If you’ve suddenly discovered a new-found appreciation for carpentry and woodworking, a biscuit joiner might just be the tool you’ll be interested in. Aside from the usual hammers, screws and nails, wood craft has actually evolved to include some highly specialized tools and equipment that makes woodworking easier. If you’re not looking into carpentry as a career option, then knowing a few things about it won’t hurt, especially if you want to become an all-around handyman in your home. Knowing just the basics about tools, processes and learning to use them can save people lots of time and money. To start off, here are some of the frequently asked questions (and corresponding answers) about biscuit joiners.

What are biscuit joiners?

Biscuit or plate joiners are woodworking tools used to connect two pieces of wood panels. The general idea is two slots are cut into the edges of the panels facing each other using the biscuit joiner. A biscuit, which is a thin piece of compressed wood shavings, is liberally soaked in wood glue and inserted into the slots to join the panels. In the process, the biscuit expands and creates a very strong bond between the pieces of wood. Biscuits come in a variety of standard sizes to match the depth and width of blade of biscuit joiners. Learn how to use a biscuit joiner.

Where did biscuit joiners originate?

Hermann Steiner, a Swiss carpenter, invented the biscuit joining process during the 1950s. It was by pure happenstance, while looking for a way to join chipboard, that he thought of the four-step Lamello wood joining system: groove cutting, gluing, joining, and finally clamping. Subsequently, there came further improvements such as the use of the circular saw and the creation of the first stationary biscuit joiner. The portable version followed soon thereafter. Steiner’s legacy continued with the incorporation of the family carpentry business into Lamello AG, which to this day continues the tradition of manufacturing some of the best biscuit joiners in the industry.

What are the uses of biscuit joiners?

The primary purpose of biscuit joinery is to connect and bind panels or sheet goods. It’s not entirely limited to solid wooden panels as it can also be used to connect particle boards and fiberboard. There are also specialty biscuits in the market made of metal connectors or hinges, even removable panels, to fit different carpentry needs.

Some specific uses include aligning sheets or panels, and butt joints. For example, when assembling a tabletop, drawers, even door and window casings. Joiner biscuits can’t be used to replace traditional joinery all the time, especially if the wood is heavy and thick, but can be relied upon if the pieces are lightweight. Biscuits also help with aligning boards during glue-ups.

What are the different brands of biscuit joiners?

Aside from Lamello, there are also other companies that make biscuit joiners. Porter Cable, Makita and Dewalt are just some of them. They even carry models with interchangeable blades. Festool is another manufacturer that makes something similar to a biscuit joiner. They call the tool the Domino. It’s equipped with a rotary blade which then makes a domino-shaped cut. The process used by the Festool Domino creates loose mortise and tenon joints in the wood using wood thicker than a typical biscuit. Check out our biscuit joiner reviews article.

Recommended Resources:

• History of biscuit joiners
• Porter-Cable joiner biscuits
• How to use a biscuit joiner – Video
• Replacement Cost HQ
• WTWIACC

While using a biscuit joiner, you soon realize how versatile they are. You can use them for most woodworking jobs. From miter joints, joining sheet goods, lightweight mortise and tenons to even helping you align pieces during glue ups. Today I want to talk about some of the available accessories for your biscuit joiner.

Self Clamping Biscuits

Self clamping biscuits clamp the wood during a glue up. They pull the joints together using the curved ridges on the outside of the biscuit. All you need is a biscuit clamp and a hammer, no tools required. Ideal for face frames for doors or furniture, cabinet bases and toe kicks, picture frames and much more. Just cut the groove in both pieces, put some glue around the biscuit slots, and insert the clamps.

Biscuit Joiner Hinges

When using a thin-kerf blade in your biscuit joiner you can use biscuit hinges for items like a jewlery box and light weight doors on a small cabinet. Both ends of the hinge slide into biscuit slots, leaving you with a clean look without using screws. The hinges stay in place using a barbed pattern on the wings of the hinges.

