# Spline or Biscuit? ….Dining Room table



## TG73 (Dec 8, 2021)

Hello all! 
I am looking for some advice or expertise opinions. I just started a dining room table(50"x110")for my wife. I'm using 5" wide 8/4 Sup. Alder, 10 total pcs. I was originally planning on cutting a full length spline to join each piece?
Or would I be better off using biscuits or dowel rods ? I will be shooting pocket screws through the underside. 
It's been a few years since I did a project like this, but the splines worked well the last time. 
Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks!


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

What is the perceived advantage of using anything? Boards that thick will be really strong once glued together. I do think biscuits, or even splines, could help with keeping things aligned while you clamp them up. I'm a biscuit lover, but in this case alignment is the only reason I would use them.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

Fred's right. Biscuits and dowels do little for the strength of the joint, but do help with alignment. A full-length spline is overkill.

The big problem I see with your plan is the use of pocket screws. That method will buy you nothing and will likely cause problems. There have been multiple threads on here about it from others who used them for the exact same purpose.

Glue and clamps will do the job just fine.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

That's a big table. 
If you don't have a long bed jointer and a planer consider building a Amish style table. Every board with have a chamfer small but enough to hid gaps and glue lines.
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around how wide the table is 50 inchs that's two inches wider then a sheet of plywood.
Good Luck


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

The ability to align with splines/biscuits/dowels is a big advantage when dealing with something so large.

If you own a biscuit cutter, may as well use it. Splines are also fine, but with something so large I'd consider cutting the slot with a slot cutter bit and a hand held router.

Even with these, you are likely to get a slight amount of shifting so be prepared to use cauls and do the glue up in sections (pairs of boards joined to other pairs of boards). Small steps are easier than trying to do it all at once.


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## sawdust66 (Oct 28, 2021)

As others have said for something like this you don't need anything from a strength perspective, but biscuits will definitely help with alignment. I use biscuits all the time just for this reason. I also would advise against picket screws on the underside. Will this have breadboard ends? If not do you have plans on how to deal with bowing/cupping? c channel underneath perpendicular to the grain is one option.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Yes, if the boards look straight just glue it up. If there are some bows use biscuits, probably a double row.

IMO pocket screws are inappropriate and/or unnecessary


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## PCDub (Sep 24, 2017)

[[[ *GO BLUE!!!!* ]]]]


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I agree with everyone above. The dowels biscuits and splines will only help with alignment and are not needed to strengthen the joints and I would not use pocket screws. Pocket screws are a poor substitute for proper clamping, though are better than nothing I suppose. You will get the best joints by using enough clamps to get good clamping pressure and cauls if necessary to keep the joints aligned. Properly clamped edge glued joints will be nearly indestructible.

BTW, for a 110" long table where the boards are 5" wide you will need at least 10 clamps. Because clamping force radiates at a 45° angle from the clamp, they need to be spaced no more than 10" apart (twice the width of the outside boards) to get even clamping on the outside joints. I have read that a sprung joint can also be beneficial but I have never tried that myself.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I would use biscuits since they are quicker to cut the slots for than drilling dowel holes. They really do help with alignment and I consider them less fussy than making and using cauls. This may be the only thing you use a biscuit joiner for though they are plenty versatile, especially ones with a tilt fence.

Dowels are more exact if you want to reduce hand planing the top. Biscuits have some wiggle room that allows around 1/32" misalignment.

These days if you can find one running the whole top through a wide belt sander is a real time saver.


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## TG73 (Dec 8, 2021)

Wow! Lot of helpful info. 
Pocket screws were a last minute thought, so I'm glad I mentioned it before doing. 
They were not a replacement for clamps… got plenty. 
50" was a rough guess, but now I'm set on 46" 
I will update all after I finish….Again, thank you all for the advice!


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## Spotcheck (Jun 26, 2011)

I've made dining table as large as 46" x 92" from 6/4 QSWO.

Sorry to disagree, but I think splines add nothing, and biscuits even less. I tried like the dickens to make my biscuit joiner work well, but it was extra work for no benefit, which is the "less than nothing" rating.

There is too much "slop" in the biscuit v slot to be of value in alignment. My scheme is to glue up one joint only per cycle. Focus on that one joint, including cauls to ensure flatness, Do this to create 2 half-width sections, and then the last one-joint-only cycle is the center.

Each of my joints require nothing more than a card scraper to make them disappear.. There are a lot of painstaking details to get to that point, but the results are well worth it.

Oh - BTW TG73 - Congratulations on a near-perfect season. Regards, MSU graduate degree


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Might be something wrong with your biscuit joiner, operator or biscuits, Spotcheck. Mine gives me perfectly aligned panels.


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## TG73 (Dec 8, 2021)

Table is done & got some good use on Christmas Day. Finish dimensions ended up at 48" x 112". I did use biscuits & I would use them every time I did something like this.
I'm gonna attempt to attach some pics & excuse my shop-garage space…I sold my long time shop space a couple years ago so the garage had to work for this.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Nice! Glad you ot things worked out.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Looks nice but I hope you allowed for some movement on the ends that are running at 90° to the rest of the table? How are they attached?


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## Spotcheck (Jun 26, 2011)

> Might be something wrong with your biscuit joiner, operator or biscuits, Spotcheck. Mine gives me perfectly aligned panels.
> 
> - Lazyman


Likely the joiner [early PC model] and operator combined.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

Looks damn nice to me!


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## TG73 (Dec 8, 2021)

The 2 end pcs are attached with glue, biscuits & dowel rods(length & end cuts)
My wife wanted that exact style & I didn't feel like explaining or arguing 
Honestly, I know at some point there will be some separation, but I took every extra step possible to try to keep that separation from happening for a long time……individually gluing each panel, quickly clamping, controlling temperature from garage to house, etc.


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