I'm making some basic boxes out of 4/4 walnut (16"X20"X8") as floating night
tables. I have to join them now. I was considering dovetailing, but I'm
running short on time. So now I'm thinking screws and plugs or biscuits.
I've never used biscuits before. Is it ok to use them on solid wood instead
of plywood? Or would they split the wood when they expand. If ok, what size
biscuit would be recommended. Thx.
"SofaKing" <sofaking@sofaking!@#$.com> wrote in message news:<FpvWb.475864$ts4.86076@pd7tw3no>...
> I'm making some basic boxes out of 4/4 walnut (16"X20"X8") as floating night
> tables. I have to join them now. I was considering dovetailing, but I'm
> running short on time. So now I'm thinking screws and plugs or biscuits.
> I've never used biscuits before. Is it ok to use them on solid wood instead
> of plywood? Or would they split the wood when they expand. If ok, what size
> biscuit would be recommended. Thx.
Of course!
I use as large of a biscuit as the joint will allow.
"SofaKing" <sofaking@sofaking!@#$.com> wrote in
news:FpvWb.475864$ts4.86076@pd7tw3no:
> I'm making some basic boxes out of 4/4 walnut (16"X20"X8") as floating
> night tables. I have to join them now. I was considering dovetailing,
> but I'm running short on time. So now I'm thinking screws and plugs or
> biscuits. I've never used biscuits before. Is it ok to use them on
> solid wood instead of plywood? Or would they split the wood when they
> expand. If ok, what size biscuit would be recommended. Thx.
>
>
If you're in a hurry, do you really want to be chasing down and learning a
new tool? Dovetails or biscuits will work fine, but for 'quick and looks
just fine', screws and plugs can get you to the finishing stage more
quickly. And the finishing process, especially with walnut, always seems
to take longer than I have budgeted for it.
Now, if you happen to have a good neighbor with the tools and know how
already, go with the biscuits. But it won't be any stronger than the other
two methods you mentioned, (assuming a biscuited butt joint.)
Of course, if what you want is to buy a new tool, I assume I speak for the
group: "Go ahead! Buy that sucker!" (My yellow one works just fine,
BTW.)
Patriarch,
who believes that walnut was made for a good oil & wax finish....
On Wed 11 Feb 2004 02:08:52p, Biff Steele <[email protected]> wrote
in news:[email protected]:
> There are tales of folks gluing up table tops with biscuits and
> seeing a ghost-outline of the biscuit but I've never seen it.
I remember a thread about that a long time ago. Maybe even a whole year.
The explanation that made the most sense to me was that the biscuit swells
from the glue, and doesn't completely shrink back till about 24 hours
after. If you sand the panel before that, you're sanding swollen wood above
the biscuits. When they finish drying it leaves a biscuit-shaped depression
on one or both faces. All of this dependent on how much the biscuit swells,
how much the wood bends out of shape, the weather, the temperature, and
wierd stuff going on at Edwards Air Force Base.
Dan
PC biscuit cutter is high priced, $200 at Lowes, but the FF biscuit
sure comes in handy
Biff Steele wrote:
> There is absolutely no problem doing this. I've done it
> dozens...nay...hundreds of times. In fact I often have wondered how
> well it would work in plywood<G>.
>
> There are tales of folks gluing up table tops with biscuits and
> seeing a ghost-outline of the biscuit but I've never seen it.
>
> If you're going to look at b-joiners, take a look at one that can cut
> for the FF biscuits. My neighbor has one and uses it on small face
> frames and such where a 10 would be too big. He has a porter-cable and
> I assume it was pricey since it requires a second blade for the FF
> plates.
>
> cheers
> jb
>
> On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 19:30:45 GMT, "SofaKing"
> <sofaking@sofaking!@#$.com> wrote:
>
>
>>I'm making some basic boxes out of 4/4 walnut (16"X20"X8") as floating night
>>tables. I have to join them now. I was considering dovetailing, but I'm
>>running short on time. So now I'm thinking screws and plugs or biscuits.
>>I've never used biscuits before. Is it ok to use them on solid wood instead
>>of plywood? Or would they split the wood when they expand. If ok, what size
>>biscuit would be recommended. Thx.
>>
>
>
>
> Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
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I have two of them (the PC 557). They are great tools.
"Rick Samuel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> PC biscuit cutter is high priced, $200 at Lowes, but the FF biscuit
> sure comes in handy
>
> Biff Steele wrote:
>
> > There is absolutely no problem doing this. I've done it
> > dozens...nay...hundreds of times. In fact I often have wondered how
> > well it would work in plywood<G>.
> >
> > There are tales of folks gluing up table tops with biscuits and
> > seeing a ghost-outline of the biscuit but I've never seen it.
> >
> > If you're going to look at b-joiners, take a look at one that can cut
> > for the FF biscuits. My neighbor has one and uses it on small face
> > frames and such where a 10 would be too big. He has a porter-cable and
> > I assume it was pricey since it requires a second blade for the FF
> > plates.
> >
> > cheers
> > jb
> >
> > On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 19:30:45 GMT, "SofaKing"
> > <sofaking@sofaking!@#$.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I'm making some basic boxes out of 4/4 walnut (16"X20"X8") as floating
night
> >>tables. I have to join them now. I was considering dovetailing, but I'm
> >>running short on time. So now I'm thinking screws and plugs or biscuits.
> >>I've never used biscuits before. Is it ok to use them on solid wood
instead
> >>of plywood? Or would they split the wood when they expand. If ok, what
size
> >>biscuit would be recommended. Thx.
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
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Yes, biscuits work just fine on solid wood, maybe even better than on
ply
John
On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 19:30:45 GMT, "SofaKing"
<sofaking@sofaking!@#$.com> wrote:
>I'm making some basic boxes out of 4/4 walnut (16"X20"X8") as floating night
>tables. I have to join them now. I was considering dovetailing, but I'm
>running short on time. So now I'm thinking screws and plugs or biscuits.
>I've never used biscuits before. Is it ok to use them on solid wood instead
>of plywood? Or would they split the wood when they expand. If ok, what size
>biscuit would be recommended. Thx.
>
There is absolutely no problem doing this. I've done it
dozens...nay...hundreds of times. In fact I often have wondered how
well it would work in plywood<G>.
There are tales of folks gluing up table tops with biscuits and
seeing a ghost-outline of the biscuit but I've never seen it.
If you're going to look at b-joiners, take a look at one that can cut
for the FF biscuits. My neighbor has one and uses it on small face
frames and such where a 10 would be too big. He has a porter-cable and
I assume it was pricey since it requires a second blade for the FF
plates.
cheers
jb
On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 19:30:45 GMT, "SofaKing"
<sofaking@sofaking!@#$.com> wrote:
>I'm making some basic boxes out of 4/4 walnut (16"X20"X8") as floating night
>tables. I have to join them now. I was considering dovetailing, but I'm
>running short on time. So now I'm thinking screws and plugs or biscuits.
>I've never used biscuits before. Is it ok to use them on solid wood instead
>of plywood? Or would they split the wood when they expand. If ok, what size
>biscuit would be recommended. Thx.
>
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