spline joinery maybe you don't need a biscuit joiner.

I'm not sure why people tend compare them. They each have their place and function. Occasionally one can substitute for the other, but for the most part they are independent tools (and joint types).

One observation - the application of mortise and tenon joints is usually fairly obvious and commonly understood among woodworkers. Spline joinery however, is less obvious and sometimes holds the opportunity to solve unusual problems. Again, both types of joinery are important to have available and these machines add a lot of convenience to the process.

Could you imagine if the title of the thread was "Does anyone use spline joinery anymore?"
Edwin

Edwin, once again you hit the nail head!

I also wondered why people insists in a direct comparison between those two joint techniques. Despite there is a gray area where both of them could be used, most of the time they have clear different roles.

All the best.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I have a Lamelo and have even used it for an Oak screen door for my front door that was still going strong after 2 more that 25 years. I use it for solid wood joinery but not for alignment. I also have on of the Ryobi mini biscuit tools and like it for small boxes etc. Maybe when I grow up I'll get a Domino but the biscuits will stay.

:-)

We are at the same boat!

All the best!

[Charles Lent]

For alignment when building cabinets I've mostly gone to building them with the offset tongue and groove method that Marc Sommerfeld seems to have pioneered. He now has complete cabinet making videos on YouTube where he explains his methods for making cabinets including this offset tongue and groove system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klv0jzWD26w

Those wanting great alignment of cabinet parts should watch his cabinetmaking videos. He sells the bits for doing this, but similar bits are also available elsewhere. I've been using most of his methods for building cabinets and furniture for about 15 years now. Once you learn it, it becomes quite natural and fast to do it this way. He uses pocket screws and biscuits too, but only where they are the best choice for the application and won't be seen in the final assembly.

Charley

[richard poitras]

Biscuit joinery can be taken to a whole new level if you look up a FWW article by Michael Fortune where he demonstrates how to mount the machine to a custom little table thus turning it into a stationary machine. If you do this, it improves the accuracy and opens up a lot of applications.

Edwin

Anyone have any pics of a table mounted set up for review as I don’t have a Fine Wood Working member ship?

Thanks Richard

[Jim Dwight]

I use my old Skil biscuit joiner when making large panels and sometimes for cabinets. I built a painted cabinet this year for my bathroom. It is primarily plywood and the corner joints are 3 pocket screws and two biscuits. The biscuits help the joint A LOT by preventing the pieces from sliding as you secure the screws. The combination was quick and strong. Most of the pocket screws do not show but on a middle divider, I had to fill the pocket holes on the bottom of the divider before applying paint.

[Brian Nguyen]

Richard:
Here you go.

394810

[Ben Zara]

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2013/08/07/mitered-biscuit-joint-tips-and-tricks.

The link shows a great trick for using the base of a biscuit joiner to register against two case miters put together in a vise. Makes for a great spline joint.

As a lot of people said above, biscuits are great for miter splines.

[Larry Edgerton]

I may have the most unusual use for a biscuit joiner. I made an adjustable plate that bolts to the bottom of a Dewalt, aluminum about 20 inches long. It rides on the studs on interior frame walls in log homes and cuts a slot around exposed log joist at exactly the thickness of the wood paneling. I then chisel out a groove and slip my paneling in the slot so that the house shrinks there is never a gap as the paneling is floating in the slot.

I use a biscuit joiner with a special fence to attach extension jambs to windows. do the jambs, then change the setting by the amount of reveal that you desire and glue in place, fast and perfect, no worries about nails getting into the lift mechanism.

[Julie Moriarty]

To answer the thread question - I must confess, I use biscuit joiners. Though I may be cast to the corners of decent woodworking society, I will steadfastly stand by the usefulness of biscuit joiners, at least until Santa brings me a Domino and all the biscuits I could possibly use in a lifetime. :D

[Mike Cutler]

To answer the thread question - I must confess, I use biscuit joiners. Though I may be cast to the corners of decent woodworking society, I will steadfastly stand by the usefulness of biscuit joiners, at least until Santa brings me a Domino and all the biscuits I could possibly use in a lifetime. :D

Julie
No reason to be "cast into any corner". It's a very valuable tool when used for it's intended design function. I also wouldn't get rid of it, if you do get a Domino.
I don't use mine very much,as I stated before, but it's part of my tools and will remain so. I have some cabinets to build next year and it will be the perfect tool for that job.
Like others, I do not compare a biscuit jointer to a Domino. They're not intended, nor designed, to perform the same function.

[Julie Moriarty]

Julie
No reason to be "cast into any corner". It's a very valuable tool when used for it's intended design function. I also wouldn't get rid of it, if you do get a Domino.
I don't use mine very much,as I stated before, but it's part of my tools and will remain so. I have some cabinets to build next year and it will be the perfect tool for that job.
Like others, I do not compare a biscuit jointer to a Domino. They're not intended, nor designed, to perform the same function.

