Biscuit Joiner for trim work...

Submitted by andjarnic on Tue, 10/12/2010 - 07:07

Hi all,

 

I am working on a few projects, hope to post some here soon with pics and such. One of them is the twin storage beds, the pottery barn knock-off. When adding the 1x2 trim to the boxes, I tried using the pre-drill method, with wood screws, and kept on splitting the trim wood (it's pine). I have a compressor and nail guns, thought about doing that, but before doing so, talked to a neigbhor of mine who also does projects like these, and suggested I use is biscuit joiner and wood glue. I tried it out and love it. No nails/screws, very easy to do, looks great/professional. Only problem is, the joiner he has is no longer made, and the biscuit sizes, R1/2/3 (using R3) are next to impossible to find.

 

So.. I was thinking of picking up the Dewalt or Porter Cable joiner, each is about $200. They do size 0/10/20, and I think the porter cable does size FF (for face frame) which is smaller than 0. The joiner my friend used with size R1/2/3 are even smaller and great for this. My concern is, are the size 0 biscuits too big for 1/2" to 3/4" wood sizes? The FF sizes, which I found plenty of Bosch FF sized (175 count) at Lowes for $7, so plenty around.

 

For the end results, to me, it seems worth it. It's easy to use, looks professional, very strong joints when all done.

 

So looking for anyone that has used this before? I do use my Kreg jig for the bigger boards, but for trim work, what do you think?

suzieandjesse

Tue, 10/12/2010 - 09:48

Interesting thought - can you provide some pictures, perhaps?  I know what a biscuit joiner looks like but having pics would aid in the discussion I think.

 

I've only ever used my nail gun with brad nails - That's always done the trick for me, for what it's worth.

andjarnic

Tue, 10/12/2010 - 13:00

Hi,

 

The joiner I just bought today.. (praying it's my last tool for a while... wife is going to kill me)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-C.....amp;sr=8-1

 

Basically the idea is that the biscuits allow you to get a perfectl lined up edge line as you put the trim on. Since trim often "bends" a little bit as you deal with longer pieces, it's easy to have slight variations at different sections. The joiner eliminates this for the most part, while providing a bit stronger joint at the same time. For trim, I am not so sure the Kreg jig would be ideal for the task compared to the biscuit joiner. I have been looking to get the "micro" kreg jig tool, with the smaller screws/jig/drill bit as it fits 1/2" wood and such, but haven't been able to get ahold of one just yet.

suzieandjesse

Wed, 10/13/2010 - 03:02

Yeah, I've never used the Kreg Jig to do trim work as well.  I know what you mean about working with a long piece of trim though, for sure.

 

You've done a bad thing by showing me that tool though - now MY wife might be wanting to kill me!  "Hey honey, so I found this other tool...."  Hah.

andjarnic

Thu, 10/14/2010 - 05:12

Hey DynamicDuo... I said the SAME thing to my neighbor when he brought his over. A tool I didn't even know about. Worse, since my neighbor's used a size of biscuit that seems to be impossible to readily get (size R3), I just had to buy this tool. It's smallest size is FF, which is a little bit longer than the size R3 biscuit. Worked great.. the 7.5amp motor just tears through wood instantly. I did put the 2" blade it came with in tho, for the FF sized biscuits. I still have to learn to use it for non-flushed trim. For example, the trim you apply at the bottom of a box that has a 3/4" extended side below the bottom shelf. I have a few joiner holes that were not used, thanks to not paying attention to that "small" issue. :D