biscuit

really the only good side of biscuits is alignment. other than that not much in my opinion.

Biscuits help in the alignment of boards when gluing up panels. They help keep the surface of each board even with the nest so that the finished panel does not require as much sanding to get the joints smooth.

I see Norn on The New Yankee Workshop using a lot of them I though they were for strength

Thanks lew and teenagerwoodworker

I bought a biscuit joiner about 5 years ago. I just had to have it. I used it once. I think it is handy for putting face frames on cabinets. It helps to align them. I don’t think they are of much or any use in gluing up boards though.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

Check out my reply on your blog. bbqKing.

-- bbqKing, Lawrenceville

Biscuits add strength to any joint but I use mine mostly for alignment. Sometimes, I use a spline joint instead.

Great for alignment. Some doubts about the added strength.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

One of Norms main points for using biscuits in his new kitchen was that he didn’t have to nail through the face frame on his cabinets. I agree with most of these guys in that they don’t add much strength, but mainly help to keep everything aligned until the glue sets.

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

In my opinion biscuits are better for melamine for a couple of
reasons. I prefer pocket screws for general quick joinery but
melamine is slick and the parts tend to swim around when
I am putting them together. I have a right-angle vacuum clamp
which helps with this but you probably never will unless you
get into veneering and get a pump.

Biscuits allow me to get that corner joint darn close all along
the length of the joint. In modern high-end kitchens
you can’t have a “tongue” hanging off the end of a joint…
making the cabinets look like they came from Walmart.

If you do get a biscuit joiner get one of the more high-end ones.
I bought the Freud at one time and the fence stinks and
moves around in use… making it worse than useless.

Sometimes I have used round biscuits for joining door frames.
They work great. I feel they are plenty strong and joint
is fast to cut and put together. You’ll have to mail-order
the round ones and a special router bit to cut he slots.

-- http://amherstcabinets.com - also a marketing consultant with expertise in direct response marketing for woodworking and online businesses - http://COPYMATCH.COM

You know I also have seen Norm use a lot of biscuits until the more recent shows. I remember one show when he said he wasn’t using biscuits because later they left impressions in the table tops, so with today’s glue they weren’t necessary anyway. Now, I thought “that was quite a change in direction”. I’ve asked around quite a bit and have yet to hear of anyone who has experienced this problem. I’m thinking Norm, and yes I know this is sacrilege, put his biscuit slots too close to the surface that one time and got the depressions in the top. Otherwise, more folks would be experiencing the same thing. OK, so the end point to this is I agree they just help with alignment, more than strength, but they do that very well, and I don’t think there is any danger of the problems Norm experienced unless you don’t get the depth right. Just some added info for ya.

-- Jim Hallada, Chesterfield, VA

Thanks critterman

I’ve used biscuits for years and find they do the job quite well. If you look closely at the biscuit, you’ll see that it has been flattened (squashed) from the factory. This allows the biscuit to absorb the joint glue causing it to swell, producing an even tighter joint. Plus the alignment idea is great for tabletops,etc. Place your biscuits around midway into the width of the board for the greatest strength. I usually place them 1’ apart on long runs.

Norm was using biscuits one show to mount the face frame of a cabinet. It of course worked but you can only imagine the nightmare of getting them all placed exactly right! I use glue and a pneumatic brad nailer…wood putty where needed. KISS principle, ya know?

So long story short, biscuits are better than nothing and easier to place/use than dowels, etc.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

remember that the glue is harder than the wood, so the biscuit just doesn’t penetrate enough and isn’t wide enough to really make much of a difference.

I like biscuts in the right setting. alignment can be a nightmare with other methods by comparison. certainly there are other methods that provide greater strength, IF there is a real need, but if the joint is not going to be exposed to real shearing force, biscuts & good glue will probably work just fine. Had to make several “old style” screen doors last year, just frames and screen. biscuts in all the joints worked just fine and continue to do so. fast, minimise sanding and obviously strong enough. Would I use biscuts to build a large, outdoor, solid wood front door ? not on a bet. its simply a matter of need

-- RTB. "dumb animals are not stupid they simply can't talk "

teenagewoodworker I dont realy understand you comment ..sorry

rtb you are right at that makes sence

I believe that biscuits add strength as well as good for aligning. They are basically an easier to align/use method than dowels used to be, so I feel they do add strength . In certain cases I do without them myself were you have a large erea of plened wood to butt joint but in others I definitely use them when needed.Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

(Copied this from my reply to your blog post)

Contrary to conventional wisdom they do make joints stronger. Here is a quote from FineWoodworking where they stress tested a number of common joints to failure

“The double #20 biscuit joint put in a respectable performance, but its average maximum working load was about half the strength of the mortise-and-tenon joints.

It is surprising to note that although the plastic region (in which irreversible damage occurs) is relatively small, the load curve is gently rounded, and the tail is long. This indicates that failure, as defined in this article, is not as sudden as others have suggested. Clearly, the joint is able to sustain a significant load over a wide range of joint movement, even after irreparable damage occurs. However, relatively long after technically defined failure—when parts physically fell apart—it was sudden and complete, with the joint showing no residual strength.”

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

After so many comments I don’t know who to believe at lease they are good for alignment

There are two subjects that will stir this much personal opinion here at lumberjocks: biscuits and radial arm saws versus miter saws.

I tried biscuits once but did not like them: I am used to dowel pins. It all comes down to personal preferrence.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.