Thread: New to woodwork.... Biscuts?

also i was thinking that since noone would see under the top portion of the octagon table, shouldnt I use some sort of metal joints to hold each octagon piece to the other?
wouldnt that be more sturdy?

SeFu, that's a flash looking poker table.
biscuits are simlar to dowels only much easier and quicker.
a slot is cut out by a wheel on an electric tool, resembles a small angle grinder only instead of a disk it has a blade with teeth. matching slots are made in each face and a matching wafer is glued into the slots. it is all done to a "standard" and very quick and easy with the right tools. The biscuit machine has a built in jig that makes it very easy and safe to align the slots and the biscuits are bought to match. It all gets glued together, biscuits and faces.
you can see the biscuits sticking out of one of the pieces in the picture with the section that mentions the biscuits.

so i would need to go buy a biscuit machine and biscuits?
also he mentions using a "biscuit jointer"?

how much am i lookin at here?

yeah, the biscuit jionter would be the machine.
Like I said, it is basically a small angle grinder with a modified business end, Ive never bought one but couldnt be more than double a grinder( that's purely a guess). and the biscuits you buy by the bag full, pretty cheap. they come in different sizes and the Jointer should be able to do all sizes merely by an adjustment on the depth guage.
Get a sales assistant to give you a demo, they arent hard to use at all once you know how they work. and the blade is covered at all times too so its quite safe to use.

You could also use a special cutter in a router that has a 4mm kerf to match the biscuits.
I started with such a cutter in my router then bought a biscuit jointer much later.
I still use the router on occasions when it will cut slots where the biscuit jointer wont reach.

SeFu,

just had a look on the rockler site and they have a porter cable biscuit jointer for $209.00 American, also note that they do not have a store in florida

use this link
www.rockler.com

cheers Ian

The porter cable is considered one of the best, but if you don't have the money for it, Harbor Freight in the USA sell one for US$59.95 which looks like it comes from the same factory as the DeWalt, GMC and other badged brands
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47377

I have a very good Makita Biscuit Jointer which cost hundreds. On the other hand I worked with a cabbie for a while who had a budget GMC unit which did a great job. I think they cost around $70. probably would run out of true if you were constantly changing settings, but that's not something you would often do with a B.J.

Big tip: use the face-side of each work piece FACE DOWN on the work-bench. This way you have a consistent depth to work with, rather than utilise the B/J.'s in-built fence, which can be out.

The Biscuit Jointer is one very useful tool, well worth purchasing even for a traditionalist.

Cheers,

Hei Sef,
You don't have to have a biscuit jointer if this is a one off job.
I made a table using biscuit joints and did all the cuts using a hand held router, the slot cutter bit has a bearing so you can't go too deep and all you do is set the router depth so the 4mm slot is in the middle of the board.
I cut 24 slots accurately and the only hassle with using a hand held router was having to clamp each board, but I could live with that instead of buying a tool for a one off job.
If you plan on buying any tools I would suggest a router table rather than a biscuit joiner as this will do both jobs and a lot more.
Cheers
Paul

As I said earlier, a biscuit cutter in a router can be as good as a biscuit jointer.
The cutter for a 1/4" router has a fixed bearing for using No 20 biscuits.
If you have a 1/2" router then you can get a cutter with 3 different bearings to produce the correct depth for No 20, No 10 & No 0 biscuits.

wow, thanks for all the input everyone

this most likely is a one time thing for me, unless i find I really enjoy working with wood... but I will most likely ruin this table and wont want to woodwork ever again :eek:

Anyway. I think I will use my fathers router... but he mentioned he could get me on base to use their hobbyshop which apparently has ALL the tools I would ever need for this job

So hopefully that will solve all these problems

Thanks again all for your help and time

If you intend to continue making furniture I would agree there are tools and equipment I would purchase before a B.J. If you find yourself making a fair bit of case-work (cupboards, cabinets tec.) I would definitely invest in a basic B.J. Using a router for the job is okay for the odd project, but the simplicity and flexibility of a dedicated B.J. makes this task much easier.

I have used a router before for the job, but find the Biscuit such a versatile joint that $70 or so for a GMC (or similar) unit makes for an excellent investment.

If you find a great interest in woodworking then my personal option would be to develop your hand skills first (including the most important, sharpening) and obtain a few nice saws (japanese, for instance) chisels and planes (word of warning, planes are like chocolate, you can NEVER just stop at one!).

Cheers,

Silkwood... So far I have enjoyed the woodwork I have done. If money allowed in the future, I would probably like to continue learning the skill..

How would you suggest I go about learning it?
For example sharpening, as you mentioned... Is it something I should be taking a class for or researching the net is enough?

I mean, for someone like me, who has very few tools, how do I learn to woodwork and sharpen and whatnot?

Are there woodworking shops that people can become members of which let you use their shop and tools to work/learn from for some fee?

anyway, thank you for sharing your info with me. I look forward to your reply.
-Sefu

The best way to learn is to get in and do it! Especially with sharpening.. you can read all you like or go to as many classes as you like, but until you get a blade/chisle in hand and actually practice, you won't learn. When I first started, I bought a set of cheapy chisels and turning tools and practiced on those.

I would advise some research on the net into using the major machinery... tablesaws, bandsaws, jointers etc. You can get good tips on use of these via the net and quickly learn what NOT to do with these machines. In particular, research "kickback" on tablesaws as this one is particularly dangerous. The router and router table can also be dangerous, so research feed directions etc and learn never to put workpiece between router cutter and fence etc.

All woodworking machinery, no matter how safe it may look, is dangerous. Your local library may have som books on basic woodworking or workshop safety.