Larry, I recall you own some Makita tools, and I know you use your tools. I was looking at the Makita plate joiner (J7000). If you have a plate joiner whose precision you are very happy with, I hope that you'll share with me which one you are using. I'm trying to make sure I choose one with a reliable fence.
Of course, anyone is free to reply to this thread.
Bill
Sorry, that was supposed to be PJ7000.
I've got the PC 557 which has a good fence. To be honest it hasn't been used in sometime. If I went looking for it and it wasn't there I would be more worried about not being able to remember what happened to it. Some of it is having the Domino, but had better luck with pocket screws, or splines. But that's just my opinion others may really like and use them.
Mike M
I have the 557 also, and it has been the favorite amongst the old timer's for years, although I couldn't vouch for the current version made in who knows where.
Basically I use mine only for gluing up flat panels and reinforcing miter joints on wide frames, but, and not having a Domino (not worth breaking out the Multi-Router for something the 557 can do) it's not something I would like to be without.
Bill, I'm not sure about the other brands on the market today, but one of the 557's selling points in years past was that it included a smaller blade for face frame biscuit application ... although I don't use it for face frames, it is handy to have that smaller biscuit option, used more frequently than you would suspect at first blush.
Nothing against the Makita as I have no experience with it. I bought the PC557 a number of years aqo not because I needed it at the time, but because I WANTED one
It sat in the shop watching all kinds of projects but rarely was called off the bench. I think I may have used it for its intended purpose three or four times making up some cabinet face frames and it performed as expected. The quality and finish was top notch and I would not hesitate to purchase it all over again... because
Among its hidden talents which I discovered out of desperation (seeking to find an EASY way to undercut door jambs as I was installing a new kitchen floor) is just that: undercutting door jambs for flooring.
It is WONDERFUL at that task. With the fence/blade set at its lowest level it's "just right" for laminate flooring, such as Pergo, et al. Going with 3/4" wood or machined hardwood, etc. just make a spacer plate out of plywood and use the adjustment on the PC557 to fine tune it from "close" to PERFECT.
I'm sorry to hear that.. ; )
One of the many reviews I read, said "be aware that they dropped the price by $20 and stopped including the extra blade, which they sell for $34". The current situation (at Amazon) is that the tool is $207 with only the standard 4" blade.
The P-C 557 was surely on my "short list" (which I haven't quite had for
24 hours yet). I pondered that maybe it was better to buy a tool that has been upgraded more recently, but maybe I have that backwards! P-C surely isn't the label is used to be.You mentioned the smaller biscuits (size "FF"). They sound handy for "alignment" purposes.
I'm going to try to work with some of that Formaldehyde-free ("Purebond") plywood and see if I can do so without experiencing allergic reactions. If so, then I'll procede with this.
It took a long time for the biscuit joiner to make it into my radar screen...much like the "impact driver" did this summer. Gosh, what next! It just doesn't get much more exciting than learning about a new tool you can put to use. Even seeing an old one that someone else put to use is pretty interesting! Tool with the most bank for the buck? Easy...a pencil.
Cheers, Bill
Now that I have better grasp of what is at stake, I'll try to learn a little more about the Domino. My first impression is that it appears "heavier duty". Your post was helpful to me. Thank you!
Bill
We sure have our fair share of "perfectionists" around here! :) Thanks for the lesson!
I have the less-precise HF version, but it works OK. I keep threatening to tear it down and put a simple shim washer in there to make it perform better, but never seem to get around to it. Maybe this winter... The plate has slop so I get wider-than-required biscuit holes. Then again, it was $150 cheaper than the others and I seldom use it. I learned to leave the power on while removing it and it cuts only 0.010" wide that way, and biscuits swell that much. They're on sale for $45 today.
I have a Makita 4-1/2" angle grinder and an HF grinder. Both are great.
The more I use the Makita SP6001K plunge saw, the more I like it. I sold Dina and will use the little Makita and my portable 10" table saw in the future. Between the two, she should be replaced OK. The new owner will be picking it up sometime this next week. He's a high- volume Old Tool owner from Woodburn, up by Portland, OR.
Here's a truly lousy bisquick review:
How about a used DeWally for $120?
