biscuit usage

[Pat Salter]

Hi guys. I'm building a couple of desks/tables for my sons office and I want to try useing some biscuits in it. The top is MDF with formica glued on and I'm going to trim the edges with solid wood (probably Poplar) I don't have any experiece with a biscuit joiner but I have access to one (through work). Any thoughts on how far apart they should be? or any other ideas/websites that might help?

My wife wanted to know what kind of gravy goes with these biscuits.

[Tom Hintz]

I generally put biscuits about 8" apart, sometimes 6" on smaller runs to get an extra one in if it looks like that would help the alignment.
I have a story about one aspect of using a biscuit joiner that frustrated me, and it turns out a bunch of others, early on. See the link below for that info. Other than that, it's pretty straight forward, cut the slots fully (the right size for the biscuits being used), get glue in the slots and on the biscuit and clamp the stuff straight.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/misalgnedbiscts.html

[Ken Salisbury]

My wife wanted to know what kind of gravy goes with these biscuits.

Sausage gravy - or just butter and pour some honey over them.

[Ted Shrader]

Pat -

Are you using the biscuits just to try them out to broaden your experience? Biscuits do not add to the strength of a joint, just aid in aligning the pieces. They will assist with the edge of your table.

You could just glue the edging on and it will stay, but a helper is really vital to hold the board in proper alignment or tighten the clamp while you hold the board. Your "friend" the biscuit can do the alignment part.

Ted

[Byron Trantham]

Tom's reference to the Rockler web site is good. I would like to point out one thing though. Consistent thickness between boards is important BUT, if they are a little off that's ok. Lay out your boards the way you want them and then mark the top surface with a T or what ever. Now when you use the biscuit jointer, make sure you have all the top surfaces up so the distance between the top surface and the biscuit hole is the same for all boards. Once you finish, you will find the top surface smooth and the bottom surface will not, by the difference in the thickness between boards.

This works especially well if you intend to edge band the boards. You set the edge banding to the thickest board and the differences between the boards will disappear.

Even taking all due care, I experience some difference but using a ROS and 120g paper usually brings the surfaces nice and flat.

Good luck.

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Pat
May I expand on Byron's remarks?
I want to stress the statement that Byron made - Reference the Top side of each piece you are going to put a biscuit in.
This will align the top of each trim board to the main surface.
BUT - if you are like me the trim boards don't come out even (flush) with the main table top. UGH!
So I sand and you know what (everyone laugh) - I sand through the top or divit the main table top.
So - put a couple of playing cards under the fence of the biscuit joiner so that the slot is nearer to the top surface of the "main table surface". The slots in the main table surface will be nearer the top surface than the trim boards.
The trim boards will be "proud" of the table top, then, so you can use a trim router bit or a sander to get the trim boards "down" to the main table top.

Insert somewhere nearer the top of this dissertation
Use the fence on the biscuit joiner to referece the joiner to the "tops" of the boards.
Daniel :cool:

[Pat Salter]

Thanks for the help guys! This weekend itsa gonna hapen! so any more hints will also be helpful.