Biscuit Jointers

[James O'Mara]

Okay I am planning on building the workbench from this months FWW but I don't have a biscuit jointer. Which one do you recommend and WHY? Seems that everybody wants you to buy the one they have but don't say what makes it the best. If you want me to buy the same one that you have then tell me why you bought yours. And by the way, NO I will not be buying the Lamello super jointer. The wife would definitely kill me. LOL

Jimmy

[Todd Burch]

I bought my Porter Cable because it was donated to our woodworking club, and auctioned off, and I was high bidder @ $125. :D

Todd.

[Richard McComas]

I have had the Dewalt for several years and it dose the job for me. Also it has never caused me any repair problems.

Why Dewalt? Because I believe that most plate jointers on the market today are basically about the same quality unless to step up to something like the Lamello top at $600 plus. So I think it boils down to features and how it feels or fits your hand, what feel most natural and comfortable to you. For me that was the Dewalt, I have also used the Freud, an older Virutex and the PC. The PC feels to big to me and I have never needed the 135-degree feature the PC fence has. A friend has a PC, I ask him how often he found a use for the 135 degree setting, he said “never but if I ever need it I got it. Now that’s fine if it felt good in my hands but that feature isn’t worth having if I have to give up the feel of the tool.

[GEDunton]

James, I agree with Richard, go to the toy room a your local dealer and feel them all. I have the PC. It has had great reviews, but I liked the feel better than the others. I also liked the mini plate option, so I got it. Does just what it is supposed to do, so not complaints.

Helpful??

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

I have a Freud Plate Jointer, and it works just skippy for me. I bought it because I got a great deal on it, and it just felt right when I checked it out. IMO, this is a tool that sees limited use, and I didn't see the need to spend top dollar on one. It has all the adjustability I could ever want, and it has a very nice storage case too. Really, they are all pretty much the same, so go with what you are comfortable with.

[Jim Izat]

I too have the PC. For me it came down to which one had the ergonomics to fit my hands best. Quality in the major brands is pretty good overall. Now if Lamello wanted someone out in the "real world" to shop test their best offering I sure wouldn't turn them down.

What are you gonna use the bc for on your bench project?

Jim Izat

[James O'Mara]

The bench is built basically by building 5 face frames out of 8/4 stock. The plans call for biscuit joinery. I know I could use mortise and tenons but being fairly new at WW I feel a little more comfortable using the biscuits. I am considering using 2 pocket hole and two biscuits at each joint instead of just the two biscuits though.

[George Summers]

I bought the Freud JS102.

1. I (and your use may be different) use it 95% of the time for flat 90° slots. You don't need a fancy fence for those.

2. I have never found a need for FF biscuits and if I did I'm not sure I would want to futch around changing the blades back and forth. Besides, I can buy the little (used to be Ryobi) Craftsman and have a dedicated FF biscuit joiner.

3. Some say that the DeWalt and the PC will do 135°, implying that the Freud won't. You don't use a biscuit in just one side of a joint, if I need to biscuit a mitered corner, I can place the two mitered pieces face to face, with both long ends in the center coming to a point. I then have a 90° reference angle with which to place a slot in each matching miter face.

4. I bought mine for $110 on sale ($125 regular). If I ever buy the Craftsman FF joiner, I will have spent less than the cost of the PC and just a tad more than the cost of the DeWalt (and have a dedicated FF joiner).

As exciting as it may seem, you don't need to buy a Ferrari to drive to and from work when a Ford will get you there and back.

George

[Rob Glynn]

I don't have a biscuit jointer yet, it is on the list and will be purchased when the winsome wench stops spending my income on silly things like food and cleaning stuff.
An old woodwork instructor I know told me to get one that could be clamped in a vice firmly as there will be occassions when it is better to take the wood to the tool than to take the tool to the wood.
Does that make sense to those who have used them?

[Angelo Schembari]

I've got the Freud too. Works great for what I've used it for, dust collection is good, and the price was right, about $110.00 on sale. As George said, why drive a Ferrari when a Ford will do.

[Ted Shrader]

As requested, -- The reason(s) I bought that one:

1. Like the other guys have said - ergonomics. It felt better in my hand than the others.

2. One handle is fixed. The body slides in and out. The fixed handle helps keep the "head" in place.

3. Came with a face frame cutter. When I bought it, that was a rare feature. About 20% of my biscuit work is FF.

4. Fence will go to 135. I have used it for built in bookcases that turned two corners. The "if I need it one day ..." argument came true.
------------

Jimmy -

Go try them out for feel. Maybe you can even do some actual cutting some place. Pick the one YOU like and can afford.

Good luck and we will be looking for a GLOAT (in the subject line) in the near future!

