Biscuit joiner - what ya like?

[Bill Blackburn]

In need of a replacement for one that walked off......
It was a very old DW - anyone got one they want to call Top Dog?

Hate to drop a wad on something I'll use at best 2x a year but ..... maybe that have to be done.
Like the Kreg jig for 95% of yesteryears joiner needs but there is always that time when it not the best solution.
Thanky all


BTW-winter's really here

[Charlie Jones]

I have a Dewalt. It works fine and is accurate.

[Tom Cornish]

Got a Domino - sold my Porter Cable 557. I don't miss it.

[frank shic]

Got a Domino - sold my Porter Cable 557. I don't miss it.

ditto

forget about trying to build anything that requires resistance to shear forces. i'm still nervous about the stool i made for my in-laws and warned them not to sit or stand on it lol

[Erik Christensen]

what tom & frank said

i have a nice low mileage dewalt that has not been used since I got my domino

[Neil Brooks]

P-C 557.

BUT ... a lot of people DO say that their biscuit joiners collect dust -- whether because they bought Domino's, or because they simply don't use biscuits very often.

I like mine ... for glue-ups ... but could easily live without it -- particularly since I've bought, and become accustomed to using, a glue joint router bit.

[Jon McElwain]

Yeah, your "top-dog" is going to be the Lamello S4 for biscuit joiners. They make a model C3 joiner as well. It is just a little smaller and a few less features. Lamello is on par with Festool and Fein as far as quality and hand power tool fit and finish.

After that, the Porter Cable seemed to be the one that I would have gone for. It also got top reviews (under the Lamello) in the Bosch/Makita/DeWalt/Porter Cable/etc. level of tools.

All that said, I ended up buying a Festool Domino like some of the other posters here. Very nice machine. A little bit of a learning curve, but once you've done a couple projects with it, it is like a bicycle - even 6 months later, you are still able to pick up the machine and go to work.

So, if $900 doesn't scare you off, go for the Domino. If you really need a biscuit joiner the Lamello is the top dog (top price too at around $500?), I would recommend the Porter Cable if you're looking to spend in the neighborhood of $200. Of course, others here have said that the Dewalt is a decent machine, and it is in the same price range as the Porter Cable.

Hope that helps!

[Keith Hankins]

Got a Domino - sold my Porter Cable 557. I don't miss it.

I did the very same thing. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Chip Lindley]

My first-ever biscuit jointer was a gently-used Lamello Jr. Great tool, but it lacks the rack n pinion fence. I keep it set to cut in the center of a "3/4" panel. That is it's only inconvenience. It will run forever!

More convenient are the DeWalts and Porter-Cables. Rack n Pinion makes all the difference in finding the right thickness setting again. Great CL bargains on both. You could have 3 or 4 of these for the price of 1 Domino!

[Paul Johnstone]

I have the porter cable biscuit jointer. I know I am in the minority, but it actually gets about the same amount of use as the domino. I even have Plano clamps which allow me to get good glueups without biscuits, but I still find uses for it.

The PC biscuit jointer lets you cut small FF sized biscuits. This is a great feature, and well worth paying the extra $50 or so for.

[Bill Blackburn]

Man o man o man ..... why did I ever start playing this tool game

To much to digest for the day .... 15 dominos would be dang near what I paid for house #1. Sold it for about 210K way back when .... things getting way to spendy for a hobbiest I am sensing. They chased the young hunters and fisherman away when boats hit 40K ....

Thanks --- need a day to get it right inside my skull and before I pull the plug on anything I guess.
Does whomever grabbed my old one want to return it and make this easy for me please

[Gary Curtis]

Setting aside the specific manufacturer of the tool, you can have the best by choosing genuine Lamello biscuits. Side by side comparisons with other brands prove they have the best quality.

By this I mean they are accurately sized and well-made. A lot of error can creep into joints because of the poor quality Borg-bought biscuits. Purchase the best materials and you can skimp on the cost of the machine.

Incidentally, I have the top of the line Lamello, but experience tells me that the real difference is in their biscuits. If I had less money, I would buy a DeWalt and still get equal results.

[Bill Blackburn]

Thanks Gary ... and everyone.
I'm leaning at the DW or maybe the PC .... the old DW was not fancy but did what I asked of it for many years w/o a complaint when I look back.
Some mucho compelling options for sure - but I still remain at heart somewhat frugal all in all. I keep saying I am but a hobbiest, I am but a..... and an old one at that

[Lance Norris]

Bill... I have a GMC(not the truck)biscuit joiner. Lowes sells, or used to sell them. It does a fine job, isnt crappy, and was reasonally priced. For as many times as I use it, it sure does the job.



http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/reviews/gmcBJ110.htm

[Peter Pedisich]

I have a DeWalt that I'll be selling to get a Domino...
The DeWalt works perfectly once I ditched the Porter Cable bicuits for Virutex from Lee Valley. They are much more consistent. The Lamellos are probably even better.