Popular Woodworking 2000-02 № 113, страница 35
One of the more vilified but useful tools is the biscuit joiner. Purists see it as a low-quality shortcut to joinery, and the strength of the joint formed by a biscuit is hotly debated. While biscuits might not be the best in all applications, there are so many places where a biscuit makes construction and assembly faster, more precise and in a number of cases stronger, that biscuit joiners are popular tools. Unimportant Features Biscuit joiners are what we call a "franken-grinder" (an angle grinder with a carbide blade and fence). The motor is rarely an issue except in dense woods. Then there is dust collection. The ports clog too quickly to be useful, and if you hook the tool to a shop vac, the tool is awkward to use and harder to keep accurate. Fence This is the most important feature. Some fences offer settings only at 45 degrees and at 90 degrees. Others offer a range of settings from 0 to 90 degrees and beyond. The accuracy of these fences and the ease of adjustment are critical to the value of the tool. Rack-and-pinion fences are more accurate and reliable, with double rack and pinion twice as nice. Locking levers provide adequate accuracy as well, but are harder to adjust. If you're using your biscuit joiner for straight cuts, there's no need for a fancy fence. But if your woodworking takes you into the realm of odd angles or chair construction, you need an adjustable fence. Biscuit Sizes The size of biscuits accepted is standard on all machines, with two notable ex ceptions. The Porter-Cable 557 accepts two different-sized cutters to allow the use of smaller face-frame biscuits, as well as standard sizes. So if you build a lot of face frames, this is the tool to buy. The Ryobi DBJ50 (and the Craftsman 17550) are designed to use only three sizes of mini biscuits for face frame and craft-oriented applications. Pins or Pads? To keep the tool from wandering during the cut, biscuit joiners have pins, rubber pads or an abrasive attached to the area surrounding the blade. Pins can mar the wood, but that might not matter because the tiny holes will be concealed in the joint. Which system is best is entirely up to you. pw
42 10 Popular Woodworking February 2000 |
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