-- No greater wrong can ever be done than to put a good man at the mercy of a bad, while telling him not to defend himself or his fellows; in no way can the success of evil be made quicker or surer. --Theodore Roosevelt
RE: Subject.
A PC690, a couple of fly cutters and a 5/32" straight bit eliminated any consideration of a plate joiner for me.
Lew
That's why I still have mine. I have a skylight rebuild to do in my living room where it may be the best solution. I forgot all about the face frame benefit and somewhere I have shims for the face that were available to solve a problem. I need to build storage. I took advantage of the woodpecker full slide drawer deal and plan to build more storage. I should have 10 20" full slide and 10 22" drawer slides by pairs.
Mike M
Having read Mike Marlows post I'll jump in with him. If you don't have a table saw or a great track saw don't buy the Domino. A great table saw will let you build jigs and other things which will do more for you then a biscuit cutter or a domino. Really it should be your primary tool. For some of the projects you've mentioned I would concentrate on the tool which will likely be the center of your shop.
Mike M
Here , here. I don't own a Domino.. I do my M&T using tablesaw , moritsing machine, drill press, router or by hand.
I have a Dewalt biscuit joiner... hardly use it. (it is very good, although not as good as the old porter cable)
What Mike and Mike said is abolutely true. The tablesaw should by higher on your list. I don't know if you have a bandsaw, but that too is above the biscuit joiner. The bandsaw can do cuts that would be too scary on the tablesaw. A good glue joint doesn't require biscuits. The only thing biscuits do is allow you to align more easily (usually) but when edge joining, I stopped using the biscuits. I get better alignment by working the joints. For perpendicular joints, a dado or groove is more efficient, and stronger.
While the need might be there, you can really get by w/o one. Get one used and you'll save yourself some money.
Now I wish I had more time to work in the shop.. the job and 4-5 hours of commuting is eliminating all shop time.. Damn, when you don't have a job you can't work (no funds, no drive) when you have a job ... you can't work... no time..
Looking forward to a day when I can get back to working wood... and soon. To all the other east coasters in the path of Sandy good luck. I put all my stuff high this time.. Irene did me in.. first flood I ever had in this house.. this time all my equip is I hope out of harms way. If we get the 10" that they predict... I may have to move some stuff higher.
Bill wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news6.newsguy.com:
*snip*
Just make sure to get yourself a good pencil sharpener. I went with a manual one that you mount on the wall and use it on average about twice a week.
Used to use a knife before that, and while it worked it was a hassle and took a couple of minutes versus less than 30 seconds with the sharpener.
Puckdropper
I would not want to do without mine, but it really depends on what you want to do. For someone who does a lot of cabinets a table saw is almost a necessity, although many pro cabinetmakers, who work mostly on site, have gone to track saws lately.
Someone who wants to concentrate on furniture may well do better spending money on a top notch bandsaw plus a track saw, especially in a smaller shop.
Agree with you other then I would think with furniture making as oppossed to sheet goods you would really be better off with the tablesaw. I've got a sliding table on the unisaw and still go to the TS55 for sheet goods. But if I had to rip 4X4 material to dimension I would want the table saw.
On Sun, 28 Oct 2012 20:57:52 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
I agree 100%. My Domino is indispensable to me in many areas, but it's always proceeded by what I cut on the tablesaw. I grew up with access to a tablesaw until I bought my first one at 18 years of age. Every shop I used after that was always arranged around a tablesaw.
Eventually, I bought a biscuit joiner that did what it was supposed to. But, once I bought the Domino, the biscuit joiner sat on a shelf virtually unused for the next two years. Ended up selling it and 2000 biscuits for $50. If memory serves, the biscuits themselves cost me $80, but don't regret letting the joiner go one bit.
Most all better brand companies these days make a good plate joiner. The PC 557 is probably the majority choice. And I have that one too.
Agree there, having both the PC 557 and the Domino, choosing the Domino over the PC 557 is like choosing square drive over straight. I keep the PC557 as there are odd times when I need a narrow moon shaped slot, like for a desk drawer lock with the swinging arm that needs to turn into a slot.
Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, good to know!
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