Thread: using biscuit joiners

You fit the 2 lengths together and then put a pencil mark across them both at whatever intervals you want. The biscuit machine, like the dowelling machine has a line up guide to centre to biscuit or dowel. You place that over the mark and drill in. The difference is that biscuits have a bit of play in the positioning so you can be a little less accurate. Dowels must be exact.

once upon a time I had some little "wotsits" - no idea what they are called - which you can put in the dowel holes that you've already drilled in one piece of wood. The wotsits have to fit fairly snuggly as if they slop around you're going to get the holes on the other piece in the wrong place. There is a little pointy bit on each of them that sticks proud of the timber and a lip all the way round which a) stops the wotsit disappearing into the dowel hole for ever and b) gives you something to lever it out again with your finger nails.

VERY carefully line the piece of timber with the wotsits in the holes up with the piece of timber which you haven't made the holes in yet and apply constant pressure. The little pointy bit ( theoretically) makes a dent in the other piece of timber everywhere you need to drill your dowel hole. Of course if you stuff up you've got lots of little dents all over your timber where you don't want them ( and if you really stuff up holes where you don't want them either :eek: ).

For using a biscuit jointer have a look at this site

http://www.huntfamily.com/metz/biscuitmenu.htm

i think you will find it really helpful

What's a biscuit joiner?

OK. The only measurement that is critical with a biscuit joiner is the vertical one. This determines how high up on the wall you cut the slot. For this you generally use the machine's fence.

The horizontal mark is far less critical. In fact the beauty of a biscuit joint is that you have about a 3mm leeway for error. The slot is longer than the biscuit, and you can adjust its position after it is cut. You cannot do this to the height, so get this one right.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by jackiew

once upon a time I had some little "wotsits" - no idea what they are called - which you can put in the dowel holes that you've already drilled in one piece of wood.

Wotsits=Dowel centers?
http://www.woodzone.com/tips/tip-images/dcenters.jpg

I much prefer wotsits.

Tim,

I'd stick to biscuit joining,

The dowelling jig i have purchased from the local h/ware store has a v notch that lines up with matching lines on the face of each timber to be joined. The jig clamps to the timber and holds the drill vertical (very hard as still have 1mm or so play to stuff it up). You have to align the face of the jig with the good face of the timber to ensure the pieces line up and lessen planing. You must also mark your bit with tape to get the correct depth or risk using your dowel into the timber when putting it together.

I've done too few dowel joints with this jig to get good at it and enough to know it is very difficult to get everything lined up correctly, as you say a waste of timber with all the planing. From tit bits of info i have picked up biscuits are easier to align, adjust once fitted and are stronger than a dowel joint(apparantly the biscuits are designed to absorb the glue and expand into the hole to jamb in).

As for having the timbers laying flat, square face edges to be joined and accurate measurements, should take care of that. (looks much easier using biscuits)
Hope to get myself a biscuit joiner in the near future.