Popular Woodworking 2001-06 № 122, страница 24

Few tools generate as much passionate debate as a biscuit joiner, arguably the most important woodworking tool invention in the last 50 years.

Learn how to make your biscuit joints stronger, faster and more accurate.

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The three most common sizes of biscuits: a #0 (the smallest), a #10 and a #20.

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my first woodworking class years ago was all about hand-cut joints. We cut mortises, tenons, dovetails, half-laps, bridle joints, you name it. All with hand tools. It's a lucky thing a coping saw doesn't make much noise because while cleaning out my 114th dovetail pin I overheard a classmate talking about biscuits.

Biscuits, he told us in hushed tones, are a faster and easier way to join wood. But some people, and he looked up at that moment to see if our instructor was looking, think that biscuits are cheating. Well that was enough for me. I had to find out what all the fuss was about.

As it turns out, biscuit joinery is, in actuality, cheating — the same kind of way that nuclear weapons are cheating. Like 'em or not, they get the job done faster than anything else out there. Biscuits aren't right for every situation (chairs come quickly to mind) but for many projects, biscuit joints are just the thing.

First, they're strong. Lamello, the inventor of biscuit joinery, has done extensive stress tests on the joints. In one of these tests the scientists joined two pieces of beech end-grain-to-end-grain using a #20 biscuit. This is just about the weakest joint I could imagine. Then they had a machine grab each end and pull the thing apart. It took an average of 972 pounds of force to destroy the joint. Not bad for a little wafer of beech or birch.

Second, they're fast joints to make. We checked the amount of time it took to make several common joints for face frames. The winner was the pocket screw, but that's because there's no clamping time. Take the clamping time out and biscuits and pocket screws are a tie for the fastest method.

Finally, they're safe and easy to use. It's difficult to hurt yourself with the machine, and injuries are rare. In fact, I know of only two ways an injury can occur. First, the tool slips or kicks out of a cut and your left hand gets chewed up before the blade retracts. Or second, you plunge the biscuit joiner before you turn it on. The tool walks into your hand that's holding the piece and up your arm. I'll show you how to build a simple jig that will quickly clamp narrow pieces and make it almost impossible to hurt yourself.

If you've never used a biscuit joiner, it probably will take you about five minutes to learn the basics. That said, there are some tricks to ensuring that all of your joints are perfectly lined up. Because the tool is so fast, it's easy to get lazy and a little sloppy.

by Christopher Schwarz

Comments or questions? Contact Chris at 513-531-2690 ext. 407 or ChrisS@FWPubs.com.

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24 Popular Woodworking June 2001