Biscuit joiner

Even here in humid Houston I take no special precautions and its never been an issue.

Reply to
Swingman
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Slightly off topic but I looked at the prices for the biscuits at HD while I was looking at the joiners and I noticed that were priced at about $5 for

  1. When I got back to the office, I checked Lee Valley and they sell them for .50 for 200 or .50 for 1000. I think I'll be buying mine at LV.
Reply to
efgh

What brand are you using. I have some Freud's and they are just as likely to fall in the slot or need to be hammered. I keep them in a Tupperware container. I strongly believe that brand has a lot to do with how well they hold up in humid conditions. Or maybe it may likely be the quality control at the factory. They may always have had to be hammered or soaked in water for a decent fit. LOL.

Reply to
Leon

How about 1000 for $20:

Reply to
B A R R Y

They ship via UPS and according to shipping instructions, UPS charges $16 for the brokerage fees plus shipping charges. I'll stick to Lee Valley. Thanks.

Reply to
efgh

messagenews:_rf7i.4597$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net...

Don't forget your friends at Busy Bee.

Reply to
Robatoy

I have both PC brand that I've had around for years, in a size I don't use very often, and some that I do that I bought in a huge bag at the woodworking show a few years ago.

Maybe, like plywood, biscuits aren't what they used to be?

Speaking of which, yesterday I bought a sheet of QSWO 3/4" that had voids in it, and a sheet of both "Russian" and "Baltic" birch 1/2" plywood that is visibly not up the quality of the scraps left in the shop from the last time I bought, middle of last year.

Things are more than halfway to hell in this country and you can now see/feel the heat in things like plywood in just a few months time.

Reply to
Swingman

hold up in humid conditions. Or maybe it may >likely be the quality control at the factory. They may always >have had to be hammered or soaked in water

Leon I have been using the Porter Cable Brand for a long time and they have a pretty consistent "not quite snug finger push fit". I buy them at Amazon since they have the best price with free shipping on the 1000 pack.

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actually bought one of those 1000 biscuit packs of #20s and used everything down to the last few broken ones. It literally took about

3 years, and they were always in that bag with the top folded over. That's it for humidity protection. And while we aren't Houston we can hold our own with humidity. (It has lightened up this morning and is a mild 74% this morning.) I never had swelling issues. Besides, I was on another tack: like flooring, I wanted my biscuits to swell as much as possible BEFORE using them so they wouldn't swell inside a joint. But I never had a swelling problem there, either.

I only have an occasional biscuit that is larger or looser than the rest. I am suspecting quality control as well as I would bet none of these guys make their own biscuits, but actually job them out.

This is one of those issues that was a favorite a couple of years ago on the group and people reported that they saw swelling of their joints at the biscuit points. I always wondered if they were the guys that hammered or tapped the biscuits in. If I find one they won't go in with finger pressure or a very slight tap, at 0.02 each, I'll set that one aside.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

So we're all supposed to guess you're not in the US after you mentioned Home Depot?

It's still a good deal for those who are, or if you need something else from them, or wait for it... can walk in!

Reply to
B A R R Y

Lamello biscuits are very uniform in thickness and seldom flake apart. But mine are just in a cardboard box in plastic bags...one is opened, same thickness as the sealed bags.... I think we're over-reacting the the biscuit storage issue. Maybe I should develop a biscuit humidor.. should sell well to all the anal wood-dorkers out there... freon powered dryer...I'll make millions...MILLIONS!!!!

Reply to
Robatoy

That's more information than I need. . . . . . . ohhh the biscuits...naaa.. I never had a problem with them either... other than some cheapos I bough, which were all over the map in thickness, and flaked apart. But that os years ago. Now I spend a few extra dollars, and enjoy Lamello brand biscuits. I hear the Keebler ones aren't too bad either.

Reply to
Robatoy

"Swingman" wrote in news:0padncFg6sojC8DbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Well, mebbe. Sometimes.

The neighbor who got me into this hobby was building a television stand for one of his friends from work. Really nice oak veneer plywood. Picked up at the local HD.

Some days, you're the windshield. Other days, the bug. ;-)

Patriarch

Reply to
Patriarch

Reply to
Mike Berger

Hey, at least it isn't as bad as it was many years ago. High humidity was as good an excuse as any for swelling issues!

I actually decided that after my personal experience with the biscuits not needing a sterile, zero humidity, temperature controlled environment that it was an issue that I should ignore on this venue. Long held beliefs that are parroted by someone without actual experience can be hard to shake loose.

Almost as bad are the talented and experienced. Once they have something in their head... >>it must be right

Reply to
nailshooter41

I used to use PC and do recall them being less of a problem. Seems the more recent biscuits are the ones with the problem. IIRC I would get 10-12 thick ones in a new bundle of 1000. I have been using a plate joiner since 1989 and have used thousands. I really seldom use the new 557, well new 7 to 9 years ago, because of the inconsistancies in the biscuits that I was getting. In the batch of biscuits that I was using last week I bet every other biscuit hade to be hammered or persuaded with the clamps to close the gap. Normally I would toss the biscuit but I was afraid I would run out. I solved that problem with the Domino, I hope. ;~) Either way I think the swelling is probably a mistaken condition that is probably a QC problem 99% of the time with certain brands. IIRC I got a deal on Lamello biscuits many years ago and they were very good. Really and truely, if you consider that they are all stored in the same place, if swelling was an issue it should affect all of them, not just a few. Probably further proof that it is a QC problem rather than a swelling problem

Now here is a hoot, I just measured my biscuits. Not sure of the blrand but they have 20 USA on the side and hace a small diamopnd pattern around the flat and surface where the lettering is. They measured any where from .1565" to .1590" in thickness, a difference of up to 2.5 thousandths. Not much.

In another container P -o-C on one side and 0 USA on the other and they measure .1460", .1645", .1580", .1655", a difference of almost 2 hundredths. So much for PC. LOL

According to PC their cutter cuts in widths of .155" to .160" 2 of the 4 biscuits would be a tight fit.

Reply to
Leon

I have always believed/known that biscuits add a lot strength to a butt joint, mitered joint and when adding solid wood to the edge of plywood. not so much for solid wood joined edge to edge.

Reply to
Leon

Due to the discussion hereabouts I paid attention this afternoon while using both #20, and #FF biscuits, to frame 3/4" ply with 2" wide 3/4" oak edging.

The PC #FF biscuits for the mitered corners were all over the place in thickness, but only one out the one's I grabbed didn't go in with finger pressure. It was a different color, much darker than the others.

It dawned on me that the mitered end grain FF biscuit cut would have been a job for the Domino ... it would have kept me from having to change the 557's big cutter for the FF cutter.

Hmmm .... ;)

Reply to
Swingman

Heh. About 6 years ago I built a 2-seater with a slatted back for some friends. All the slats were put in with bisquits. A couple of (hyperactive) kids have been using that thing as a jungle gym ever since. Still as good'n tight as the day the glue set. I think it helps to use the good compressed beech Lamello bisquits rather than some softwood junk, though. I've seen bisquits that looked like reconstituted pine to me :-\

-P.

Reply to
Peter Huebner

Oh noes!! Hurries!!! Maybe that $ 40.00 discount is still happenins!!!

Reply to
Robatoy

"Swingman" mused

That is, of course, assuming that those big buck tenons provided by Festool don't vary all over the place in thickness.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

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