The advantages of biscuit joiners
The trick to successful biscuit joinery is
cutting the slots in exactly the right
spot so that the parts will line up correctly
when they’re joined. Biscuit joiners
have an adjustable fence that can be
used to align the slot,
but in this article we’ll
show you a different
technique. Instead of referencing the
slot from the fence, we’ll show you
how to reference the slots from the base
of the tool. This method has a few
advantages. It’s simpler to make an
accurate slot because the tool is steadied
against the workbench rather than
the tool’s fence. Another advantage of
this method is that you don’t have to
readjust the fence for every cut. In this
story we’ll show you how to use the
bench reference method to join cabinet
parts. We’ll show you how to join
cabinet panels, face frames and 1/2-in.
drawer material. You can use the same
technique for any biscuit joint.
Technique 1: Join plywood with the bench reference method
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Photo 1: Mark the biscuit positions
Align the two parts to be joined end to end. Then number the parts
and draw pencil lines where you want biscuits. In our example, the
lines will be inside the cabinet.
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Photo 2: Rest the base of the joiner on the bench
To cut accurate slots, rest the biscuit joiner on the workbench
instead of the fence. It's more stable and doesn't require any
setup.
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Photo 3: Hold the panel with a right angle support
The support keeps the panel steady and at an exact right angle.
Then use the same method of resting the base of the biscuit joiner
on the benchtop to cut the slots.
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Photo 4: Add glue and biscuits
Brush glue into each slot. Then slide biscuits into the slots. Brush
glue into the slots on the second panel before you joint the two.
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Photo 5: Fit the panels and clamp
The base of the biscuit joiner and the panels were
against the bench top when the slots were cut, so
the joints will line up perfectly.
Photos 1 – 5 show the steps for joining 3/4-in. plywood without
using the fence. On most biscuit joiners, the slot will be
pretty close to centered when you use this method. But even
if the slot is a little off-center, it’ll still work fine as long as
you orient the biscuit joiner and pencil marks as we show in
the photos. Here are a few tips to ensure perfect joints:
- Work on a flat surface. The top of a table saw or a solid-core
door is a good choice.
- Clean sawdust off your work surface before each setup.
- Hold the base of the biscuit
joiner and the workpiece
tight to the work surface
as you cut the slots.
Adjustable fence on biscuit joiner
Cutting Slots Without the Fence
All biscuit joiners feature a
fence that can be adjusted
up or down and pivoted at
varying degrees for cutting
slots in beveled edges.
Some woodworkers prefer
not to use the fence when
cutting slots. Instead, they
use various spacers and jigs
to cut accurate, consistent
slots every time with far less
hassle. For most of the tips
we show, the adjustable fence
is simply locked in the upright
position.
Technique 2: Support narrow face frame parts against a block
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Photo 1: Use a template to align the slot
Cut a biscuit slot in a scrap of wood and mark the center and the
size of the slot, in this case No. 0. Now use the template to position
the biscuit mark. We offset this slot to the top where the protruding
biscuit can be cut off and the slot won't show.
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Photo 2: Screw plywood to the bench as a clamping aid
Line up the end of the part with the end of the
clamping board and clamp the two together. The
wide end makes a stable surface to press the biscuit
joiner against.
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Photo 3: Cut the side slot
Align the center marks and cut the biscuit slots. The clamping
block makes a solid surface to push against.
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Photo 4: Assemble the face frame
Spread glue in the slots and insert the
biscuits. Align the parts and clamp them.
When the glue dries, cut off the protruding
biscuits.
It’s tricky to cut slots in the ends of narrow parts using the
biscuit joiner fence. The small surface area makes it hard to
hold the biscuit joiner stable. But it’s easy to cut accurate
slots in narrow parts using the bench reference method. The
photos here show how. We also show how to cut the biscuit
slots off-center so the biscuit will protrude on one side only.
This is handy if you want to join narrow parts and the biscuits
are too large.
Technique 3: Make biscuit joints in thin material
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Photo 1: Label parts and mark biscuit locations
Avoid confusion by carefully labeling
all the parts. Then mark
where you want
the biscuits.
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Photo 2: Don't adjust the fence—use spacers
Instead of adjusting the fence to cut slots in thinner material, add a spacer underneath.
You'll get great results as long as you use the same spacer when you cut the slots in
the adjoining panel (see Photo 3).
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Photo 3: Place the spacer under the end of the panel
Make sure the spacer doesn't protrude past the face of the panel. Then rest the base of
the biscuit joiner on the workbench when you cut the slots.
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Photo 4: Glue and biscuit a perfect joint
Since both parts were held up the same amount by the spacer, the
parts will line up exactly when you assemble them with biscuits.
You can use the same bench reference
method to cut slots in material
thinner than 3/4 in. by placing spacers
underneath. Subtract the thickness of
the material from 3/4 in. The difference
is the spacer thickness. We
show cutting slots in 1/2-in. plywood
drawer parts. Without the spacer, the
slots would be too close to the edge.
But with the spacer, the slots are
nearly centered. Photos 1 – 4 show how.
