I have a yen for a biscut joiner. My choices are: Freud (cheapest), DeWalt and Porter Cable.
Right now my needs are modest, but I don’t want to buy a new one in a couple of years.
Anyone have experiences and suggestions among these 3?
Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the Handyman
Vancouver, Canada
From building boxes and fitting face frames to installing doors and drawers, these techniques could be used for lots of cabinet projects.
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Replies
Can you say "Lamello"?
Definitely the best. But your question should be "can you AFFORD Lamello"
I have the Porter-Cable, it's fine and I especially like the mini-biscuits.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Seconds on the Porter Cable, ability to switch to mini biscuits for face frames is wonderful. Haven't tried lamello or whatever, but the extra cost would be hard to justify. Use my biscuit cutter more than I thought I would.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
3rds on the P.C. and I have to back-up GD on usage. You absolutely want a good one out-of-the-gate because you will find you will use it far more than your original plan.
Based on a magazine review I bought a Black & Decker 3382 and like it a lot. There was a DeWalt that was essentially the same design that got the same rating. The fence was solid and precise, and easy to adjust with a rack and pinion.
My first biscuit joiner was a Freud. I took it back, as the fence was terrible. Bought a DeWalt, which I like alot. One thing I would look for is a slow-start like I have on my router. You take the time to align your cut, then pull the trigger and it may jump a bit; slow start should help thisw. The small biscuit option sounds nice on the PC.
Keep your biscuits dry. I have found that they swell a bit from humid air then I have to hammer them to fit in the slot. May help to put in a few of those dessiccant packs that arrive in many shipments. It also helps to hook up your vacuum, cause when you cut perpendicular to the wood the joiner is up in the air and dumps dust on your work. Good luck. It's a very useful tool.
A pocket hole setup is very useful too (see article in new FHB); you can put together a box in no time at all. I used it to join my flat molding around windows and doors;' keeps joint tight. Use pocket hole screws though; they bore their own pilot hole into the "non-pocket-hole" piece.
Johnny
Johnny, place thick biscuits in microwave on fifty percent, for two minutes. This will dry them up and shrink them back to size. Place unused bisuits in ziplock bag to avoid moisture problem.
mike
The Dewalt has a strange trigger placement, you can turn it on just picking it up. It does have good dust pick up though.
Once you have used the Lamello, you will wonder why you looked at any other.
There are 3 models, I think. I have the Classic C2. The fit and finish are superior to any of the others.
Whichever you buy, you will wonder how you got along without it.
Aaron, I have used the Lamello and Dewalt mostly. I bought the Dewalt as it is a quality tool. I prefer the Lamello but a little over my budget for a seldom used tool.I did use the Porter Cable for a week, works fine but seems a bit clumsy to me. Never used the freud.
mike
I got the porter cable, love it, expensive. Pick em up, try them out. I hear Lamello and Festool are the best power tools, but I cant afford them.
Lamello would be my choice if money didnt matter, but I own the yellow one.
PC is the one for me
Darkworksite4:
Estamos ganando detrás el estado de Calif. Derrotando a un #### a la vez. DESEA VIVO LA REVOLUCIÓN
You won't be sorry about buying the Porter Cable. Lamello is fine if you are an industrial user but overkill for most carpenter types.
I looked for a loong time before I bought ...
I liked the idea of the face frame biscuits at first ...
decided why go half way ...
got the Dewalt biscuit cutter and the kreg jig.
All bases covered.
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Bought the Freud about 10 years ago, and it was fine, though not as well made as the more expensive tools. I bought the PC 2 years ago and think it's the best. Ironically, I just got the PC back in the mail today from the repair shop. I was building cabinets for a kitchen reno and had intended on using the FF biscuit, but when I tried to change the blade on the PC, the screw jammed, then stripped. Moral of the story; don't over-torque an allen screw.
Buy the PC, it's versatility is worth the extra dollars.
And I would love the Lamello, but can't justify the extra bucks.
Which Lamello ? The model 20 is a magnificent piece of workmanship, has very nice adjustment scales, auxillary fence, etc.; but, the C2, while equally well finshed, was a basic, basic machine that looks like it's been designed for production (aka: factory) use. I'd have a real hard time justifying the price.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I've got the Porter Cable.
Who Dares Wins.
I own a royobi which I bought before I had $ to spend on tools. I have been looking for an excuses to upgrade to a Dewalt or Porter Cable, but the Royobi works just fine. One feature of the Royobi I like, which does not seem to appear on the nicer tools, is the second hand grip on the fence itself. It makes for a firm grip on the matter.
I read an article (Tauton's tools guide) stating the Royobi made slots which were slightly too wide. I agree, but have not see any adverse effects as a result.
Recheck the handgrip situation, the second grip on my PC moves with the fence, not the body..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I have had two PCs over the past 10 years. First one did not have the rack and pinion fence adjustment and I had to purchase the adjustable 45 degree fence. Second is the newer model with all the whistles and bells. I like and use it a lot. Gets my vote for cost vs. quality.
I also keep my biscuits it zip lock bags and in sealed plastic jars. Bought a thousand of each size with the first biscuit joiner and have no problem with any of them swelling.
I use the BJ to prep wood windows for jamb extensions before they are installed. Makes installation and alignment ot the extensions a breeze when doing the trim work.