I was just kidding, Mike. But I'll keep using my Dewalt biscuit joiner because it works. As for the Domino, there are a lot of other things I'd rather spend my money on.

[Steven Powell]

I still use mine. Mostly for aligning edge glue-ups and for mounting face frames on cabinets.

[Jim Becker]

No reason to be "cast into any corner". It's a very valuable tool when used for it's intended design function. I also wouldn't get rid of it, if you do get a Domino.
I don't use mine very much,as I stated before, but it's part of my tools and will remain so. I have some cabinets to build next year and it will be the perfect tool for that job.
Like others, I do not compare a biscuit jointer to a Domino. They're not intended, nor designed, to perform the same function.

I agree with this. I own both and use both for different things.

[ray grundhoefer]

I have 3 of them . the freud a got 25 years ago, A newer porter cable and a delta stationary one I got cheap at an auction recently Use them a lot for face frames and glueing up face panels for doors. I dont really care for the kreg pocket screw way of glueing up face frames.

[Van Huskey]

I may have the most unusual use for a biscuit joiner. I made an adjustable plate that bolts to the bottom of a Dewalt, aluminum about 20 inches long. It rides on the studs on interior frame walls in log homes and cuts a slot around exposed log joist at exactly the thickness of the wood paneling. I then chisel out a groove and slip my paneling in the slot so that the house shrinks there is never a gap as the paneling is floating in the slot.

I use a biscuit joiner with a special fence to attach extension jambs to windows. do the jambs, then change the setting by the amount of reveal that you desire and glue in place, fast and perfect, no worries about nails getting into the lift mechanism.

OK, that's cool. It makes me see the biscuit joiner is a whole new light. While I sold my Lamello after I got my Domino and it sat for a year unused I still have a PC and I need to get it out and just stare at it without thinking of it as a biscuit hole cutter.

[julian abram]

I have a Dewalt unit, don't use it a lot but do like using it to attach face frames to cabinetry and align edges for glue ups occasionally. I've never understood the shaming among some woodworkers for using a biscuit jointer. It's a very handy, easy to use and inexpensive tool. The more tools in your inventory, the more options available for your projects is the way I look at it.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

My introduction to biscuit joinery came from New Yankee Workshop and I'll bet I wasn't the only one. New Yankee workshop was sponsored in part by Porter-Cable who made the biscuit jointer shown though he did user other brands initially. For a while it seemed like no matter the joinery question, the answer was biscuits:). I guess people used biscuits where they weren't a good solution and concluded that they were no good for anything anywhere. I can't recall having an appropriately placed biscuit joint fail.

Thank you. At last I have a reasonable explanation for the US mates have a such prejudice against biscuits.

All the best.

[John Cole]

Wish I could find a Ryobi mini, I'd like to use it to reinforce miters in boxes I build.

[Cary Falk]

Wish I could find a Ryobi mini, I'd like to use it to reinforce miters in boxes I build. \
They come up quite often out here on CL. I have 2.

[Ole Anderson]

Don't use mine too often anymore. But I just had a difficult glue up of what looked like a ladder (sides of a bookcase). They came in real handy to hold things together and in line. Not putting my Dewalt on CL anytime soon.

[Roger Feeley]

I have the dvd archive of FWW on my computer and failed to find any article by a Micheal Fortune. I did a more general search for biscuit and found that, in 1993, Woodworkers Supply sold some sort of device that lets you mount your joiner upside down on the bench.

But more interesting would be a kit sold at that time by WoodHaven for your router table. It's just a biscuit sized slot cutter. It sounds kind of scary to me.

Issue was Jan/Feb 1993

Looking at the Woodhaven site, I see the biscuit slot kits.

https://woodhaven.com/search?type=product&q=biscuit


Looking at the WW Supply site, I came up empty.

[Roger Feeley]

My wife gave me a PC joiner years ago and I never really used it. But lately, I've been making treads for our spiral staircase. I used it to help align 5/4" oak. Maybe I'm not doing it right but, so far, I've been about 1/64" off. The wide drum sander is taking care of it but I would rather be right on the money.

3 down, 19 to go plus two landings.

[Roger Feeley]

Having failed to find the Micheal Fortune article in FWW, I tried some other magazine archives. In Fine HomeBuilding, I found a tip where some guy uses a Biscuit Joiner to patch flooring. He sets the joiner up so that it cuts straight down. He sets the depth so that the cut is exactly equal to the flooring plank width. Then he plunges the tool to cut away as much as possible and cleans the rest out with a chisel. He adds the caveat that you should use an old cutter in case you hit a nail.

Kind of a neat idea. He turned his biscuit cutter into a plunging skil saw.

