Biscuits, dowels or other??

[andywhy]

Hi

I am currently quite competent in constructing furniture etc out of mdf by glueing and screwing, filling holes and providing a painted finish but am looking to progress.

I would like to move onto using veneered or melamine faced MDF but am aware that it would be better to use a less "destructive" method of joining i.e. not drilling through the "good" face.

I am aware of dowel and biscuit joinery and seem to tend towards the biscuit method as it seems quicker and more fool-proof - not that i am a fool!

My question is whether you can recommend a decent biscuit jointer, and how much I should be spending for a decent model that will provide the required results and last for a few years.....or should I move onto dowelling first, and if so can you recommend a jig system.

thanks a lot

Andy

 

[big-all]

decent biscuit joiner around £200
cheaper ones pays you money and take your chances

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/offers_week38Sunday09.htm

£30 for a machine and bickies got to be worth a punt

dowels routing and sanding also covered

 

[dextrous]

An alternative would be to buy a biscuit bit for your router

 

[andywhy]

hi again big-all

just a thought to add

Would biscuit jointing allow me to progress?? Sorry if this sounds a bit vague but i think that what i want to ask is whether this type of joining is "acceptable" if I were to progress further, or would it be frowned upon once I got to a certain level - if i ever get there!!

Andy

 

[wotan]

Being a purist, I think progress would be to use real wood, instead of re-constituted cardboard.

Wotan

 

[big-all]

hi again big-all

just a thought to add

Would biscuit jointing allow me to progress?? Sorry if this sounds a bit vague but i think that what i want to ask is whether this type of joining is "acceptable" if I were to progress further, or would it be frowned upon once I got to a certain level - if i ever get there!!

Andy

horses for courses realy if you are competing with the "ARGOS" catalouge then only the visible finnish matters

if you are going for premium products but simmilar to the argos catalouge then use bickys to the argos speck

but in general when you show the argos catalouge tell them it will be twice the price for the same item minimum

buiscut cutter or 4mm groove and 4mm ply in contunuous strips to fit in the groove

progress from what i am not shure!!!

basic butt join with glue
then butt with screws and glue
then butt with dowels or bickys
then cabinet rail type router cutter
then lock bit cutter
now your onto moulded rails and dowels
then your into mortice and tennon area

but in general bickies/dowels are great with any boards off 12mm or above dowels are great with with material twice the dowel thickness and bickies are best at 11mm minimum they will work with 9mm or less but your talking close tollerences and swelling out of shape

 

[gregers]

if your only using the jointer for only a few hours a day then i see no reason why the link that was provided would not suffice,i bought a jointer(ferm)for screwfix about 7 years ago AND IT GOT ABUSED some big jobs for £50 and its still going,i now also have a dewalt that basically does the same job but YOU know its a better machine,saying that if it was my money then i wouldve bought the cheap 1.
but imo any machine is a lot better then buying the biscuit cutter for the router,but each to there own.

 

[big-all]

if your only using the jointer for only a few hours a day then i see no reason why the link that was provided would not suffice,i bought a jointer(ferm)for screwfix about 7 years ago AND IT GOT ABUSED some big jobs for £50 and its still going,i now also have a dewalt that basically does the same job but YOU know its a better machine,saying that if it was my money then i wouldve bought the cheap 1.
but imo any machine is a lot better then buying the biscuit cutter for the router,but each to there own.

remember the the thread on screwfix about the the ferm lol bit long winded

 

[Thermo]

do ryobi make one big-all?

 

[big-all]

do ryobi make one big-all?

no but if they did they would be the the greatest in the world -------------------















or was that the heinekin advert i cant remember

 

[gregers]

if your only using the jointer for only a few hours a day then i see no reason why the link that was provided would not suffice,i bought a jointer(ferm)for screwfix about 7 years ago AND IT GOT ABUSED some big jobs for £50 and its still going,i now also have a dewalt that basically does the same job but YOU know its a better machine,saying that if it was my money then i wouldve bought the cheap 1.
but imo any machine is a lot better then buying the biscuit cutter for the router,but each to there own.

remember the the thread on screwfix about the the ferm lol bit long winded

what thread was that then??

 

[big-all]

http://www.screwfix.com/talk/thread.jspa?forumID=22&threadID=4473&messageID=49069#49069

 

[Thermo]

do ryobi make one big-all?

no but if they did they would be the the greatest in the world -------------------















or was that the heinekin advert i cant remember

really, i thought they would be light to medium trade!

 

[big-all]

do ryobi make one big-all?

no but if they did they would be the the greatest in the world -------------------















or was that the heinekin advert i cant remember

really, i thought they would be light to medium trade!

ooooooo your so predictable

 

[andywhy]

Big thanks for all your replies.

Despite all the good advice I have purchased a router instead!?!?

I am thinking that in the order of tool purchases a router would be far more useful and offer much more flexibility than a tool that does just one thing