dowels or biscuits

one more point, if you don't have one, most local shops should have either a drum or wide belt sander. And for a nominal fee will run your panels through to flatten them out for you.
that's worth considering the amount of shelves you have to make.

oversizing your panels eliminates the need for cauls as well.
 
A couple more notes on the biscuit cutter...

1. The biscuit and glue add moisture to a half-moon shaped area of the board. That part of the board expands slightly. If you sand as soon as the glue has set, you can get a flat joint at that point, but as the water from the glue dries, the wood will shrink and create a ghost of the biscuit. You should wait as much as a week for the wood to really dry around the biscuit before final sanding. (Same can be said about the joint itself without the biscuit, but a slight shrinkage along the glue line is less noticeable.

2. Like Allen I have a non-biscuit use for the biscuit cutter... I like to screw the tops to tables and cabinets through a tapered hole made with the Kreig jig. But where you attach the top cross grain (the ends of the table) you have to allow for expansion. The ugly Norm Abrams trick was to wiggle the drill while boring the hole. I just cut a biscuit slot where the hole comes through the apron. The side aprons can flex the small amount needed for the top to expand and contract, so I start the side holes slightly away from the end and make them without the biscuit slot.

3. I found that if I was absolutely careful - jointer held very tight to the reference face - I could get perfect alignment with the Porter Cable biscuit cutter. If I just went down the line quickly making the slots, the alignment was not as perfect.

4. While we are talking about edge jointing boards, the school technique is to run the edge of the board over the jointer, but jointers leave scallops. My (very fancy) saw with a glue-line blade cuts smooth and straight, but with tiny scratches from the saw teeth. So in either saw or jointer case, I do a couple passes with a jack plane (fairly long hand plane, but not as heavy as a jointer plane) to perfect the edge before gluing. After planing, before clamping, I sometimes check to see if a piece of paper will slide between the boards. If it can move, I do more planing.
 
one more point, if you don't have one, most local shops should have either a drum or wide belt sander. And for a nominal fee will run your panels through to flatten them out for you.
that's worth considering the amount of shelves you have to make.

oversizing your panels eliminates the need for cauls as well.

Thanks Rich. I thought of that, and am going to put a note on CL to see if someone can sand for me. and thanks for the kind words. I'm sure some of the veterans here would cringe if they saw some of my work up close, but I am improving.

A couple more notes on the biscuit cutter...

1. The biscuit and glue add moisture to a half-moon shaped area of the board. That part of the board expands slightly. If you sand as soon as the glue has set, you can get a flat joint at that point, but as the water from the glue dries, the wood will shrink and create a ghost of the biscuit. You should wait as much as a week for the wood to really dry around the biscuit before final sanding. (Same can be said about the joint itself without the biscuit, but a slight shrinkage along the glue line is less noticeable.

2. Like Allen I have a non-biscuit use for the biscuit cutter... I like to screw the tops to tables and cabinets through a tapered hole made with the Kreig jig. But where you attach the top cross grain (the ends of the table) you have to allow for expansion. The ugly Norm Abrams trick was to wiggle the drill while boring the hole. I just cut a biscuit slot where the hole comes through the apron. The side aprons can flex the small amount needed for the top to expand and contract, so I start the side holes slightly away from the end and make them without the biscuit slot.

3. I found that if I was absolutely careful - jointer held very tight to the reference face - I could get perfect alignment with the Porter Cable biscuit cutter. If I just went down the line quickly making the slots, the alignment was not as perfect.

4. While we are talking about edge jointing boards, the school technique is to run the edge of the board over the jointer, but jointers leave scallops. My (very fancy) saw with a glue-line blade cuts smooth and straight, but with tiny scratches from the saw teeth. So in either saw or jointer case, I do a couple passes with a jack plane (fairly long hand plane, but not as heavy as a jointer plane) to perfect the edge before gluing. After planing, before clamping, I sometimes check to see if a piece of paper will slide between the boards. If it can move, I do more planing.

Thanks Charlie.
 
oversizing your panels eliminates the need for cauls as well.

Bingo. Makingthem a ¼" large and cutting them down saves the giant hassle of having one more thing to align.

I typically just start at one end and align things as I work down each of the clamps.

I made a wood vanity top a few years ago that I ran one edge through the shaper with a door sticking head and the opposite edge with the coping head. It was a pain to glue up, but the edge profile on the end grain looked pretty cool. Everything lined up more or less perfectly too.

I don't own a biscuit jointer.
Caul = fancy word for stick.
 
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Charlie I agree with you on the scalloping to a point. And also the use of a jack or jointer plane to finish it off. But- here is where the fine tuning comes in. On the final pass through the jointer, move the stock over the blades at a slow speed and set the cut to about a 64th of an inch. You can achieve an almost glass smooth edge and any scalloping is so minimal that it does not affect the glue joint.

Bingo on the biscuits and the added moisture. Especially on 4/4 stock and softer woods you can sometimes see where the biscuits are if you sand the piece too early and the moisture hasn't had a chance to evaporate.

