On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:13:22 -0500, krw wrote:


A while back I bought a PC biscuit jointer and have just gotten an
excuse to use it. I broke it out today, planning to add an Ash edge
some plywood for a cabinet I'm making and have run into some
questions:

1. The biscuits seem pretty loose in the slot. I can move the boards
laterally a 64th or so. Is this normal? I thought they'd be more
like dowels and be quite tight. I know the idea is that they expand
when glued but the slop isn't giving me much confidence. My plywood
is somewhat warped so there is no way the biscuits are going to hold
the two pieces laterally. It seems I'm going to have to make some
cauls this weekend.

2. Is the PC jointer supposed to sound like a coffee grinder? I would
have expected the sound from HF, but not a "high end" jointer like the
PC. I can't feel any slop in the bearings so I don't think this
accounts for any slop, but thought I'd ask.

Thanks.

The biscuits move pretty freely along their length. Across their
width, they're usually snug but not tight -- they slip in and out of
the slot easily and yeah, they might rattle around by a 64th, I guess.
But that all changes once you apply the glue. They swell up and after
a few seconds you'd have a hard time pulling them out if you wanted
to. (Experiment on a piece of scrap wood -- you'll see what I mean.)

Yeah, the PC is noisy and a bit rough sounding and now that you
mention it, a lot like my coffee grinder. Not to worry.

(And if you want a really interesting sound, remove the
dust-collection canister and hook up a shop vac hose to catch the
chips. It sounds like a fire siren!)


Reply-to address is real
John