Thread: Biscuit,Finger Joiner?

The actual cutting disk of the cutter is just a 50mm slot cutter disk and can be replace with any 4mm slot cutter disk. The thing that makes the Triton slot cutter router bit different is the fact that the disk mounts on the top of the shaft as opposed to along the shaft like normal slot cutters.

Both the biscuit jointer and finger jointer attachments work well, provided the assembly and setup instructions are carefully followed and you take the time and trouble to do a few test pieces first.

The biscuit cutter comes supplied with both ¼" and ½" shafts. I'm not sure that you could replace it, but I've not tried. You can use #20 standard biscuits with the attachment, as there is a datum mark to allow you to slide the workpiece to achieve this size of cut. You can see this and the finger jointer in the relevant parts of this page I wrote a while back (about a third of the way down the page).

The gapped cutter for the finger jointer has offset gaps on both carbide faces, allegedly to assist chip clearance. Whilst it may be an improvement, I've not noticed any difference when using a good-quality, conventional, straight cutter.

The finger jointer is probably the better value of the two attachments, because you've got to either use a tablesaw and a jig, or a router table and a jig, to achieve the square-ended cuts and this attachment allows you to cut all four pieces at once when you're familiar with it.

The biscuit jointer has the advantage of being able to cut accurately-mating slots without measuring, both at 90 and 45 degrees, but the joints can only be cut on pieces taken to the RTA300. With a dedicated biscuit jointer, you can take that to the workpiece, even after assembly, with less limitations, plus the range of angled cuts possible with a conventional machine are significantly greater. HTH

Ray

Many thanks Ray

On the finger jointer I found the straight cutter works ok but I found the gapped cutter just that bit better for chip removal - less chance of clogging up the air hose. I'd probably not bother to go hunting for the gapped cutter if I didn't have one and spend a bit more time cleaning out the waste.

Another advantage of the finger jointer is that you can use this for your general basic box-making where dovetails are not really wanted - and preserve your good (and dearer) dovetail cutters for the good stuff with your Gifkins or similar.

Oi rayintheuk do you mean a conventional biscuit cutter is better than the Triton one, more versatile etc.

Originally Posted by yorkie56

Oi rayintheuk do you mean a conventional biscuit cutter is better than the Triton one, more versatile etc.

I guess that, as I've got both the Triton and a Lamello (see here), I can expand that comment a little:

YES!

Ray

Just had a look at your biscuit joiner "presentation" Ray. Many thanks for sharing your experience/knowledge mate.

I think I'm going to go down the "dedicated" biscuit joiner road - maybe a Dewalt (cheaper than ebay Triton gear at the minute)

cheers,

Doug

The finger jointer seems to me to suffer from a serious problem with quality control that I outline in this thread. It's strange in that I had the problem with the finger jointer I initially purchased, and two replacements, yet only one other person (Foxtail) posted in that other thread to say they'd experienced the same problem. I'm either dead unlucky, or I don't know what.

Thanks for that Princhester - forewarned is forarmed. I've got real world work on my plate for a while so I won't get time to put the finger jointer together - but I might get time to have a squiz at the ally fence faces . I'll report back if I do.

thanks,

Doug