# Those lousey biscuits



## mandatory66 (Jul 26, 2012)

Made my first raised panel today and all went well until the 2nd cross grain side was side was routed. The cut went fine but when I turned the panel over to check the cut there were two dark ovals in the middle of the bevel. At first I had no idea what had happened but the it quickly came to me that they were the biscuits I used when joining the panel together. I had made the panel oversize and cut it to dimension right over where the biscuits were located. It was not obvious unless you looked at the end of the panel , which I did not do. I really felt stupid. Will avoid using biscuits in the future on a raised panel or be sure that they are not in the bevel. Just wanted to share a mistake and hopefully prevent others from doing the same.


----------



## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

And if you sand your panels to thickness before the moisture has stabilized, you'll have biscuit shaped depressions.

Ain't technology wonderful!

Besides, rubbed joints on panels has been defacto practice for hunners of years. Biscuits don't improve the process on bit.

Sorry you had to find out the hard way!

Eric…in cowtown.


----------



## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

Cabinet doors, no biscuits. doorway doors, eh, not really needed with a good glue.


----------



## shawnmasterson (Jan 24, 2013)

I have done the same thing before. I took my dado blade and made a pass large enough to cut the biscuit and the glued a strip of contrasting wood in place then re cut the bevel. made a nice detail.


----------



## MAKZ06 (Jun 17, 2013)

I did something similar last weekend. I built a couple quick and dirty bookcases and for the tops I decided to use a big panel I had glued-up about 20 years ago and then never built the kitchen table because we moved. I ripped it to the right width and cut one to length no problem. When I cut the second one in slightly different location across the grain I got the reminder that I had used biscuits between the boards… Oh well, after some cussing, followed by some chisel work I plugged them with some end-grain pieces and now you can't find them unless you know what you are looking for.


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I don't like useing biscuits….I tried them on several ocassions, but figured out they add no strength to the work at all…..only allignment, and those were usually off…So for years now, I just do glue-ups w/o them…...


----------



## HillbillyShooter (Feb 15, 2012)

Personally, I'm a big fan of biscuit jointery, but not for raised panels and drawer fronts where I want to be able to match the grain (as best as one can) over a broad area. For this latter type of jointery, I like to glue the boards using a finger joint (c.f., http://www.cheyennesales.com/catalog/cmtfingerj.htm but mine is an old Lonni Bird design made my Amana). Just an option to consider in the future.


----------



## mandatory66 (Jul 26, 2012)

I used the biscuits primarily for alignment, but I still have to plane the panel flat or sand the joints. Those finger joints look good, seems they will help with alignment and provide more surface area for glue.


----------



## Split (Aug 21, 2013)

You can always raise the lever of the cutter by putting a piece of breadboard under the cutter and not under the work piece. I have that with biscuits and dowels. Thanks for the reminder though.


----------



## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

Suppose you were building a quilt rack and were really rushed for time so fancy joinery was out of the question. Would you use biscuits? 
Picture something like a giant-sized toilet paper holder. There is a board 4-5" high on the back, and it attaches to the wall. Two sides attach to that board, and a long fat dowel hangs between those two boards. Then a large quilt hangs on the dowel. So all the weight(Yes quilts can get heavy) is hanging on the two ends, and the only thing keeping them from snapping off the back is whatever is holding them on that 5×3/4" strip where they connect. Would a couple of 0 sized biscuits strengthen that joint?


----------



## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I don't use biscuits in door panels. I make flat panels, so the panel raising isn't the issue for me. I plane my panels to 1/2" thick, and I generally won't use biscuits on stock less than 3/4".

That said, I still use some biscuits on almost every project.


----------



## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

Biscuits, just like any other technique must be carefully thought out beforehand …it's not the biscuit's fault it was cut into the wrong location !!!


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

It's not that I don't use biscuits on projects….I still do….It's just that I've gotten selective about where I use them, and on what project….A lot of my projects surfice with just a good glued -up joint, or mating, such as wide boards for a table top where allignment is pretty critical, without having to do a lot of planing and sanding….I find this true, and a lot of work when the boards don't "mate up" good, so it depends on the project….I'm not for or aganist them…..Just depends on the circumstances…......Chow…...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

In my opinion biscuits went out of favor when Norm went off the air. Some folks like them for panels for alienment purposes but I think there more of a hassle than there worth .With modern glues there's no need for biscuits.


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

My sentiments exactly, Jim…..When Norm left, he took his biscuit cutter with him…..lol….!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Sold my biscuit jointers years ago. Found that they were as Jim said, "more hassle than they were worth".
Didn't add strength to any joint. If strength is needed I always use a spline. Splines provide alignment as well.


----------



## shawnmasterson (Jan 24, 2013)

Please explain to me how a spline is stronger than a biscuit. splines use long grain where a biscuit is like plywood.


----------



## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

+1 to Fuzzy's comment. A craftsman never blames his tools for bad results. Biscuits have their place for some of us and have no place for others. I use a biscuit joiner on some projects and on others I wouldn't dream of it. Kind of like mortise and tenon joints vs dowels or cope and stick. We all have a particular way of doing things. Nobody is completely right or completely wrong. Just different approaches to the same end result.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Shawn 
Biscuits are compressed beach not plywood.splines cover a longer area than biscuits.


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

In my view biscuits have no place in cabinet door making.


----------



## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

One could also make the argument that while splines reinforce the joint, they dramatically weaken the area surrounding it. When cutting the groove for the spline, the side walls of the channel are weakened and prone to cracking.


----------

