What are the pros and cons of the Craftsman/Ryobi style joiner as compared to the more common style such as freud and dewalt. I spoke to a local woodworker who specialized in custom furniture and he loves the craftman because it is easier to use with one hand.
Did he say why he used it one handed?
I have a dewalt biscuit joiner. Couldn't be happier with it.
I don't see a one handed biscuit joiner (bj).
Why would you want a one handed bj when you could get a two handed bj?
I had a Ryobi. The slots that it cut were so wide it did practically nothing to aid in alignment.
Err, I don't know where to start............ ;)
There is always more control on your wood with a two handed bj than a one handed bj.
More control = more satisfaction and enjoyment.
One handed operation is useful for tight locations etc. Keep in mind biscuits are used for more than aligning boards for glue up.
On 3 May 2005 19:03:13 -0700, the inscrutable "Mike Granby" spake:
A one-handed job allows her to get more depth, and that's what counts! Tickle them tonsils, boys!
I had a girlfriend with the same problem
1) One big con with the Ryobi is their tendancy to leave customers high-and-dry with respect to parts. When replacement blades go to the aftermarket you can expect to pay 3 to 4 times the price. 2) #1) above might be an advantage for Craftsman. While the quality of some of their stuff varies from good to not-so-good, they do a pretty good job of supporting customers with parts and service publications. 3) I have owned a Dewalt for 6-7 years and love it. I think its high point is the head adjustment.
BTW - running a biscuit jointer one-handed can be hard on wood and bodies. They are high-speed cutters and a slip or catch can result in a pretty hard jerk right out of the stock..
RonB
The craftsman and Ryobi mini-biscuit joiners are the same thing except one is black and the other blue. For small biscuit needs these are quite nice tools. I find the mini-biscuit that the use to be much nicer for small projects that the mini biscuit used by whatever standard joiner has the replacable mini-blade (either the frued or PC, I forget). I believe that you can get the Ryobi mini and one of the big name standard joiner for less than the joiner with the two different size blades. Since you don't have to switch blades I would think that this would be preferable in itself and for small jobs, like I said, the Royabi is nicer to me.
That being said, the Ryobi is not acceptable for larger jobs. Even its biggest biscuit is much smaller than a standard 0 biscuit and is tiny beside a 20 biscuit. So for me, either get both or get a standard one unless you only do small stuff like picture frames.
Dave Hall
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