Recommended Resources:

• Biscuit Joiner Accessories
• Joiner Slot Hinges
• Self Clamping Biscuits
• Windshield Replacement Cost

When you hear the word biscuits you might be thinking cookie variety, but there’s more than one biscuit in the world
and they’re not all edible!

Biscuits in woodworking speak are a little round, flat piece of compressed wood shavings usually made from beech wood. When
used in conjunction with biscuit joiners, they link or connect sheets or panels of wood, fibreboard, particle board and the
like without using nails or screws. Learn how to use a biscuit joiner.

Not all biscuits are alike though. They come in a variety of types and sizes. There are standard biscuits available and there are also proprietary sizes, used specifically for brands such as the Porter-Cable 557 biscuit joiner. Depending on what woodworking project you’re working on at the moment, the biscuit you’ll need may vary. All biscuits are made at a uniform thickness of 5/32 inch. It is the width of the oval that changes.

Standard Biscuit Sizes

Standard biscuits come in #0, #10 and #20 sizes.

#0,  or the smaller biscuit, is 1 and 3/4 inch long and is 5/8 inch wide. This is the smallest size and is best used for areas that
are relatively free from pressure or stress. They’re perfect when used for smaller wooden pieces and narrow settings such
as doorframes.

#10, or the medium biscuit measures 2 and 1/8 inch long and 3/4 inch wide. These are the go-to biscuit and
the ones which hardware stores will have plenty of. They are the perfect size  for T-joints, butt joints and more.

#20, or the large biscuit, measures 2 and 3/8 inch long and 1 inch wide. These are used for pieces that support weight or areas
susceptible to stress or strain. With a bigger biscuit comes a stronger hold due to the greater exposed to wood glue.

Porter-Cable Biscuit Sizes

Porter Cable biscuits have four variations: the #FF, #0, #10 and the #20. The first is their smallest version and it is 1
and 13/64 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. #0 is 1 and 21/32 inch long and 5/8 inch wide; #10 has a width of 25/32 inch
and is 2 and 3/64 inch long; and finally, #20 is 2 and 9/32 inch long and 15/16 inch wide.

If you’re unsure of the size when choosing a biscuit for your project, in my opinion, always go for the largest biscuit possible.
Also, remember that wood glue must be applied only when you’re about to insert the biscuit into the slot, as biscuits will
expand after a certain period.

Recommended Resources:

• Joiner Biscuits
• Porter-Cable Joiner Biscuits

A friend of mine let me borrow his biscuit joiner over the weekend to try it out. I thought I would write up a quick article on how to use a biscuit joiner. The following steps will help describe how I use a Biscuit Joiner.

The two boards I joined used the Biscuit Joiner were going to be a table top, so I needed both of them to be the exact same thickness. I sent both of my boards through a planer several times until they came out right at 3/4 of an inch. I would like to also mention that if you are using raw wood from a kiln, or hardwood/lumber store (not a big box store like Lowes or Home Depot) the edges of the wood will be rough and will need to be cleaned up using a jointer or a table saw.

Lay the boards out on a table edge to edge and draw a line connecting both pieces of wood where you want the biscuits to go. Its a good idea to place a biscuit every 8 inches for added strength. With the lines laid out, position the biscuit joiner so that the indicator on the fence lines up with the line on your board. Set the height adjustment fence so it rests on top of the board. Moving the fence up and down determines where the slots are going to be cut in the wood. This is especially important if you are using a Biscuit Joiner for T-joints. The angle/bevel adjustment fences allows you to position the Biscuit Joiner to cut on different angles. This is a really important feature for cutting biscuit slots on your miter joints for added strength.

Before we cut the biscuit slots, lets double check the slot depth is on the correct setting. I will be using #0 biscuits for my test boards. With both fences set , the depth knob on the correct biscuit size and the board clamped to a workbench, turn the Biscuit Joiner on and slowly push the joiner forward, cutting into the wood. Do this for the remaining lines on both boards.

