Biscuit Jointers

[Rex deWolf]

Thinking of buying my first bisquit jointer. I have never used one before, but have watched a lot of you tube demo videos. Most of these seem to use the larger biscuit on 18 or 20mm sheet goods (mostly mdf) . Can these jointers be used with thinner stock eg 9 or 10mm thick softwoods/ply/mdf or even osb (for workshop projects) ?

I don't want to spend too much initially which rules out the DeWalt and Makita offerings but would like something reasonably well made and reliable. Would even consider a 240v model but there seems to be fewer of these about. The 2 that have caught my eye are the Einhell Power X-Change 18V or the Trend 18V Cordless Biscuit Jointer. Anyone have actual user experience of either of these? Havnt found many independent reviews of either model on the net.

And finally I have spare 18v batteries from a Tacwise Ranger finishing nailer. Any chance that these might be usable with either of the above modes?
Any help or observations would be much appreciated.

 

[Yojevol]

You really need a minimum of 6mm of meat on both sides of the biscuit. When used with PVA the biscuit absorbs moisture and tends to expand thus locking itself into it's slot. I have on occasions used biscuits in thin materials but I've made my own out of hardwood to avoid the problem.
Can't advise on make or cordless types. Mine is a DeWalt in its original Elu livery which has always worked for me.
Brian

 

[Spectric]

I don't want to spend too much initially which rules out the DeWalt and Makita offerings but would like something reasonably well made and reliable.

I have the Dewalt biscuit jointer and it works well, the fence is solid and stays put when set unlike some other models. I would suggest you will get a corded model cheaper than a cordless and maybe look at the Triton which is more mid range rather than at the bottom. Can you be more specific about your intentions, biscuits work well for edge joining boards but for general joints may not be the best choice.

 

[Rex deWolf]

I have the Dewalt biscuit jointer and it works well, the fence is solid and stays put when set unlike some other models. I would suggest you will get a corded model cheaper than a cordless and maybe look at the Triton which is more mid range rather than at the bottom. Can you be more specific about your intentions, biscuits work well for edge joining boards but for general joints may not be the best choice.

Thanks for the advice Roy

 

[Rex deWolf]

You really need a minimum of 6mm of meat on both sides of the biscuit. When used with PVA the biscuit absorbs moisture and tends to expand thus locking itself into it's slot. I have on occasions used biscuits in thin materials but I've made my own out of hardwood to avoid the problem.
Can't advise on make or cordless types. Mine is a DeWalt in its original Elu livery which has always worked for me.
Brian

Cheers Brian. Does your home-made hardwood bisquit absorb the glue and expand as well as the bought ones?

 

[skeetstar]

If you have a router you can get a cutter for it designed for cutting slots for biscuits, might save you a few shillings..

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. I used one for ages. You can also get an arbor which allows you to use different widths of cutter.
https://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Arbor_8_131.html

 

[Yojevol]

Cheers Brian. Does your home-made hardwood bisquit absorb the glue and expand as well as the bought ones?

No, the proper beech biscuits are made of compressed wood and will expand more than ordinary beech. Cheap plywood biscuits don't expand, they just rely on the glue but are not as strong as beech. Beech ones can expand by absorbing atmospheric moisture but can be rescued by sanding back to size.
Brian

 

[Distinterior]

...... Beech ones can expand by absorbing atmospheric moisture but can be rescued by sanding back to size.
Brian

Or, they can be ping'd in a Microwave for a few seconds whilst placed on some Kleenex paper.........Then, no sanding needed!
Same with Domino's if you find they are too snug.....

 

[Rex deWolf]

If you have a router you can get a cutter for it designed for cutting slots for biscuits, might save you a few shillings..

I have a 1/4" router but I would prefer the fence arrangement that is on the dedicated tool

 

[Rex deWolf]

You really need a minimum of 6mm of meat on both sides of the biscuit. When used with PVA the biscuit absorbs moisture and tends to expand thus locking itself into it's slot. I have on occasions used biscuits in thin materials but I've made my own out of hardwood to avoid the problem.
Can't advise on make or cordless types. Mine is a DeWalt in its original Elu livery which has always worked for me.
Brian

You really need a minimum of 6mm of meat on both sides of the biscuit. When used with PVA the biscuit absorbs moisture and tends to expand thus locking itself into it's slot. I have on occasions used biscuits in thin materials but I've made my own out of hardwood to avoid the problem.
Can't advise on make or cordless types. Mine is a DeWalt in its original Elu livery which has always worked for me.
Brian

Just descovered that allTriton biscuit are 4mm thick, (which suggests that the slot the machine cuts must be 5mm wide min) If you need 6mm of meat on either side of the buscuit that means 6+6+4 =16mm is the minimum material thickness? Is this correct, and is buscuit joinery not suitable for thinner stock?? Originally I thought that the smaller sized biscuit would be proportionally thinner. Maybe I've been barking up the wrong tree

 

[Phil Pascoe]

4mm biscuit, 4mm groove. Akaik they're all 4mm, it's the other dimensions that change.

What do you propose to do with this thin material?

 

[Distinterior]

I seem to remember that there used to be some really small biscuits (00 size...??) that could be used on thinner/ smaller materials, such as picture frames....?

TBH, ...Its been so long ago since I used my Elu biscuit machine, perhaps I've remembered incorrectly....!??
I should dig it out and see if there are any really small biscuits in the case....

 

[Rex deWolf]

4mm biscuit, 4mm groove. Akaik they're all 4mm, it's the other dimensions that change.

What do you propose to do with this thin material?

Re the thin material - I'm just trying to establish the usefulness of the machine. If I can use 12mm ply/mdf as opposed to 18mm there is a big saving to be had. But I'd the tool isn't suitable for 12mm then might just forget it

 

[Rex deWolf]

I seem to remember that there used to be some really small biscuits (00 size...??) that could be used on thinner/ smaller materials, such as picture frames....?

TBH, ...Its been so long ago since I used my Elu biscuit machine, perhaps I've remembered incorrectly....!??
I should dig it out and see if there are any really small biscuits in the case....

That's what I thought initially but have since discovered that the the 00 and the 10 size are still 4mm thick it's the length and width that become smaller

 

[Distinterior]

Perhaps its the Lamello machines that have the facility to utilise a thinner/ smaller biscuit ....?
I can certainly remember seeing the much smaller size somewhere!

 

[Sideways]

I bought 00 size biscuits to attach a 12mm back panel to an 18mm frame all in birch ply. It has had 30 or 40kg of stuff sitting on it's shelves in my workshop for the last 2 years and all the weight is tension and shear through the biscuit joints so I'd say strong enough ....

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

The problem with 4mm biscuits in thinner materials as others have already said is the swelling with the glue. However the resulting witness marks on the outside may not be a problem for workshop jigs, cupboards etc.

Can anyone advise if the biscuits swell with a different adhesive, eg. epoxy?

 

[Distinterior]

I've just had a look at my Elu MBR 100 and it appears to have the adjustment ability to go down to about 8mm thickness on the height settings........but that wont leave much material allowing for a 4mm rebate for the biscuit.

 

[recipio]

It's very useful tool for sheet goods. 9 mm is about minimum thickness you will get away with as that only leaves 2.5 mm on each side of the biscuit. Conventional biscuits of compressed beech will ' telegraph ' through the surface so I use plywood biscuits to avoid this.
My best advice is to look for a secondhand Lamello top 10 /20. They are beautifully made, very precise and can have a 3 mm blade fitted for thin stock. You can dial in the blade height which is great for getting the slot spot on. Biscuit jointing can be fiddly and if you buy a cheap machine you will probably give up in frustration.