How does biscuit joiner work

A biscuit joiner or sometimes plate joiner is a woodworking tool used to join two pieces of wood together. A biscuit joiner uses a small circular saw blade to cut a crescent-shaped hole called the mouth in the opposite edges of two pieces of wood or wood composite panels.

Subsequently, question is, are biscuit joiners worth it? If your wood is jointed and planed to match the adjoining surface, a biscuit joiner can take the effort out of lining up glue faces.

It is really valuable to line up panel glue-ups. Just remember where you put them so you don't accidently cut through one and expose it. Biscuits don't really add much strength. They are more for alignment, where the dowels will add a good deal of strength.

When done correctly, a biscuit joint is at least as strong as a similar size mortise and tenon joint , and decidedly stronger than a dowel joint. As a rule of thumb, place the biscuits about 6" apart. When you pull the panels apart , you should see marks on the edges and ends. Dowel Strength Dowel joinery is stronger than screw joinery. The increased glue surface caused by the glue deeply penetrating the wood gives the dowel more holding power.

Screws will easily strip out in these materials, while dowels will not strip when the doweled joint is allowed to set up with glue. What Size Biscuit to Use. As a general rule, try to use the largest size biscuit possible, as this will provide the greatest amount of strength to the joint. In most cases, use 20 biscuits , but when working on narrower material, switch to smaller biscuits where appropriate.

If you want to make biscuit joints , you don't have to buy a biscuit joiner. There are two situations where a router can 't substitute for a biscuit joiner: A router can cut slots only along the edges of a board, not across its face; and it can only cut along square edges, not beveled ones. Biscuits should be somewhat loose; they are not designed to align parts. They are compressed during manufacture and are designed to swell with the application of water-based adhesive.

Good quality biscuits should actually rattle just a bit in the slots. VonHaus 8. Using Biscuit Joints for Plywood. Plywood can be difficult to join together, especially when you are looking to make an invisible joint, where no hardware is exposed. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Author Info Last Updated: April 11, Make marks at the places where biscuits will be placed. Use as many biscuits as needed to secure the pieces of wood.

Mark the other piece of wood at the same locations. The biscuit process allows some leeway in aligning the pieces of wood, so perfect alignment is unnecessary. Use the settings and stops on the biscuit joiner to set the depth of the cut.

Turn on the joiner and push it forward to cut a crescent shape into the wood. Apply pressure to release the blade, allowing it to cut the wood.

The joiner's cutting blade will retract while it is idle. The crescent shaped slots may be longer and larger the joiner biscuit; this allows a user to better align the joined pieces just before the glued joiner biscuit starts to set. Cover each biscuit with wet wood glue or apply glue inside the slots.

Clamp the two pieces of wood firmly with wood clamps. Upon being clamped, the compressed biscuit will expand to fill the crescent shaped slot and create a strong bond between the two pieces as it dries.

Clean the joiner according to product directions before storing when not in use. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Because they are made of compressed wood, biscuits need to be stored in tight dry containers, or they will absorb moisture and swell. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1. A highly dried wooden biscuit remains covered with the glue or the glue is utilized in the slot.

Thus, two pieces of wood are clamped together to construct a joint. The biscuit joiner is very accepting because there is a lot of wiggle room when the glue gets on them. It helps to create a very tight secure joint. So just start by applying the glue to the board. Make sure that you apply the glue in each of them. Place the slots, cut and just put a little glue everywhere it needs and sandwiches them together. A biscuit joiner is a tool that is very easy to use.

In cases of quick and simple woodworking joints, nothing is more suitable than using a biscuit joiner.

All you need to do is place the slots in the middle of the pieces and apply the glue. Then slip the biscuit in place, clamp them and you're done. As you know now, how does a biscuit joiner work, your joints will be perfectly aligned and strong for many tasks. A passionate blogger! Editor at Toptennotch. Regularly writing about different topic for various magazines, newspapers and websites. Happy Reading!!! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How Does a Biscuit Joiner Work? Power Source. Fence and Angle Knob Features. Usually, they are adjusted at 0, 45 and 90 degrees to make quick, accurate biscuit cuts. Safety Lock Screw. Some models of biscuit joiner come with safety lock screw for you valuable safety. If you've got the height set, clasp all of them in place so it doesn't move.