Cynthia, any veteran that cringes has forgotten his or her roots. We all start at the beginning and build from there. Many times I say the only difference between a novice and an expert is how they hide their mistakes. That said, looking at those carcasses you constructed I would have to conclude you are being too hard on your self. That is some quality work. Patience and a love of craft are the two biggest factors that will come out in your work and it looks like you have both in abundance!
 
If your jointer is scalloping to the point that it affecting you joint, one or a combination of things is making that happen. Too fast of a feed rate, dull knives, too deep of a cut. I've typically got my jointer set at a 32nd or so. Just enough to remove kerf marks from the blade and that's about it.

For glue ups for drawer sides, I've started running 8' long rips through the shaper taking a 1/16th off of each side using a climb cut to clean up the edge. I just wack them to rough length and throw them in the clamp rack. I glue up drawer parts at 13/16 and after the glue is set, plane a 1/16th off each face, then run them through the widebelt to get them to 5/8
 
Nothing wrong with dowels, but It's harder to screw up with a cutter (IMO)

Plus you can move right along quickly with it.


If you buy one, you may just start to build things you never thought you would before.

Maybe you can rent one from a tool rental place?
 
I recently bought the Wind River cauls. (I recently created a thread about it.) I have recently used dowels on my glue up. Only because I just got a could self-centering doweling jig. It is hard to get a lot of dowels lined up on longer glue up tho.

Another thing to consider is the biscuit routing bit. They come with bearings that will allow you to use the different biscuit sizes, you can use them on your router table, and you can get a complete set for about $45.
 
Thanks again all. Thanks for the kind words, Rich. Chuck that's a great idea, but my router kind of intimidates me--it's not my go-to tool. A topic for another thread. And Charlie, planes are great, but honestly, I don't know very well how to adjust them and even sharpen then. That's what I'm going to spend some time on after this project is done. Sadly, I have drawers full of planes that I don't know how to use.....View attachment photo 1[4].JPGphoto 2[4].jpg
 
To throw out another option, I have seen routers used to cut biscuit joints. If your looking for an excuse to buy a tool, this doesn't help. If your not sure if you would like it, this might. It will be slower but you can decide if you like them without having to borrow one then. (borrowing one is another option, if you have someone local)

They have better scaled bits for this now but, once upon a time: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?10216-Biscuit-Jig-for-Colt-more-pics

Despite having had and sold a PC 557 (a great tool BTW) and having a router solution, I have probably used a dozen biscuits in as many years. This doesn't speak against them, I just have other ways of accomplishing those things. People that have found biscuits to be a method of choice become quite proficient with them. As Rob mentions in his post, a good quality cutter, good biscuits (properly stored) and a little technique can make them your friend or foe. When I feel the need for this sort of thing. I tend to use splines.

attachment.php


P.s. Learn to love your router. You'll be glad you did.
 
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Cynthia, at the risk of touting my router book, know that I wrote it just for folks like you who are a bit intimidated by the machine. See if you can get your hands on a copy. Router Joinery Workshop. I think it will help you past your intimidation. And we are also always here to help. And you are welcome to PM me for the 'girl's approach' if need be. :rofl:
 
A topic for another thread. And Charlie, planes are great, but honestly, I don't know very well how to adjust them and even sharpen then. That's what I'm going to spend some time on after this project is done. Sadly, I have drawers full of planes that I don't know how to use.....
View attachment 87096

If you ever plan a extended weekend to Vancouver, maybe you can drop down to Bellingham. Bring a plane or two and I will be more than happy to sharpen them and show you the basics of plane use. Really they are quite easy to use. The key is a sharp blade and an understanding of wood grain. Sharpening is not necessarily a steep learning curve if you use a honing guide and can have someone show you the difference between the true intersection of two flat surfaces (which is what a cutting edge is) and what is not.

I am not sure when we will get back to Vancouver Island again, but if we do, I will give you a call and maybe we can work out a visit. Too bad you don't live in Sooke. It would be very easy to convince the wife to take off for a stay at Sooke Harbour House.

I don't like my tailed routers either, so don't feel bad about that. All that noise and their evil desire to grab my fingers probably has a lot to do with it.
 
I think Chuck hits the jackpot. Why we never think of his point i have no idea. But for those of you with a router table or shaper how come you not thinking about his point. Something like this would take all the issues we associate with biscuits or dowels or even cauls away.
 
Cynthia, at the risk of touting my router book, know that I wrote it just for folks like you who are a bit intimidated by the machine. See if you can get your hands on a copy. Router Joinery Workshop. I think it will help you past your intimidation. And we are also always here to help. And you are welcome to PM me for the 'girl's approach' if need be. :rofl:

aside: Carol, have the rights reverted to you on that book? Just thinking that if so you could make repackage the PDF and put it up as an e-book on Amazon and maybe generate some income for yourself.
Of course if the photography was by someone else then that complicates matters. Just thinking aloud...
 
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