Biscuit slots on a shaper? Where to get a reasonably priced cutter?

[Peter Quinn]

I do a lot of cabinets these days with sides flush to the face frames, not by choice mind you, strikes me as the silliest folly ever. But seems some designers are on the reveals are bad flush is good bandwagon, seems to be coming from all directions. Makes drawer slide installation simple anyway!

Sometimes we use biscuits to align FF to case sides, I find that slow and not always highly accurate. I was thinking of running a modified version of the Sommerfield set up, but no tongues and grooves, just slotting the solids on the shaper with a 4mm cutter, maybe slotting the case sides too, then dropping in biscuits as needed. Maybe using the shaper to run the solids which can be narrow and hard to biscuit accurately, and doing the edges of the plywood with the plate jointer. Either way I need a 4mm grooved with 1 1/4" bore.....all I'm seeing in my catalogues are adjustable insert heads that go down to 4mm and start around $400, I'd like a brazed 6z groover just like a biscuit cutter blade but bigger hole. I know I can get cutters to do biscuit slots on a router! Any ideas?

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, I use a 4mm Freud brazed carbide cutter for that.

When I get home I'll look up the part number. It cost me about $100 if I remember correctly.

far better for frames than a biscuit joiner............Rod.

[Rick Potter]

Not quite what you are looking for, Peter, but how about splines rather than biscuits. You could run a quick 1/8" groove on both pieces and have precut splines of 1/8" Masonite or whatever to align them.

Ignore answer, if way off base. I tend to have a lot of dumb ideas.

[Jim Andrew]

Grizzly sells a router bit attachment for a shaper. I have one and use router bits in my Grizzly shaper.

[Max Neu]

i use an Amana insert cutter for what you are describing.I would make both cuts on the shaper, just do the face frame piece prior to building the frame.

[John Lankers]

If you have a Universal Profile Cutterhead, the knives are cheap. I recently picked up a couple of heads with chip limiters on ebay for very little money.

[Max Neu]

Slot Cutter.jpg
Peter,
Here is the Amana cutter I use,it's a 4mm (non adjustable) made for biscuits.I typically run the cabinet sides first,then raise the cutter .040" and run the stiles of the face frames.By raising the cutter,that gives me a slight offset,that I flush trim off with a router after glue up.

[Peter Quinn]

Slot Cutter.jpg
Peter,
Here is the Amana cutter I use,it's a 4mm (non adjustable) made for biscuits.I typically run the cabinet sides first,then raise the cutter .040" and run the stiles of the face frames.By raising the cutter,that gives me a slight offset,that I flush trim off with a router after glue up.

I hadn't seen the Amana non-adjustable insert groover, that looks perfect, just ordered it, Amana is pretty close from here so I should have it quick. Thanks Max for that tip. Thanks for all the replies, I initially figured I would get a freud but did not see any metric slot cutters listed in the US catalogue. Seemed like the most likely source, I smell a conspiracy! Rod can get them....but they won't sell them to me? No wonder we can't establish the metric system here in the states! The spline idea seems good, but I have a lot of #10 biscuits at work and am sort of leaning that direction presently.

[Max Neu]

Peter,
I think you will find Amana's "industrial" line of insert cutters are very good for the price.I remember reading somewhere that Amana doesn't make them,but they are made by a pretty good company,just can't remember the name off hand.I have 3 different insert cutters from them,and I have been happy with all of them.

[Peter Quinn]

Peter,
I think you will find Amana's "industrial" line of insert cutters are very good for the price.I remember reading somewhere that Amana doesn't make them,but they are made by a pretty good company,just can't remember the name off hand.I have 3 different insert cutters from them,and I have been happy with all of them.

We got their lock miter last year, running $800, but thats a fair bit cheaper than many with the same capacity, and its no joke. I have an adjustable angle head in aluminum thats been real handy, bought that for dirt on eBay. I'm thrilled to be getting this one, always happy with amana's stuff. I have this notion that they are the seller here, the same stuff is sold in different markets under different names, may be Swiss made by somebody that prefers to machine than market and distribute?

[peter gagliardi]

I'm assuming you are talking flush on the insides? I have been building cabinets for years with a very simple, strong, and predictable system. I use a 1/4" high x 1/2" wide dado and rabbet system for all the joinery- sides, tops, bottoms , and backs. Unless I am doing a mitered face frame to finished side panel. I have done two jobs recently with flush inside edges. Worked very well, and came out excellent. I must admit that the digital read outs on the slider, and the shaper played a very big role in making a challenging project pretty much a walk in the park.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have been looking to Amana first when I need a cutter. Every one I have bought has been awesome, especially considering the cost. Last one I bought was the large steel glue joint insert cutter, and it was a lot of cutter for the money, performed flawlessly. They seem to be adding to their insert cutter collection slowly.

I also heard somewhere that they were made by someone else, Leitz I think. They do look a lot like the Leitz cutters that I have.

I make up diagonal grain splines for that purpose using a 1/4" cutter, but I may order that cutter and try the biscuits.

[Max Neu]

Edge detail.jpg

I'm assuming you are talking flush on the insides? I have been building cabinets for years with a very simple, strong, and predictable system. I use a 1/4" high x 1/2" wide dado and rabbet system for all the joinery- sides, tops, bottoms , and backs. Unless I am doing a mitered face frame to finished side panel. I have done two jobs recently with flush inside edges. Worked very well, and came out excellent. I must admit that the digital read outs on the slider, and the shaper played a very big role in making a challenging project pretty much a walk in the park.

Peter,
I also do other methods for attaching faceframes to finished sides,it just depends on the style of the cabinet I am working on.I use the groove/biscuit method for the style in the picture.The biscuit biscuit method makes a butt joint,so the joint is disguised by the profile since I use a 3/4" radius round over bit which transitions right at the seam,it works very well for this application.I have to use a #10 biscuit or smaller so they don't poke through when profiling.

[Peter Quinn]

Edge detail.jpg
Peter,
I also do other methods for attaching faceframes to finished sides,it just depends on the style of the cabinet I am working on.I use the groove/biscuit method for the style in the picture.The biscuit biscuit method makes a butt joint,so the joint is disguised by the profile since I use a 3/4" radius round over bit which transitions right at the seam,it works very well for this application.I have to use a #10 biscuit or smaller so they don't poke through when profiling.

For most visable returns, be it a solid panel into solid frame or a plywood return into a solid FF they make me do miters, which I find less than ideal. Nobody wants to see a joint line I'm told....that leaves the wafer thin plywood veneer on a plywood return as one half the leading edge most likely to take a hit, and completely irreparable should something happen. Seems silly to me. I usually do butts with a rabbit for paint grade returns, leaving the rabbit deeper than the panel and flush trimming post glue up. I never miitered a painted return in my life before this job. For stain grade it's pretty much required here, though I do like the way the edge detail covers the joint line very effectively.

[Peter Quinn]

I have been looking to Amana first when I need a cutter.

Me too! I did this time, but didn't see what I needed until Max pointed it out. Amana recently redid their web site....and it went from boring to look at but very functional to flashy trash....I can't find anything on it now, lots of stuff seems to have disappeared but is there if you have a part number, search engine sucks. I should email them, suggest their web design team finish the job!