[Jim Becker]

My wife gave me a PC joiner years ago and I never really used it. But lately, I've been making treads for our spiral staircase. I used it to help align 5/4" oak. Maybe I'm not doing it right but, so far, I've been about 1/64" off. The wide drum sander is taking care of it but I would rather be right on the money.
Make sure you're referencing off the same face for every piece...for biscuits, Dominos, tenons, dowels or splines. The "what" doesn't matter in that respect. It's also very important that the cutting machine be fully in "flat" contact with that reference face for the entire cut. If something gets even slightly angled up or down, misalignment can occur.

[Larry Edgerton]

I save my shaming for Kreg jigs. :)

[Alan Schwabacher]

Having failed to find the Micheal Fortune article in FWW...

Here's a link to the first of nine pages of links to articles and videos by Michael Fortune on Fine Woodworking's website. The article you want is on page 4.

https://www.finewoodworking.com/author/michael-c-fortune

[Paul F Franklin]

Paul I would love to see pictures of this process for miter joints on door and window casings. Mike.

Here you go Mike, finally had a chance to take a few pics. This jig allows quickly and easily cutting slots for biscuits to reinforce door or window casing miters.

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Above shows the jig, a couple of templates used to adjust the jig, a spacer used to hold the casing up so the biscuit slot is properly positioned, and two cam clamps I use to clamp the joint for gluing. I make left and right sample templates for each size/style casing with a line marking where the center of the biscuit should be. This allows quickly adjusting the jig for different casing sizes. Once it's set up, all the slots can be cut in all the pieces without further adjustment.

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Above is a closeup of the jig. The side and center adjustments allow for different width casings. This jig covers the sizes I use most often, but it could be resized as needed.

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Above shows the spacer in place...I made it double ended and just move it from one side to the other as needed. The spacer is only needed when doing thinner casings.


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Above shows how the casing fits in the jig. You can't see the spacer, but it's underneath the casing.


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Above shows the end result. I generally use a #20 biscuit. On thin 2 1/4" casing you might have to use a #10.


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Final pic shows a cam clamp in place. They are purpose made for clamping molding miters and are worth the investment if you are doing more than a few doors or windows. They make it trivial to line up and clamp the joint after applying glue and provide lots of pressure across the glue line. The pins do leave marks in the edge of the molding; I just fill them when I am filling the nail holes. I almost always pre-finish before cutting and gluing, so all I do after installation is touch up the nail holes. Pre-finishing makes it trivial to wipe away glue squeeze-out as well.

[Rhys Hurcombe]

I got a good deal on a lamello zeta p2. Purchased mostly for their unique self clamping fittings and 'knock down' fittings but i've started using it as a regular biscuit joiner quite a bit. Don't use my domino all that much now as for mortise and tenon joinery, breadboards and so on, i prefer a real mortise and tenons.

[Curt Harms]

Make sure you're referencing off the same face for every piece...for biscuits, Dominos, tenons, dowels or splines. The "what" doesn't matter in that respect. It's also very important that the cutting machine be fully in "flat" contact with that reference face for the entire cut. If something gets even slightly angled up or down, misalignment can occur.

That's what I noticed especially when cutting biscuit slots where the fence was registering off a 3/4" edge. It was hard not to tilt the machine when plunging it so the biscuit wasn't perpendicular to the work piece. I jointed and planed a piece of 2 X 4 and clamped it flush with the edge of the 3/4" material. Now instead of the fence sitting on a 3/4" piece it was sitting on a 2"+ piece so didn't rock. Seemed to work better.

[Philipp Jaindl]

Over here Lamello (Buiscuits) are a standard bit of kit for assembly at Customers Houses, if you have to join anything together on the go its usually done with biscuits, its fast, gives you a bit of leeway in adjusting the fit of the joint and the Jointer is really small and portable and somewhat versatile with all the different biscuits and being able to cut a groove if necessary.

That said im not really fond of them in any other role, in the shop just about anything else is better. Everything refering to Commercial shops, may be different for the hobbyists.

[Bill Adamsen]

I too use biscuits (and also the domino) for a number of shop and on-site tasks. Most if not all have been mentioned already. A key site specific task is providing strength (and alignment) to a mitered casing (as Paul shows with the Hartford clamp above). Another is attaching face frames to carcases (though I have switched to Domino for much of that). Last is adding trim to engineered material for shelves ... it excels for that job. I also use it for attaching boards of the same dimension. Like others I have found that Lamello makes the best biscuits (most reliably dimensioned for thickness) and I buy only theirs. A few years ago I replaced the cord on my PC557 with a Festool cord so that I could use it more readily with the integrated hose/cord.

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[Jacob Mac]

I’m watching the night stand series Darrel Pearl has on the Wood Whisperer guild. He uses biscuits everywhere on that project. If they’re good enough for him, they’re more than good enough for me.

I bought a dewalt years ago, but it had serious alignment issues that I could never entirely sort out. I put it on a shelf and haven’t used it in a long time. But I think I’m going to try and calibrate it to get it working. If nothing else, maybe get one that isn’t a lemon.