Dewalt biscuit joiner question

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi All, I've had this tool for several years and have had pretty good success with it but not perfect. It always seems things never line up as I wish they would. So I start looking at the tool and the first thing I find is that the sole is not flat. The front of the joiner where the blade comes out actually hangs down below the sole plate a tiny bit. It's enough to change the angle of the cutter to the wood.

Anybody else see this? Anybody have any other suggestions about "tuning" this tool? Thanks.

[steve swantee]

Hi Alan, on the front of your joiner, there are two adjustable pointed screws that bite into the wood to keep the joiner from slipping when cutting a slot. Just above these on each side, there are two torx screws, and if you loosen these a bit, there should be enough play in it to align the front with the sole plate. Mine was like this when I bought it. Also, mine would rock slightly on it's sole plate, and upon inspection, I realized that the casting the sole plate was screwed to was not ground flat. The local hardware store that I purchased it from ( on sale ) did not have another one in stock, and, as I was beginning my kitchen cabinet project, I inserted a very thin washer under the uneven corner of the sole plate, and put the Torx screw back in to secure it, and solved the rocking problem. It was two years ago that I finished the cabinets, and I never did take my joiner back to the store to exchange it, although I should have. Despite this factory flaw, I really like the joiner, and if it died tomorrow I would run out and buy the same one again. But I would check the sole for flatness before I bought it. Hope this helps.

Steve

[frank shic]

alan, are you using the drop-down fence for alignment? if you are, make sure that you aren't resting the base on the table surface when you slot 3/4" material.

tom hintz has a better explanation on his website:
http://www.newwoodworker.com/misalgnedbiscts.html

[Alan Tolchinsky]

No Frank, I try to use the base for registering when I use it. The whole operation seems a lot more accurate that way. Thanks for the link'; I'll check it out.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

[QUOTE=steve swantee;611031]Hi Alan, on the front of your joiner, there are two adjustable pointed screws that bite into the wood to keep the joiner from slipping when cutting a slot. Just above these on each side, there are two torx screws, and if you loosen these a bit, there should be enough play in it to align the front with the sole plate. Mine was like this when I bought it. Also, mine would rock slightly on it's sole plate, and upon inspection, I realized that the casting the sole plate was screwed to was not ground flat. The local hardware store that I purchased it from ( on sale ) did not have another one in stock, and, as I was beginning my kitchen cabinet project, I inserted a very thin washer under the uneven corner of the sole plate, and put the Torx screw back in to secure it, and solved the rocking problem. It was two years ago that I finished the cabinets, and I never did take my joiner back to the store to exchange it, although I should have. Despite this factory flaw, I really like the joiner, and if it died tomorrow I would run out and buy the same one again. But I would check the sole for flatness before I bought it. Hope this helps.


Thanks Steve, I did as you described and now I have a flat base that is perfectly square to the blade opening. Man that little bit of out of square was probably causing me a lot of grief. I wish I would have checked it sooner. But I guess better later than never. Thanks again for the great suggestion. Alan in Raleigh N.C.

[steve swantee]

Your Welcome Alan, I'm glad I was able to help. Enjoy your "new" biscuit joiner.

Steve

[Rob Diz]

Here's a link to another article, this one available on Popular WW site talking about the use of your very tool. I read this article right before I put together some fast and dirty cabinets for my wife, and the instructions really helped me get nice joints.

http://popularwoodworking.com/techniquearticle?id=14548

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Here's a link to another article, this one available on Popular WW site talking about the use of your very tool. I read this article right before I put together some fast and dirty cabinets for my wife, and the instructions really helped me get nice joints.

http://popularwoodworking.com/techniquearticle?id=14548

Thanks Rob, That was a great article. He makes a lot of sense except for one thing: I'm not so sure that using both the base and fence at the same time is a good method. He says he likes using the base for all joints and I agree with this. But using both base and fence is asking for trouble.