"Toller" wrote in message
...
I made my first biscuited miter joint last week; with two 15" wide panels
and three biscuits.
It did not come out well; no matter how much I fussed with it I couldn't
eliminate the gap. Possibly no one would have noticed it, but I sure
didn't like it. (it couldn't have been too bad, as it held my full weight
jumping on it...)
So, I am redoing it, being more careful that my cuts are perfect, and only
using two biscuits.

Well, when I dry-fit it, there still a gap I can't get rid of; the gap is
uniform all across, so my cuts are good. I marked up a biscuit with a
central line, and the central line falls exactly on the edge of the slot.
I have thinking that maybe the clamping on 90degree joints is adequate to
make it work, but the clamping on 45degree joints won't push them
together, and I have to make my slots a hair deeper.

Does this make any sense, or is my problem likely to be elsewhere?

I am not thrilled about the recutting my slots, as they are likely to end
up a bit wider than I would like; maybe I can get away with just deepening
one side?

Are you sure the biscuit is preventing the mating surfaces from closing?
Cutting the slots deeper is not a big deal unless the slot emerges from the
end. You should be able to tell if the (dry) biscuit is more than halfway
into the slot on each side. I routinely cut my slots a touch deeper to
allow for glue expansion and to prevent hydraulic the joint.

Dave



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