Biscuit Joining

after reading all of this, i'm gonna throw in my 2 cents as well.

in my building of the furniture in our apartment, i've made more glued up panels than i care to think about, from the tops of the plant stands (8x14 inches), up to the top of the entertainment center (7x3 feet), and would never think of gluing them up without biscuits. on the one hand, they do impart a bit of extra strength due to there being that much more surface area, and they are invaluable for aligning your boards. not just horizontally, but vertically as well. unless you flip your boards around after cutting the slots, there shouldn't be much more of a cat's hair difference, if that, along the joint. i've found that if there is more than that, it was due to excessive pressure applied while clamping. with all the panels i've made over the last several years, i've never had to do more than some light sanding, let alone plane any of them. without biscuits, you run the risk of horizontal movement, and especially vertical movement, as the force brought to bear in clamping is looking for the path of least resistance.

ken, I wasnt directing my remark at you, it just seems many(as Ive read in different threads) dont value the biscuit joiner for its simplicity and ease of operation and relatively low cost. Supplies are not expensive, it serves a function if you want to use it, and even woodworking novices can use it to their advantage after a few minutes of practice.

Im sorry for the thread drift.

Leo Voisine said:

Dowels are nice. Biscuits are nice - glue joint router bits are nice - tounge and groove is nice. Lots of stuff is nice.

Truth is - you don't "NEED" any of those things. Modern PVA glue and a halfway decent joint is all you need for edge to edge gluing. The glued edge to edge butt joint is stronger than the surrounding wood.

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hmm, perhaps we should get leo and norm abrams together, so he can explain to ol' norm about how he doesn't "NEED" to use biscuits when gluing up that table top or panel. every panel or table top i've seen him glue up, biscuits are a staple (is there a pun in there somewhere ), and he explains why he uses them every time.

.,.,.,

ken werner said:

To clarify which tools are which - a handtool which holds a blade and removes thin shavings is a plane. An electric tool which passes a board through it and removes a layer up to the width of the machine is a planer.

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Unless you're English.

In which case an electric tool which passes a board through it and removes a layer up to the width of the machine is a thicknesser.

And a machine with a cast-iron bed and spinning blade over which the workpiece is passed is a planer.

Duncan Cheslett said:

Unless you're English.

In which case an electric tool which passes a board through it and removes a layer up to the width of the machine is a thicknesser.

And a machine with a cast-iron bed and spinning blade over which the workpiece is passed is a planer.

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You guys just have to be different, Don't you!!

thats why they drive on the other side of the road,, they do things there way and we do things ours.. but we both get home in time for supper even our mail delivery from vehicle is on the other side.. so maybe we are missung something..

i`ve had the luck of exposing biscuits with a panel raiser on more than one occasion...i don`t bother with them any more.
(no matter what television stars endorse them)

Hey Tod, that isn't luck, it's skill. I've got that skill too, and came to the same conclusion. There's also the fine art of hitting a biscuit while cutting an arc.

ken werner said:

Hey Tod, that isn't luck, it's skill. I've got that skill too, and came to the same conclusion. There's also the fine art of hitting a biscuit while cutting an arc.

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i`ve done that too ken......in a hurry to deliver to the yard and pass a piece through the hussey...can`t hide plywood in the face of staingrade.

i had that happen a couple of times too tod, definitely what i would call an "oscar sierra" moment. then i got a little bit better with the placement of the biscuits, proving that old dogs (possibly including larry) can be taught new tricks.