Popular Woodworking 2001-06 № 122, страница 18

* 1R

0° to 135° fence adjustment

JOINER

We dissect 10 models to find out what's important, and skim the grease from the gravy.

Biscuit joinery is one of the newest concepts in woodworking, but the tools themselves are actually descendants of the angle grinder. In many ways a biscuit joiner is a simple tool: a 4" blade spins on the end of a basic universal motor. The feature that tends to divide the tools is the fence. But even there, the principle is still the same. Though the fences can make the process more convenient and offer a variety of angles to make the slot, they all exist to perform the same fundamental function: locating the slot.

Body Styles and the Fence

Biscuit joiners are available in two body styles, in-line (where the motor is directly over the blade) or right angle (with the motor essentially behind the blade). All but two of the joiners currently sold are the right-angle variety. The two in

line models are both manufactured by Ryobi (one under license to Sears). It's fair to say the right-angle type is the more popular design, and rightly so. While the inline version is less complicated mechanically and makes a less jarring noise (no transverse gearing), the high center of gravity makes it more awkward to use. The right-angle orientation allows the user to put the energy directly behind the blade during the plunge cut.

Fences also come in two basic designs. The first style has a removable fence that's used for right-angle cuts. When you want to cut at an angle other than 90°, you remove this fence and flip down a second fence to the desired angle. The second type of fence has one single fence that can flip down to cut at 90° and at other angles. The method of adjusting the fence can be significant in the performance and con

venience of the tool. Fences can be made of steel or plastic, but the great majority are made of cast aluminum (Ryobi's products are again the exception). The Porter-Cable 557's fence is the best in our minds because it offers continuous adjustment to 135° with no loose parts to lose. However, the two-piece fences are certainly serviceable. The difference in fence designs doesn't appear to affect price.

Some fences offer detents at commonly used angles, while others offer a simple graduated scale to determine the angle. All the joiners tested are capable of cutting biscuit slots at zero and 90° to the wood surface. Most will adjust to angles between 0° and 90° as well, while seven of the 10 will adjust to make slots at up to 135° to the wood surface.

Another variable with fences is the method used to keep the joiner face from

by David Thiel

Comments or questions? Contact David at 513-531-2690 ext. 255 or DavidT@FWPubs.com.

28 Popular Woodworking June 2001