I have used a borrowed biscuit joiner a couple of times and have several uses in mind. But my wife says I wouldn’t use it very much (No, I didn’t say “how in the ding-dong-heck would you know?”). Help me out here. What are some practical uses for a biscuit joiner?
Also, after looking at a bunch I’ve settled on the PC 557. Any reason that would not be a good choice? Is there a reason you’d pick something else?
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Replies
Several practical uses, what kind of wood butchering do you do?
Right now I am doing trim on a new house. I am not happy with the scarf joints on some wide base. I was thinking a biscuit joiner would improve these joints, and also on my crown (which I've not started yet). And there will be several built-in bookshelves, etc. I was thinking of using them for face frames, but maybe just pocket screws instead.
I know that "tools find work" but was just wondering how some of you use them.
It will work good for the base, cant say for the crown never used biscuits for it, My advice for crown is, if your doing it in your house chances are you dont have to many walls that are longer then 16', I may be wrong, but when ever I can I use 1 piece per lenght of wall and avoid joints in it.
Lots of other uses, I saw on tv where they used it for fancy thick door and window casing and used the biscuits to attach the casing to the jambs, looked a neat idea.
Pretty much anything you would use dowels for you could use your biscuit jointer.
Talk her into it :)View ImageGo Jayhawks
I have the PC 557. Get anything else but the 557!
Why?
What problems are you having?
Jeff
It's a wimp in hard woods.
The shoe is too small.
Have to fiddle with the adjustments. (time)
Comparing to the Bosch and Fien.
Hmmm, I use mine in 100 year old oak and hard maple with no problems. Some people have complained about wobble in the blade, but pc has offered a fix for those that end up with this problem. I've never had the problem.
You're wife is right. Not exactly a tool that is used all the time, but not one with a substitute either. Could go with splines, but the wood really needs to be jointed and planed to make sure it's flat for splines. Dowels? Better be darn accurate on the drill press and an inline boring machine costs a heck of a lot more then a biscuit joiner.
Don
I have the PC 557. I like it. I've used it mostly for shelving. I made a custom corner cabinet for my TV and VCR. Used birch plywood for the shelves. Made a bullnose front trim piece out of solid birch, as well as supports where it screws into the wall. Used the plate joiner to attach the bullnose pieces to the plywood with no visible fasteners, no putty work, etc. Also have used it to lay up table tops out of multiple pieces of wood. I think it's more suited to furniture making than home building, but I suppose there are applications like you describe. I had been borrowing the 557 from my father in law, recently got my own (as an xmas gift). Have to admit I haven't used it since I got my own!!
Depending on what you already own, your money may be better spent elsewhere, but when you need a plate joiner, nothing else will do. more convenient than dowels!
There are 2 PC 557. One is a type 1 the other is a type 2. The type 2 has a different fence because of the law suit for copy right infringement on the fence . But I havent heard complaints about either so it must be operator error...:>)
Darkworks: We support the US military "We kick your #### and take your gas"
Ron,
I've run across this before. How do I tell one from the other to know which one I have?
Don
i bought a lamello in 1989 and use a coupla hours a week lotsa dodads. now the price id 2-3 times more than the porter cable. bought the lamello top 10 is the premier bisquit joiner. there no substitute for quality, 14 years of use and only maitenance and two blades. $550.00 i thought at the time it was a ridiculous, extrvagant purchase. came with a great finger jointed wooden case. i love this tool....... think in terms of investment, and longevity....another friday night 2¢...... cheers bear
Edited 3/14/2003 10:40:26 PM ET by the bear
Its on the ID plate....
Darkworks: We support the US military "We kick your #### and take your gas"
This website shows the issue (and gives a fix for it) I think that they say "Type II" somewhere on them. If you're picking up one now, chances are its the post-lawsuit one.
http://www.mgsweb.com/woodworking/reviews/bjoint/pc557.htm
The fence in the Type II's (post-lawsuit) don't exactly line up when you put the fence up parallel to the surface where the blade slot is It sticks out 1/16" Thank God for lawyers for ruining a self-evident design - sounds like the Amazon one-click ordering patent.
Kinda interesting - mine is a Type I. How did tyhey know that there would be other types so they put the "Type I" on the name plate? Sorta like a "First Annual."
I think the switch absolutely sucks. Too easy to compress it when you pick the machine up. Should have been a trigger indise a trigger guard like on a firearm.
