Gloat and question

[Dave Novak]

Hello gentlemen. A few days ago I received my new J/P, a MiniMax FS 30 Smart. In a nutshell, it's a tank, but needs some slight adjustments that the poorly written and horibly translated manual isn't much help with. Anyway, I forged ahead and used it today even though it isn't perfect yet. You'll notice it's still on the pallet because the Mobile base I ordered won't be here for a few weeks.

I'm building an small cabinet which will serve as an entertainmet center about 30" high, 18" wide and 48" long. It's going to be framed in Penga Penga with Zebra panels on the top, sides, and drawer fronts. I started by resawing some 8/4 (1 3/4") thick zebra into 3 - 7 1/2" slices. Each slice came to 1/2" thick after planing it smooth. Now I want to edge glue the zebra panels into 15" wide boards. My question has to do with biscuits. I like to use them as they help me keep the boards in allignment, but I'm concerned that the wood is too narrow to accomidate a biscuit without risking splitting the wood above/below the biscuit when I tap them together. The biscuit slot is a hair wider than 1/8" which only leaves about 3/16 above and below the biscuit. Should I use them or not? PS: I guess I got a little agressive on making my pictures smaller, still perfecting my upload skills.

[Carroll Courtney]

David,I think that the biscuits would telegraph through the wood being that thin.Not much wood above and below the biscuit.Using good glue and getting good coverage,butt joints should work.I have made small panels before and just edge glue the joints.So far so good.

[Elizabeth Yocum]

I'm with the first reply. The moisture from the glue will telegraph up from the biscuits and there will be an image of the biscuit which will be next to impossible to get rid of. You are better off with a butt joint without biscuits. Larger panels than the one you have planned are made with no problems without biscuits. With your material so thin - it's not worth the risk ruining such nice wood.

Just my 2 cents.

[Dave Novak]

Thank you both very much. My gut told me I shouldn't use them, I'll just have to be very careful to get the joint right, since I'm already down to 1/2", I can't afford get sloppy and have to do any significant sanding to get them flat. Thanks again!

[Wade Lippman]

I have used biscuits in 1/2" wood without any problems. I have never seen the effect the others warned you of.

[Todd Bin]

OK, if you are going to post a gloat/question, then I need a better picture of the Mini Max. Can you take a few more photos and make them a little bigger?

Thanks,

Todd

[Dave Novak]

OK, if you are going to post a gloat/question, then I need a better picture of the Mini Max. Can you take a few more photos and make them a little bigger?

Thanks,

Todd

OK, I'm probably still making the pics too small, but here's a few

[Dave Novak]

oops, one more ... This is the rubber plumbing attachment to get the dust ports from 4 5/8" down to 4 to match my collector. I'm blown away by the quality of the dust collection. Almost flawless, and I can't say that about anything else I own.

[Dave Novak]

The business end of the planer. I'm sure it's partly because I've never owned a planer, but this is really sweet.

[Todd Bin]

Ahhhh. Thats much better. I feel all fuzzy looking a great tool like that. I assume it runs like a dream.

Thanks for all the pics.

Todd

[Joe Mioux]

Dave you will love that fs30.

joe

[Jack Camillo]

Dave
could you do me a favor and measure the depth of the machine at the widest part? I'm wondering if I can fit it through the two doorways I have to go to get it into my downstairs workshop. Beautiful machine!

[Dave Novak]

Dave
could you do me a favor and measure the depth of the machine at the widest part? I'm wondering if I can fit it through the two doorways I have to go to get it into my downstairs workshop. Beautiful machine!

At it's widest, it's 21 3/8".

[Dave Novak]

Ahhhh. I assume it runs like a dream.

Thanks for all the pics.

Todd

It does. Even sitting on that crate it will start, run and stop without knocking over a nickle, penny, and a arcade token.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Dave, You are a lucky man. NICE machine.. Definately "gloatworthy". But as far as the biscuts, I agree they would telegraph through wood that thin. Just make two cauls with packing tape over them so they dont stick to the work and use them clamp them along the glueline to insure that the work is perfectly aligned. Long grain to long grain will be fine... Let us see how it turns out... Ken

[Paul Girouard]

[quote=Dave Novak;701292]

Now I want to edge glue the zebra panels into 15" wide boards.

/quote]


Could you glue them to something more stable like MDF? Will the board your gluing to show? You may set yourself up for some wood movement issues gluing one wood to another.

Nice planer , small pictures !

[Charlie Plesums]

I agree that edge gluing without biscuits will work fine. When I do a glue up like that, I put a clamp on one end then work down the line getting it aligned before the next clamp, and the next, etc. Don't put a clamp on each end then try to align the middle.

I didn't think I got biscuit telegraphing until I sanded a surface smooth soon (6 hours?) after glue up. Weeks later I could see a hollow, the shape of the biscuit, in the finish. Apparently it was swollen when I sanded it flat, then shrank. Lesson: If I need to use a biscuit in a case like this, I wait as long as possible (weeks) to be sure the wood/glue is dry in the center before sanding and finishing - or more to the point, rarely use biscuits for edge jointing any more. (Note that if you saw through a biscuit joint days after making it, you will be surprised at how wet it still is... like a closed glue container)

[Jack Camillo]

excellent, thanks.

[glenn bradley]

Half inch material will take pocket screws if you exercise reasonable care. 1", #6 pan head (Pocket Hole style pans that is) have worked for me in similar situations with 1/2" where a scarf joint was not viable. Like in your situation, the figure pattern would have been further interrupted by the scarf. Try it on some 1/2" scrap, I think you'll be surprised. This is assuming the purpose is to maintain alignment.