On 2/7/2012 9:32 AM, wrote:
On Feb 7, 8:46 am, Leonlcb11211@swbelldotnet wrote:
On 2/7/2012 8:00 AM, Steve Barker wrote:





On 2/7/2012 7:43 AM, Leon wrote:
On 2/7/2012 7:39 AM, Leon wrote:
On 2/3/2012 9:37 AM, wrote:
On Feb 2, 7:49 pm, wrote:
On Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:04:39 -0600, Leonlcb11211@swbelldotnet

That PC detail sander, 556 PC biscuit cutter, no not the 557, the
Delta
scroll saw, my old Ryobi AP10 planer and my Craftsman jointer all got
scooped up at once.

After two years of sitting on the shelf, I just recently sold my Freud
biscuit jointer for $50. I included a box of 2000 biscuits in the
sale. I can't quite remember what I paid for those biscuits, but I'm
pretty sure it was more than $50. Don't care, my Domino has replaced
anything I ever used the biscuit joiner for.

Surprised by that. Seems for edge gluing 3/4" boards to make a panel,
the biscuit jointer would be quicker and easier and more than good
enough for alignment and strength. Not sure why you would need or
want slip tenons to edge joint boards.

Why would you think the biscuit "joiner" to be quicker and or easier
than a Domino? That has absolutely not been my experience.

Actually why use a biscuit joiner at all if you have the Domino?

The Domino will do much more than simply help with making panels. The
Domino pretty much replaces the bench top mortiser and the biscuit
joiner and does so with much more accuracy than either.

and for the money, it should assemble, glue and clamp the assembly for
you also.

Only if you don't use the machine enough to pay for itself. I figure
mine has saved me in excess of 200 hours of my time in the last 4 years.
Now I don't know what you value your time at but that is about $9K of
billable hours for me. But as with anything if you buy it and don't use
it it is an expensive tool. This time last year I got a job to build 32
maple drawers with 3~4 exposed Domino reinforced tenons in each of the
four corner joints. Those drawers had been previously built by some one
else but a sample of mine earned me that job to rebuild those drawers.
I used almost 400 dominos on those drawers and that job alone paid
for the Domino machine and the Festool CT22 Vac. I cut those 400
mortises and glued in those 400 dominos in 3~4 hours. How long would
that have taken you to to do the same with out the benefit of the Domino
mortiser?

And to go back a post or two, the question was asked why use the Domino
over the Biscuit? When you already own both, the answer is pretty simple.

That is the question. IF you own both, why not use the biscuit joiner
for the job it is really good at? Edge joining boards to make a
panel. The Domino may also be extra good at this. Maybe even
better. But the biscuit joiner can edge join boards in seconds. On
my DeWalt, just flip the fence down to 90 degrees, set the cutter to a
#20 biscuit, plunge. Done.

Precisely the same for the the Domino, it operates "EXACTLY' like and
adjusts just as fast as the biscuit joiner. It closely resembles my PC
557 biscuit joiner. The difference is in the results, you get a 5~12mm
thick straight sided mortice that can be set for a precice fit so there
is not left,right,up, or down movement of the mating surfaces..vs. a
5/32" thick oval slit which does OK with up and down.


The Domino will take a second or two
longer because it is cutting a deeper and thicker mortise.

Maybe "1" second longer but the fit of the cut is 5 times better. You
do not have as much glue that escapes the slot during insertion of the
tenons, the tenons do make the surfaces align properly at the tenon
location even if one of the surfaces is not flat, I have had numerous
instances in the last 20 years where the biscuit just did not have the
grab and or strength to not flex and would allow mating surfaces to not
be perfect.

Edge
joining does not require much extra strength besides what the board
edges provide and the biscuits are mostly for alignment purposes.

That is true if jointing solid wood to solid wood. The domino ads great
strength to mitered corners, plywood to wood and plywood to plywood
edges, MDF to MDF edges, any type of butt joint.


And
the biscuits are much cheaper than Dominos. From a cost perspective,
the biscuit joiner wins over the Domino. Now obviously for anything
requiring the strength of the slip mortise and speed, the Domino has
its place. But edge joining boards into a panel, the biscuit joiner
seems the better tool. If you own the Domino, no reason to buy a
biscuit joiner. But if you own both already, don't see the point of
selling the biscuit joiner for almost nothing.

Lets look at that. Apples to Apples in similar quality, 1000 assorted
PC Biscuits for $27 or Freud for $31 through Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Freud-900-XX-B...630086&sr=8-10

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-5...8630274&sr=8-2

Or 1800 5mm Dominos for $75. from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-5...8630274&sr=8-2

3 cents each for the Biscuit or 4 cents each for the 5mm Donino.
All things being equal with similar size the much better Domino is 1
cent more expensive than the biscuit per unit.

So owning both would it be worth your time to drag out the biscuit
joiner for this specific job over the Domino to save 20 cents on 40
cuts? As little as I use my biscuit joiner I wold loose $1 in time just
to get the ladder and pull it down from the top shelf and return it
after cutting those few slots.

Don't get me wrong here, I probably used 2~3 thousand biscuits on the
past 20 years. I have used in excess of 2 thousand Dominoes in the past
4 years. I clearly see and have first hand knowledge why the Domino is
the better choice in all instances.

BUT if you only have the biscuit joiner and don't sell your work a
Domino might not be for you. If you appreciate the precision and
quality of the cuts and fit that the Domino affords you for everything
that it allows you to do it is a big time saver.