DonThe GlassMasterworks - If it scratches, I etch it!
Yea the type 1's were made before dewalt sued pc for copy right infringement on their fence design. so they changed the fence design enough to be "legal" and called it a type 2 but it has the same model number. you can on really notice it by looking at the id plate.
Darkworks: The French "Cheese eatin surrender monkies"..Grounds Keeper Willie
there are a lot of reviews of this product on Amazon.com; a lot of them talk about the lawsuit issue and the problems that it caused. I just bought the Dewalt product instead because of all of the trouble people said they had:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000222ZD/ref=cm_rev_sort/104-8070230-3350367?show=%2Brating&v=glance&vi=customer-reviews&s=home-garden&Go.x=11&Go.y=11
I have not bought either one, but played with them a couple of time at the woodworking shows.
There is a significant difference betweent the two that maked a difference to me.
With the PC the front handle is attached to the stationary part of the unit. On the Dewalt it moves and for me that makes it hard to use.
As far as the type 2 "problem" there are a number of fixes available. Some one sells a fill plate that is machined to do this for about $5.
BTW, I have heard that there is not a type 3 available, but don't know what it is.
Bill - any sources for the fill plate? I've got a type II, and my father has a DeWalt. I'm still satisfied with my choice; I also like the face frame buscuits. That is funny that they put the "type I," designation right into the fence
Thanks,
Ben
This site has a couple of different ways to fix it and links to a source of the shim.
http://www.huntfamily.com/pc557.cfm
Thanks, Bill!
OUCH!
Who was it that said "A poor carpenter blames his tools"? :)View ImageGo Jayhawks
OUCH! MERCY!
Compare it to the fien and get back to me will ya.
Who accused me of being a good one :>)
Darkworks: We support the US military "We kick your #### and take your gas"
I have the old style PC biscuit jointer, the one with the D hanld, dont know the model number.
I called the PC outlet today about a new cutter because mine is about shot.... $70.00!!!! You've got to be kidding me, when I bought the thing the whole think, 2 fences, and the case was like 150 bucks. Somehow I feel thats getting bent over the barrelView ImageGo Jayhawks
How about $32?
http://iseek.com/omnicat5/index.php?cat_id=0
Seems a lot better to me, I'll look at the site when I get back from class
Thank You!!View ImageGo Jayhawks
Every tool is a hammer,except a chisel ,which is a screwdriver according to my wife <G>
the pc 557 is agreat tool, i use it every day.
a bicuit joiner is one of tools that you think you'll never use and then get one anyway for a particular job, then you'll find a hundred uses for it.
much much better than pocket screws and stronger and faster than dowels.
one use for is joining 8 ft lengths of prefinished crown for litchen cabinets.
as for making cabinets, shelving, its ideal
you can even buy hinges that fit into the biscuit slots
Sneek it in. I have the 556 it does a great job. It's one of those tools you shouldn't have to justify. If she doesn't know what it's used for, then she isn't qualified to tell you if you need it. I know that sounds harsh but that's the way it is. For excelent joinery I also highly recomend the kreg pocekt jig.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take."
Wayne Greztky
I second the motion on the Lamello. I have the Top10 for 15-16 years and all I have done to it is use a little lube and I have never sharpened the blade(It does need it now though). They have a huge amount of hardware accessories for pulling mitres, hinges, fasteners, etc. that really make this machine shine. I have used P.C., Elu, Freud, Virutex, and maybe one other and I feel the Lamello is the best.
Make a dandy conversation piece. Great looking mechanisms.
Or, on a more practical note, it would make a great paperweight.
Jim,
I enjoyed the article. But just how did you cut the slots to test the #0 biscuits? I suspected it must have killed you to have to include them in the tests... :)If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
R.... I have a Freud that I used to cut off the bottom of doors with out taking the doors down ,made a clean cut even with the floor, have also cut jambs same way .Takes a little thought and a cup of coffee but it works. Oh... and with the wife thing , put it on a Christmas or birthday list of what I would like to have ,makes them feel better even if they say " I'd never own one of those things and I don't know what he want's with it , but it makes him happy." Grin.
Edited 3/28/2003 9:27:36 AM ET by nails
Casing and door jambs on tile and hardwood remodels. Saves time from pulling off trim, cutting and renailing ( trim breaks half the time anyway).