Ted

[David Klug]

I got one when they first came out. I saw Norm use one and I had just finished a project where I had use dowels, which didn't match up very well because the bit flexed a little when I drilled the holes. So when I saw Norm use it I decided to get one and I love it. Then I got an ajustable fence because I was jointing some boards with a 221/2% angle. My fence doesn't even have the degree markings on it.

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

I have a DeWalt682
Like it very much
So, One vote for DeWalt
If you want to try it out stop by
I'm just down the road.
Dan:cool:

[Bob Boake]

I purchased this one about 8 yrs ago. Not as many options as there are now. Nice tool. I tell ww friends not to buy one as they could borrow mine for a month and I would never know it.

The last time I used it was when I had to hang 35 cabinet doors. Semi concealed scissor hinges had been purchased and I was faced with cutting slots for them. You guessed it.

Place the joiner against the backside of the cabinet door with the center line on the inside door edge. A thickness of a double cut was perfect. Make sure cutter head is cutting into the door side to avoid tearout.

I agree with other posts. Buy the tool that feels good in your hand as has a nice action.

[Richard McComas]

Originally posted by Rob Glynn
I don't have a biscuit jointer yet, it is on the list and will be purchased when the winsome wench stops spending my income on silly things like food and cleaning stuff.
An old woodwork instructor I know told me to get one that could be clamped in a vice firmly as there will be occassions when it is better to take the wood to the tool than to take the tool to the wood.
Does that make sense to those who have used them?

I use the plate joiner almost exclusively for attaching face frames to cabinets. I use the hand held joiner before box assembly to place the slots and then use the stationary plate jointer for the frame members. Unfortunately to the best of my knowledge no one manufactures a stationary plate joiner any longer. I bought this Delta years ago, added air power to it and it been a valuable to for me.

[George@Colonel's Workshop]

Good Afternoon Jim,

I bought a DeWalt for my shop right after they came out with hype and hooplah marketing. Its a nice machine, and does what it is supposed to do. My#3 son is a finish carpenter, whose firm also has a DeWalt in daily use. I bought him a Porter Cable a few months ago because of the reasons others have advanced. He loves it. They are both great tools. Actually, I do not use mine often. I would rather use my router table with a slotting bit. Most of the time I just glue and clamp.

[Jim Young]

I bought the PC a couple of years ago. My main reason then was that I might some day have a use for the small blade. Now that I think back how many times I switched to the small blade I'm surprised how many times it came in useful. The Dewalt was nice too but didn't offer the small blade.

[Craig Howard]

Hi Jim,
The first one I owned was the DeWalt. I really liked it until..... it started making a strange grinding noise. Then one day it just gave out and wouldn't cut another slot. Right in the middle of a rush job, of course. Took it apart and discovered that the "gears"(sorry- don't know the technical term) had worn themselves to dust. Well, I needed a new one right away. You might say I was a little less than enthusiastic about buying another DeWalt. Got the PC. No complaints. Great tool. That said, I now use a DeWalt at work. I have to say it's a bit more comfortable than the PC. I've gotten over my four-letter word impression of the DeWalt. I would recommend either of them. I think what it comes down to is whether or not you would benefit from the smaller ff biscuits.

Craig

[Benjamin Borowsky]

I have both - the DeWalt does a fine job on full size biscuits, and the Ryobi does a good job with the small (read TINY) biscuits. Because of these two, I haven't found any need for the FF size.

Good luck!

B2

[Von Bickley]

I have the DeWalt and it has been a good machine. I don't think you would go wrong with a DeWalt or the PC.

[Howard Barlow]

I have the DW. Works like it's supposed to.

[Charles McKinley]

James,

I bought the PC based on reviews. It works well and through Amazon it comes with 1000 biscuits in 3 sizes for $200.

Give me a call we can get togeather for the build. and you can try it out.

[James O'Mara]

Thank you everybody. Because of your honest and detailed responses I think I have come to a conclusion. I was leaning towards the PC based upon how pleased the owners seem to be with them. This afternoon I went in to Lowes while my wife was shoppping next door and felt them both. The PC just felt better to me although I did like the fact that the dewalt was slightly lighter. So I think I am going to order the PC in the near future.

Thanks,
Jimmy

[Doug Edwards]

I'm almost embarresed to say it, but I own a Central Machine biscuit jointer. I got it on sale for $30. I took off the fence and only use it for square cuts on rare occasions, but it seems to do the job for the very occasional user. If I have a job where I need precision, I borrow my neighbors PC. It's really nice.

[Bartee Lamar]

What does FF mean in biscuit jointers??

[Jim Izat]

Originally posted by Bartee
What does FF mean in biscuit jointers??

It's a particular size of bisquit.

Jim Izat

[Tim]

. . . that FF stands for face frame. Joining face frames is a common application of the little FF size biscuits.