Dave
I have used most of those mentioned above and prefere the Porter Cable, with the Dewalt a close second.The PC is more versitle with the two cutters and the fence that tilts out , but these features don't seem to get much use. The fence is shorter on the Dewalt-sometimes a plus- when joining narrow stock against a sill for instance. The Freud felt cheap and wobbley. Lastly I borrowed and used the less expensive Lammello recently and was unimpressed , it seemed to be a well made machine but not worth the substantial extra dollars. That said I would like to try the Lammello Classic to see what all the fuss is about.
I know it wasn't one of the choices, but I chose the Makita for several reasons: first, comfortable grips, unlike the DW which has a cast boss just under the front handle at an ideal knuckle scraping location, second, scales and fences are castings instead of bent sheet metal like the PC and third, becasue a friend of mine who is notoriously hard on tools has had one for ten years and it still works like new.
I've had it for a couple of years and I'm very pleased with it.
I got my Dewalt years ago because of the rack and pinnion fence. Far more accurqte and repeatqble than what was available at the time. And the price was right.
Now, it sounds like the PC is a contender. and in another league, the Lamello is clearly a good choice.Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
hey Ron ... haven't seen yer name in a while.
Good to run across you again.
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Welcome back to BT, Ron.
I've had the Dewalt since '95 or '96. Used heavily, still runs great. Matter of fact, was using it this morning to biscuit/align 8/4 teak planks prior to epoxy.
There are a couple of screws in the face of the fence that can be adjusted to bite into the wood to prevent tool slippage when the motor torques up. Or you can set them below the surface to get them out of the way.
Ergonomically, it's comfortable to hold.
For what you get, it's a good price and it's a well-made tool. Hopefully the quality is still comparable.
Thumbs up from me.
Thank you.
I have a hard time finding time for this anymore. I'm glad to see you're still here.
Ron
All you have to do is try out the Lamello. It's like caramel in your mouth. Smooth and refined.
I bought a Freud years ago, hated it ever since. No guts, inaccurate fence, blew cold air on your hands, no dust collection. A piece of sh!t. I think I resented that machine more because I was stupid enough to buy it.
The Porter-Cable is wayyyy less money, runs pretty good, has an interesting and accurate fence, and can do the mini-biscuits. I use it now, obviously.
Alan Jones
Not a heavy user, but, I have had the Porter Cable for about a year now and like it
just yesterday in a local pawnshop they had a virtually brand spankin new pc557 in the case for $170- less their 25% off sale price- $128. didn't buy it because i already have one. (however, i did snag a pristine kennedy roller cabinet, 5-drawer model 277?, in 90th anniversary royal blue, for $150)
m
even a better deal if you eliminate the middle man, and just go out and steal the stuff yourself
at least in theory, they have a 30-day hold law to allow for the police to trace stolen goods- but i'm sure like any other statute, there's a dozen ways around it. whaddaya gonna do?
m
PC -- never had any issues with it.
Also, for biscuits I have three screw top tubes from an "urgent need" purchase. Now I refill them from the bulk bags. I find plastic bags tear on me all the time and the biscuits swell up.
I owned a Dewalt for a while and now have the Porter-Cable. I think the Dewalt was built tighter (less slop on the slide rails, etc.) but the Porter Cable has it beat in terms of flexibility due to the 135-degree fence and the mini-biscuits. I think the flexibility makes the Porter-Cable the better choice.
Another vote for the Porter-Cable 557.
did
Blah, yada, whatever, Hi how are you today
Lots of good advice here Aaron, and you can't go wrong with Lamello, PC or even the Dewalt biscuit joiner, but for me the key word in your post was "modest" needs.
I've owned the Ryobi unit for 6-7 years, and have gotten good service from it. It's not the best unit out there, but I find the D-handle design very comfortable to use. I got mine at HD for $140 Cdn, and have cut 100's of slots with it. The fence design is simple, and not as accurate as some, but if I'm looking for precision on a table top glue-up, I'll fold up the fence and register the base on a piece of appropriately sized plywood. That way every slot will be exactly the same height.
I know Ryobi takes a thrashing for low quality tools on this board, but it depends on your needs. If you're a production cabinet shop, you have to have Lamello. If you need a basic tool for occasional use, consider the Ryobi.
By the way, I'm sure Summitt Tools will have some show specials at the Vancouver Woodworking show in Cloverdale Oct 31-Nov2, so if you can wait a couple of weeks, go to that show and see if you can get a deal.
Thanks.
In fact, Delta/PorterCable is having a sale Saturday out in Burnaby. They know I can't be there, (Sabbath) but on Monday, we may be able to make a deal.Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
I have a PC. Works great, never had a problem with it.
I also had a Dewalt, I liked it as well but I found that I pushed the switch accidently to often.
I store my biscuits in air tight ammo cans.
Len
The Porter Cable is good as is the DeWalt. For very occassional use, the Freud will work. I work with a Lamello C2. It's fence and base are dead flat (the PC & DeWalt have dead-flat bases too, but their fences can flex). The Lamello is a production unit, can run all day and it will be the last biscuit joiner you'll probably ever own. If you can handle the twice-the-cost factor it would be money well spent.