I'm giving my new DeWalt biscuit jointer a workout. I'm using it to
assemble the redesigned carcase for my under-hearth drawer unit. It makes
aligning and squaring the carcase very easy and appears to make a strong
joint.
I've had no trouble, as some have reported, with the machine drifting off to
one side from the motor's starting torque. I hold my thumb firmly on the
fence and that seems to take care of that. On one occasion, I had the unit
partially plunged into the work when the motor started and that caused it to
jump off to the right. Maybe that explains their difficulties.
I discovered that one can cover up his errors by gluing a biscuit into a
poorly-cut slot and, when it dries, trimming off the excess and re-cutting
the slot.
Two more things I discovered: 1) one has to work quickly or the PVA glue
starts to set up and it becomes very difficult to adjust the fit, 2) one has
to apply a liberal amount of glue or the joints are NOT strong.
On Sun, 06 Feb 2005 23:33:36 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I'm giving my new DeWalt biscuit jointer a workout. I'm using it to
>assemble the redesigned carcase for my under-hearth drawer unit. It makes
>aligning and squaring the carcase very easy and appears to make a strong
>joint.
>
>I've had no trouble, as some have reported, with the machine drifting off to
>one side from the motor's starting torque. I hold my thumb firmly on the
>fence and that seems to take care of that. On one occasion, I had the unit
>partially plunged into the work when the motor started and that caused it to
>jump off to the right. Maybe that explains their difficulties.
>
>I discovered that one can cover up his errors by gluing a biscuit into a
>poorly-cut slot and, when it dries, trimming off the excess and re-cutting
>the slot.
>
>Two more things I discovered: 1) one has to work quickly or the PVA glue
>starts to set up and it becomes very difficult to adjust the fit, 2) one has
>to apply a liberal amount of glue or the joints are NOT strong.
>
1) use titebond 3 sparingly... you only need enough to swell the biscuit and let
the wood around it absorb a small amount.
2) good tip, it's also in the manual, isn't it?
3) It you are doing repetitive cuts, you might want to make a simple jig like
this one:
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/b-jointer_jig.htm
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
"Chuck Hoffman" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> I'm giving my new DeWalt biscuit jointer a workout.
<snippage>
> Two more things I discovered: 1) one has to work quickly or the PVA
> glue starts to set up and it becomes very difficult to adjust the fit,
> 2) one has to apply a liberal amount of glue or the joints are NOT
> strong.
>
Look for a glue with a longer open time. Titebond III is supposed to have
this feature. Reportedly, some white, rather than yellow, wood glues also
allow more working time. I've used Titebond Original Extend with good
results, assuming no abnormal water resistance is required.
Low tack tape (blue or green painter's type) applied before gluing helps
with squeezeout clean up, so you don't fear using adequate glue.
Patriarch
>
> Two more things I discovered: 1) one has to work quickly or the PVA glue
> starts to set up and it becomes very difficult to adjust the fit, 2) one
> has
> to apply a liberal amount of glue or the joints are NOT strong.
>
That is not my experience.
1) I have done some pretty complicated assemblies without any problems.
Sometimes the biscuit swells a bit, but it is nothing the clamps can't
handle.
2) If you use a lot of glue it will just squeeze out and make a mess. If my
lightly glued joints are not strong, I have never noticed. (and that
probably means they are strong.)
I think you just need some practice.