Thread: Ryobi Biscuit Joiner

Doucra,
when I spoke to the salesman at bunnies, he mentioned that the 900W version had some inaccuracies with the cutter being not parallel to the body. Thus the slots were cut at an angle.
Regards
Les

Thanks, the 900W I looked at seemed quite diffcult to align the top fence, and it slipped when tightened. Does anyone know if the 800W fence is better?

Or is the GMC better still?

I picked up an example of both these models recently in my local Bunnies, and was frankly appalled at the sloppiness in the fence and adjustment areas. Crudeness redefined...

This isn't a rant at Ryobi, as most of the lower end machines of this type seem to suffer from the same inadequacies; the Makita that I looked at in another tool store wasn't much better, frankly, and that WAS a surprise!

In contrast, the P+C unit I picked up to examine at C-T lately seemed much better, but I wasn't prepared to spend $500 on a machine that I'd barely use (if I want biscuit joints, which is rare indeed, then I can do them on my router table with a slot cutter).

I do lust after a Domino though, but justifying that bit of kit for a W/E warrior is tough - even without a SWM(S)BO....

Originally Posted by Auld Bassoon

I do lust after a Domino though, but justifying that bit of kit for a W/E warrior is tough - even without a SWM(S)BO....

Poor Steve Why dont you print out a copy of the pic i posted of mine and put it into a little frame and sit it on your bed side table. It will be the last thing you see at night and the first thing you seen in the morning. That should make you feel better

And on the Ryobi, beware. I have used one and its not nice. When the fence is possitioned to sit on a peice less that 18mm the top of the motor housing hits the plactic on the fence and wont cut at the propper depth.

Dean done a review of the GMC and gave it a big wrap for a buget machine. I would go for that based on his review

Originally Posted by Lignum

Dean done a review of the GMC and gave it a big wrap for a buget machine. I would go for that based on his review

I got GMC one some time ago - used it a few times and perfectly met my needs. In terms of precision its not perfect but can be adjusted to offset this. As said for price its more than you can ask imho.

albert

Originally Posted by Lignum

Poor Steve Why dont you print out a copy of the pic i posted of mine and put it into a little frame and sit it on your bed side table. It will be the last thing you see at night and the first thing you seen in the morning. That should make you feel better

Rotter! :eek:

Originally Posted by Auld Bassoon

the Makita that I looked at in another tool store wasn't much better, frankly, and that WAS a surprise!

:eek:

Makes me feel better about my Elu DS 140
I never understood why more companies didn't copy this side plunge system instead of the forward stab...


Damien

I have the GMC, it works well but it needed some adjustment initially. I looked at the Ryobi when I was in the market for one but it was way too flimsy and inaccurate. Could not justify the price of a makita or better for a tool that I dont use that often

regards

Marios

Doucra,
I purchased the EPJ800 a good year ago and have used several times since (I don't get the chance to do woodworking that often). I have used this tool to join the slats of a table top and repaired a couple of joins in older/damaged furniture. Each cut hit my marking correctly and all my joins glued up perfectly. Therefore I have had no problems with it, and found it to be easy to use, then again this is my first biscuit joiner. I will say that the bearings are certainly noisy, but the dust bag seems to capture a vast majority of the cuttings, which I was really pleased about. I don't really like the fence, and the mechanism of how the dust bag connects to the body, which seems to be an after thought. Then again, the cutter cut really easily into the timber. I guess my logic in purchasing the Ryobi, was that it had to do the occasional job several times a year, but it had to it well. I guess you also get what you pay for. I hope that helps. Happy shopping.

I had a look at the Ryobi stand at the Sydney WWW show and a long talk with one of the Reps there. I was looking for the new model with the vertical handle reviewed in AWR but they are out of stock, and sell like hotcakes whenever a small shipment arrives. My assessment of the models on display was that the fence adjustments of the BJs being produced now is considerably better than those on display last year. However, it seems that the new concept design, when it is available, will be better than anything currently in their range.
Cheers
Graeme

Thanks for all the feedback. I also have seen the "vertical" handled Ryobi on the web. It does look a lot better and more usable.

I think perhaps for now I will stick with my Triton router and jointer blade. It is just a bit awhward using it only on the router table.

Perhaps when the better Ryobi comes out I will have another peruse.

Thnaks for all the advice.