Lamello Dosicol glue applicator

[zug]

Hi,

I have a few newbie questions regarding the Lamello Dosicol glue applicator as used with biscuit joinery.

I read about it in Anthony Guidice's book: Quick & Easy Custom Cabinets. (A great reference BTW.)

He gives this work aid a high recommendation. I've used it to build a few projects and it does make quick work of spreading the glue around. (Naturally after I bought it I found other much less expensive glue applicators that supposedly work "just as good" but hey, I've got it, I'm going to use it.)

Here's my questions:

So just how much glue are you supposed to put in your biscuit slots?

Nobody ever talks about that. You don't want so much glue in the slot that it oozes out but how much is enough? The Dosicol has an adjustment ring in the base of the unit. I fiddle with it but I'm never really sure if I'm putting the "right" amount of glue in a #20 slot. I only want to depress the applicator one time per slot.

I haven't had any projects come apart. The joints seem plenty strong but I sort of wonder about such things from time to time.

Maybe the slot doesn't really need an "exactly the right amount" of glue in order to be a full strength joint?

I also get different reports on whether or not put also put glue, via brush or dip method, on to the biscuit itself. (This would be in addition to the glue you put in each side of the joint. This is the method that Anthony Guidice recommends.) I've read/seen other via videotapes that don't put the extra glue on the biscuit.

What do you think?

If you had a complex assembly, can you do a sectional glue up? (I haven't experimented with this yet. I was sort of thinking that if you applied glue to one side of the joint it would swell the biscuit up so much you wouldn't be able to get the other half of the joint together.)

Thanks for your help.

zug

[Leon]

Snip

I have owned this glue aplicator for about 15 years. I cannot remember the last time that I used it.

Enough that the biscuit is covered but not so much that when you squeeze the joint together that you get a mess.

Yes you have to experiment with it. If you can see a bit more squeese out at the biscuit spot vs. the other locations you have the plunger set about right.

Snip

I now use a regular bottle of glue and acid brush. I brush glue on the biscuit only and place it in the slot after glueing the edge of the wood.

Basically I found that the despenser worked will once set up. Clean up was way way too time consuming IMHO. I have had no failures brushing the glue onto the biscuit and it takes little time unless you plan on glueing all day long.

[Robatoy]

Way back when..... I originally used the small glue bottle that came with the original Lamello jointer. It is all I use today. The Dosicol was just not convenient. When it came out, I HAD to have one.... should have bought a movie and a bite to eat instead. The original dispenser has two little grooves on opposing sides to the nipple (relax, Larry..) which put glue on the inside of the groove. Very handy. I see it around for 25-30 Canadian Dollars. It's Lamello.

[zug]

Thank you both for your replys.

Zug

[Rumpty]

You want both sides of the grove wet, and you want no squeeze out when you insert the biscuit. You do NOT put glue on the biscuit prior to insertion, and the preferred glue for biscuits is Yellow Elhmers. FWIW my shop uses 10K biscuits a year and we've been using biscuits 23 years now.

Rumpty

[CW]

I take it that you believe in biscuits. :)

[Robatoy]

I took a look at it in the shop, because I knew it had a name: Lamello Minicol.

[Rumpty]

Actually my wife, kids and mortgage company believe in biscuits! Lot's of negative comments float through the wreck from time to time about biscuits. They are a great tool for woodworking, learn how to use them and your wife, kids and mortgage company will be happy!

R

[Leon]

A lot of Urban Myths follow the biscuits.

[CW]

Not being a professional woodworker and having bought some tools over the years that promised great things and really didn't deliver, I held out for some time buying a biscuit joiner. I had also read a lot of those claims about them being useless. Some months ago, I decided the only way I was going to know for sure was to use one for a while. I bought the Dewalt. I should have done this years ago. Great tool, excellent joints, very strong and very fast. Wouldn't be without one now.

[Robatoy]

I'm a huge biscuit fan. I did a whole bunch of tests (some on a bet) and biscuits make too much sense not to use them.

[CW]

You can't make a statement like that and leave it alone. Tests? We need results. We're listening. :)