Fix for loose Biscuits when using Porter Cable 557 biscuit joiner???

[Glen Blanchard]

Well I bought a PC 557 biscuit joiner a couple of years ago..........and decided to use it for the first time today!! :eek:

I seem to remember some talk about the slots created by this machine being slightly oversized and the biscuits not being snug. I found this to be the case today when using the smaller FF biscuits. IIRC, PC supposedly came out with a newer model to rectify this. I don't remember what causes this problem. What is the recommended solution for those of us with the older machine?

[Anthony Anderson]

Glenn, I have the PC557 which is about 6 years old, but I must have lucked out, as I have not had any problems with the face frame cutter. But I did want to tell you that you do amazing work. I just checked out the woodworking section of your homepage. You are a truly creative person, meticulous, and very patient. Thank you for sharing your work. Bill

[glenn bradley]

Biscuits swell when glued. They should be a bit loose when dry. Folks are cautioned to be sure there is enough material between the slot and the surface for this reason. Swelling of the surface can occur otherwise. I don't know if this is what you're experiencing.

I have a 557 which is about 6 months old (Type III). I always glue the slots and then generally the board surfaces that the slots are in. Once the glue is set I guess I wouldn't know if they hadn't filled the slot or not. I mat make a test joint and saw it in half across the biscuit to check.

[Glen Blanchard]

Anthony - Thanks very much for the kind words. I draw inspiration from fellow Creekers and hope someday to have similar skills. This is a great forum indeed.

Glenn - That begs the question..."How tight should a biscuit fit when dry-fitted in the slot"? with friction? should it be retentive to any degree? should it fall out if the piece is turned on end? Perhaps I don't have the issue I thought I did.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Glen,
I have the same PC joiner.
I've not had any trouble with PC brand biscuits after they've been glued.
Matter of fact, just the opposite with the PC biscuits. I found that after I glued them, if I didn't move fast enough, they swelled so much it was difficult to get the pieces together.

Were or are you using PC brand biscuits or something else?

[Doug Shepard]

..."How tight should a biscuit fit when dry-fitted in the slot"? with friction? should it be retentive to any degree? should it fall out if the piece is turned on end? Perhaps I don't have the issue I thought I did.

Just my 2 cents. Maybe not so loose that they'll fall out on their own if turned on end, but if the workpiece is smacked on the back with your palm they should start dropping. Once you get the glue in the slot they can be a bugger to get the joint pulled together if they're too snug.

[Fred Voorhees]

I have found no problem with loose fitting bisquits in my slots - face frame up to the #20's. They have always pretty much had a nice friction fit when dry fitted into the slot and I, also, have glued a trial bisquit and then cut one across to check the profile. I have pretty much stuck with PC brand bisquits and have very rarely had a problem.

[Al Willits]

I thought they looked a bit loose too, so I took a piece of scrap wood, cut a slot in it and stuck a glue covered bisquit in it, tried to remove it several minutes later and it wouldn't come out, like said before, they do swell when glue is applied.
Been told to keep the bisquits in a air tight container as moisture in the air can swell them also.
Al

[Glen Blanchard]

Thanks all for the replies. Yes, I am using PC biscuits. The FF biscuits do not however fit snugly in the slot. When dry fitted, if the piece were picked up and turned on end, the biscuit would just fall out. With the swelling that takes place, I imagine that they still serve their intended purpose (in this case, adding strength to an end-grain to end-grain (read 45 degree bevel cut) joint). I was wondering though if it is normal that they should fall out as easily as they do when dry fitted.

[Lynn Sonier]

Not enough margarine in the batter.
Sorry about that. I had a Ryobi biscuit joiner with the same problem. All of the biscuit sizes seemed too thick. I took the blade out and, putting it flat on a sheet of fine sandpaper, which was on a sheet of glass, I honed each side a little. I then put the blade back in and tried it. I had to hone it twice before I got it right. Now, all of my biscuits fit perfectly.

[Al Willits]

Just wondering, if you fit the bisquits tight in the slot and they expand when glued, could this cause swelling of the wood around the biscuit cut if using thinner pieces of wood??

Al

[Noah Katz]

Wouldn't any swellong go away after complete drying?

[Ted Miller]

Al, Yes, been there done, had to scrap the piece and start over, I think I spent more time trying to fix my swellen mistake then just start over again...

[Ted Miller]

Glen, Nice ebony inlays on that 4 post bench, nice work you have there...

[Jerry Olexa]

I have a 557 w no problem used heavily for over 2 years. The biscuits are sometines a bit loose when dry fitting but they swell when the glue hits them later..I love mine and the results have been fine. Maybe U should do a few test glueups on scraps...

[Hal Flynt]

Glen,

I have a PC type I and it made oversize slots. The problem has been identified as a faulty blade retaining flange against the
blade.

I found this site http://www.huntfamily.com/pc557.cfm Lots of info, but sort of a text file now. It's hard to read, but it has all the info there.

and, as suggested, called Terry Stockwell at 1-800.368.1487 x9372-He sent me a new retainer and it solved my problem. Now that was over 5 years ago.