Biscuit jointer vs dowling jig

I got a cheapo biscuit jointer from LidAldi, and have used it on a few extra jobs to the one it was bought for, but of course you can't buy their tools when you need them ... but if you want expensive get a Domino.

My metal dowel jig hasn't had much use, the last time I used dowels I wanted 15mm, so had to make a custom guide anyway.

These things are very handy for the odd doweling job.

I have used those before - they are a possibility, though I have struggled to drill the holes sufficiently at right angles.

I stumbled across this:

which looks interesting -

That's got the drill guide, for smaller dowells I should be able to use my 10.8V power drill (small and light).

Anyone used one?

Rutlands were touting what looks like it could be a reasonable chepie recently:

It depends on what you are doing...

Thinks like aligning long edge glue ups, biscuits are very good for. Dowels also work but are more fiddly to use in that applications. For things like joints into end grain, then dowels are usually better.

(dowels align on two axis - biscuits only really on one (although there are some nift Lamello biscuits designed to hammer into perpendicular slots that then pull joints together nicely).

I watched a youtube video and the guy compared different joints. The biscuit joint was little better than a butt joint

It's not the individual joints which hold a useful structure together, it is the overall structural design. If you are making (say) a basic bookcase with butt jointed shelves and vertical members, biscuit joints let you put it together quickly, provided you cut the members accurately enough (sawboard!) If you then screw and glue 6 mm ply on the back to take the shear, the whole structure becomes very strong (even if you don't rebate the back). Dowelling the back might be theoretically better but suitably sized screws with pilot holes work too.

Hi John,

That's at a rather good price - thanks for the link.

Interesting - thanks for the explanation :)

Looks better than the toolsatan cheap junk that I returned, 90 degrees my arse!

Depends on what you think its doing. Its not a replacement for M&T joints etc, but its a quick way to to make assembly fast and accurate, while adding a bit of additional strength in some axis.

If you want the speed and ease of biscuit jointing, but real joint strength as well, then get a Festool Domino system. Just make sure you are sitting down before looking at the price!

It looks like an updated version of the one I've had for 20+ years.

With care, you can get good results. Mine has a guide which clamps on the underside as you look at the photo for some joints. It can be a pain to get right/stay where put.

As others have said, a biscuit jointer is expensive for a one off. Dowels are cheap and easy.

Have you considered just glue and clamping?

Clever...

But *ow!*

Basic design looks ok similar to the woldcraft, but as I said it was something like 88° rather than a right angle, normal 'quality' for Silverline ...

If you want a Biscuit bit for a Router ... I have one I no longer use - happy to sell

Now go look at the XL version ;-)

(to be fair, in a production shop it would probably pay for itself in the first week)

Worth noting you can do similar but a little less quickly with a plunge router and a mortising jig and some home made slip tenons.

bodger ...