Now that we have matching holes on the two boards, it’s time to add the glue and biscuits. When the biscuits come in contact with glue, it causes them to expand which adds strength to the joint. With the biscuits in and both boards joined, throw a set of clamps around the boards. Here’s a little tip i learned about removing the excess glue during glue-ups. Let the glue sit for about 20 minutes, or until it starts to become solid, and take a putty knife and scrape the glue off. It should literally “pop” off, leaving you with a clean surface. If you whipe the glue off while it is still wet, it will smear into the fibers leaving a surface needing to be sanded.

I found this quick but informative video that shows what I talked about above.

Recommended Resources:

• How to use a biscuit joiner – Video
• How to use a biscuit joiner – Article

If you’re contemplating purchasing a biscuit joiner, then this is for you! When buying tools, you have to know what you
need and what the product can deliver in relation to its selling price. In order to get the best offer, don’t just buy
the first biscuit joiner that you see. Comparing features can help you decide on a product that’s the best match for you!
Here are some of the most popular biscuit joiners available in the market with accompanying overviews.

1. Dewalt DW682K 
This Dewalt model sports a one-piece, dual rack-and-pinion adjustable fence design that supports angles from 0 to
90 degrees. The highly stable fence design guarantees that the blade and the fence are parallel at all times, resulting in
accurate and perfect joints every time you use the DW682K. With a 6.5 amp, 10,000 rpm motor, this machine is capable
of producing enough power to make precise cuts even in the toughest woods. It’s a dependable tool that can be used
either as a handy, moving tool, due to its relatively light weight of 6.6 pounds, or clamped down, thanks to its non-
marring, aluminum shoe. It also comes equipped with anti-slip pins to help hold pieces in place.

2. Porter-Cable 557
This easy to use tool comes equipped with a 7 amp, 120v motor with a rotating blade speed of 10,000 rpm. The fence
can go from 0 to 135 degrees with a pivot point that allows it to supply precise height measurements. The Porter-Cable
557 has seven cutting settings that can accommodate a variety of fastening accessories and different wood types. It also
has micro-height adjustment knob, and adjustable stop at 90 degrees and a fencing plate for stability. Changing and
removing blades can be done in a pinch, thanks to the keyhole-slotted blade cover and the accompanying spindle lock.
The Porter-Cable 557 works with size 0,10 and 20 biscuits and has a system that can house two blades, a4-inch one for
standard cuts and an optional 2-inch blade for smaller cuts.

3. Makita 3901
The Makita 3901 has four key features: first, the smooth rack-and-pinion vertical fence adjustment; second, the one-
touch, 6-position depth setting gauge that supports the most common biscuit sizes; third, 4-inch blade diameter with
maximum cutting depth of 25/32-inch; and fourth, the precision fence with positive stops at 0, 45 and 90 degrees. This
model has a 5.6 amp motor with a blade speed of 10,000 rpm. It’s a perfect tool if you’re working on furniture or for the
delicate pieces in woodworking. It has a non-marring rubber strip insert to keep it stable and to prevent slipping, as well
as a shaft lock designed for ease when changing blades.

4. Festool Domino
The Festool unit is not technically a biscuit joiner as it has a mortise and tenon configuration instead of biscuits. It has
a patented mortising technique and simple indexing features. Mortise width can be adjusted with the simple turn of a
dial and a pivoting fence allows the creation of angled mortises from up to 90 degrees with positive stops at 22.5, 45,
67.5 and 90 degrees. The cutting mechanism of the Domino is made up of a carbide-tipped spiral cutter that rotates and
oscillates resulting in clean and perfect mortises every time. It’s a portable tool that supports a range of tenon sizes and
types. While being more expensive, people absolutely love the Domino. It is a very high quality machine that excels in areas the biscuit joiner doesn’t.

There you have it, four viable biscuit joiner options for the carpentry or woodworking enthusiast. Each is equipped with
its own special features so it’s up to you to decide which one will best fit your needs.

Recommended Resources:

• Biscuit Joiner Reviews
• Makita 3901 Review
• Dewalt DW682K Review