Which would you buy first?

[Jeremy Taylor]

Biscuit joiner or Kreg kit? I'm 3 months into my new hobby and am having a tough time deciding. I want to build some simple things (shoe rack, book case, etc.) and am having a tough time deciding which would be more practical.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Jeremy

[Jason Beam]

Easy ... kreg jig ....

I bought my kreg jig over a year before i found much use for a biscuit joiner - even now that I have one, i rarely ues it.. I use my kreg jig all the daggum time.

[Per Swenson]

Kreg......

Then save your money for that thing everbody is talking about.:eek:

Per

[glenn bradley]

I have a great biscuit joiner ($200) but use my Kreg jig MUCH more ($40). In my mind that's money left over for material.

[Jeff Kerr]

Don't know the last time I got my biscuit joiunter out.

Go with the Kreg.

I don't have the big Kreg jig setup. Just the little one with the clamp. That is enough to get you going.

[tim mathis]

another vote for the kreg kit. the master kit that i have is very nice and useful ( i use it all the time ). you can cut the holes so they are exposed on a project and add the pocket hole plugs in a different wood and it can be very decorative.

[Jim Becker]

No question...Kreg kit.

[John Ricci]

I would have to agree with the others. I have a DeWalt Bisuit joiner and a Kreg K2 and the Kreg gets more of a workout on a consistent basis. The whole process is just too easy and you don't need clamps:D.

J.R.

[Jerry Olexa]

I vote Kreg also BUT when gluing up panels, A biscuit joiner does it well and fast...

[Jeremy Taylor]

Thanks guys! I was leaning toward the Kreg jig but there's just something about the lure of another "power" tool that's hard to resist.

[Steve Rowe]

Well, I am going to go against the flow and recommend neither since you really haven't described what it is you want to do with them. I think the Kreg is fine if you want to construct cabinet faceframes but I just never cared for those ugly pocket holes in furniture. I guess it reminds me of my old college days 'fine' furniture that used pocket screws into particle board. I have never owned a Kreg but did have a Porter Cable 550 Pocket Cutter and I hated it and the look of the pocket slots. I used the biscuit jointer a lot more than I ever used the pocket cutter. Now I pretty much use the biscuit jointer when using Knapp knockdown fasteners.

Assuming you want one of these items for basic joinery and want to make furniture, you may be better off starting with a plunge router and a spiral bit. Or, you could just go all the way and get the item that Per refers to.

Steve

[Joe Chritz]

I tend to agree with Steve in that there are some things a biscuit is better for. Overall the Kreg is probably more useful for more things.

Since I got one I now use biscuits rarely and usually only for alignment.

Joe

[Robert Waddell]

Another vote for K R E G. I don't use either a great deal but definately use the pocket holes more. Great for building shop fixures, display fixtures, and face frames.
Norm made biscuits so popular that almost every male knows what they are and thinks all good ww'ers should be using them. (I've given up on trying to explain why his Normness is a very good ww'er but not a great ww'er) I sometimes use biscuits sparingly in glue ups just so I can say "yep" when a potential customer asks. Truthfully they are of little value and can be a problem down the road if the wood shrinks. I "gar on tee" those same customers who wanted to know if biscuits were used won't understand when their table top has divets in it.
Rob

[Bruce Page]

Kreg......

Then save your money for that thing everbody is talking about.:eek:

Per
What "thing" is that Per? :rolleyes:

Jeremy, you'll need both but go for the Kreg first.

[Jeremy Taylor]

Steve,

I'm working on some mobile shop cabinets and wanted another method of joinery that would not leave visible screw heads on the sides of the cabinets. For now, they'll be without any face frames but I would like to eventually practice making some and then attach to these cabinets. I thought pocket screws would take care of both needs.

My wife has also asked if I could build her a couple of shoe racks (we all know about women and their shoes :rolleyes: ). I figured the pocket screws would work well for that as well so there would be no visible screw heads on the ends.

I'd love to get that "thing" Per's talking about but it's a little beyond my hobbyist budget.

Thanks again everyone!

[Ned Bulken]

don't forget you can buy or make plugs to cover/fill the pockets as well. so count me in the 'kreg' kamp.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Put me in the Kreg column too!

[Ryan Myers]

My vote is for the Kreg too! I have had a biscuit joiner for 3 or 4 years. I purchased a Kreg kit last summer and it has seen as much use in 8 months as my biscuit joiner has since I have had it. Biscuit joiner is nice, but the Kreg will give you more immediate options.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Another vote for the Kreg. It makes life pretty simple and is a lot more practical and cheaper.

[Steve Rowe]

Steve,

I'm working on some mobile shop cabinets and wanted another method of joinery that would not leave visible screw heads on the sides of the cabinets. For now, they'll be without any face frames but I would like to eventually practice making some and then attach to these cabinets. I thought pocket screws would take care of both needs.

My wife has also asked if I could build her a couple of shoe racks (we all know about women and their shoes :rolleyes: ). I figured the pocket screws would work well for that as well so there would be no visible screw heads on the ends.

I'd love to get that "thing" Per's talking about but it's a little beyond my hobbyist budget.

Thanks again everyone!
With this clarification I would say the Kreg would probably fit your needs better than the biscuit jointer. I will say that the Kreg looks like it would be much better than my old PC Pocket Cutter.
Steve

[Mark Singer]

Kreg ....they can do a lot of things!

[Lou Ferrarini]

I bought my biscuit jointer first, since I was gluing up a lot of panels and I found it an easy way to align the wood. I recently got the Kreg and I love it. I have a feeling it is going to get used a lot more than the biscuit jointer.

[Mike Parzych]

Yesterday - as I was using it - I was thinking that the Kreg set up is one of the most "cost effective" tools I own. I got the $100 kit on sale and for that kind of money it sure does a lot of time saving things. There are a lot of expensive tools out there that can do some great things, but I don't believe many of them would have as many common applications as the Kreg unit.

It's a tool you'll keep finding uses for.

[Rob Wright]

Kreg jig all the way. A few years ago when all of the mag's were doing alot of the projects with bicuit's, I thought that I needed one. I have used it for a few projects, and it does help with the alignment adn glue up of panels. I use the Kreg all the time. I think that a slotting bit for the router and a jig would be much cheaper for the few times that I need it. again, Kreg jig, get the right angle clmap, a bench clamp and drill away! My $.02