I want to make a replacement tabletop out of oak, with jointed pieces.

Do I really need biscuits for the joints? Is the glue not strong enough?
What did furniture makers use before biscuit joiners? I guess I could use
splines, but I've never been able to get them perfect.

Thanks for any opinions and experience.

"Perry Aynum" wrote in message
Do I really need biscuits for the joints? Is the glue not strong enough?
What did furniture makers use before biscuit joiners? I guess I could use
splines, but I've never been able to get them perfect.

Glue is strong enough if you can get it all clamped down and glue dried
while keeping the boards aligned. Biscuits in the case of a tabletop are
primarily valuable for board alignment.

Perry Aynum wrote:
I want to make a replacement tabletop out of oak, with jointed pieces.

Do I really need biscuits for the joints? Is the glue not strong enough?
What did furniture makers use before biscuit joiners? I guess I could use
splines, but I've never been able to get them perfect.

Thanks for any opinions and experience.

Biscuits are not necessary in the least for this long grain to long
grain gluing task.

They can, however, be helpful in keeping the boards aligned during the
assembly and clamping process, but at your discretion.

And while they may add some small bit of measurable strength, it would
be negligible compared to the inherent strength in a long grain to long
grain glue-up.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

I have been woodworking for 30 or 40 years and biscuits are a relative
newcomer to the craft. Folks have been edge gluing with white glue,
and previously animal glues, for generations by producing good
straight joints and clamping them up. I do own, and use, a biscuit
joiner and find it very useful in helping align the edges of a glue
up. There are tons of "studies" regarding the strength advantages of
biscuits and they do undoubtedly enhance a glue up. But they are more
handy than essential.

BTW, Biscuits do not guarantee a flat table top. You still have to
pre-fit, fiddle, glue and then fiddle to get it perfect.

Then sand an little.

RonB

On 5/9/2009 6:03 AM spake thus:

BTW, Biscuits do not guarantee a flat table top. You still have to
pre-fit, fiddle, glue and then fiddle to get it perfect.

Then sand an little.

Better yet, plane a little.


--
Save the Planet
Kill Yourself

- motto of the Church of Euthanasia (http://www.churchofeuthanasia.org/)

On May 9, 2:26*pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:

Better yet, plane a little.


You don't understand my skill-set. Once I get it glued up, I don't
want to screw it up. I can control a sander better than surface
planing.

Not a complete idiot with a plane but, .... well.................You
gotta understand my skill-set. :^)

RonB

wrote:

===================================
You don't understand my skill-set. Once I get it glued up, I don't
want to screw it up. I can control a sander better than surface
planing.

Not a complete idiot with a plane but, ....well.................You
gotta understand my skill-set. :^)
===============================
That's why I use a commercial drum sander.

Lew

On 5/9/2009 12:30 PM spake thus:

On May 9, 2:26 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:

Better yet, plane a little.

You don't understand my skill-set. Once I get it glued up, I don't
want to screw it up. I can control a sander better than surface
planing.

Not a complete idiot with a plane but, .... well.................You
gotta understand my skill-set. :^)

You should try a plane sometime. Really.

One important thing is to have a decent plane, by which I mean one with
a *really sharp* iron. Doesn't have to be a $1000 Lie-Nielsen, either.
(Another thing is being able to secure the workpiece so it doesn't move
around.)

Some woodworkers are overly intimidated by the idea of hand-planing. A
little practice is all you need.

It's *such* a better way to remove wood than grinding with abrasives,
which is a brute-force method by comparison.

Try it; you'll like it. You probably have more skills in that set than
you know.


--
Save the Planet
Kill Yourself

- motto of the Church of Euthanasia (http://www.churchofeuthanasia.org/)

"Perry Aynum" wrote in message
...
I want to make a replacement tabletop out of oak, with jointed pieces.

Do I really need biscuits for the joints? Is the glue not strong enough?
What did furniture makers use before biscuit joiners? I guess I could
use splines, but I've never been able to get them perfect.


Glue / clamps have always worked for me. But then again, I don't have one
of them there fancy biscuit thingies.

Gotta plane / sand after the glue sets to even it up.

--
Geoff
The Sea Hawk at Wow Way d0t Com
remove spaces and make the obvious substitutions to reply by mail
When immigration is outlawed, only outlaws will immigrate.

On May 9, 6:26*am, "Perry Aynum" wrote:
I want to make a replacement tabletop out of oak, with jointed pieces.

Do I really need biscuits for the joints? *Is the glue not strong enough?
What did furniture makers use before biscuit joiners? *I guess I could use
splines, but I've never been able to get them perfect.

Thanks for any opinions and experience.

I've made a lot of table tops, and I avoid biscuits, Dominoes and
splines unless I'm really trying to maximize overall thickness from
material that's less than straight. And even then I find that
judicious use of clamping cauls works just fine. Mill your stock
well, lay it across a couple of level boards and clamp it up,
alternating the bar clamps top and bottom to help maintain flatness.
If you need to you can use a small bar clamp to align the ends of
recalcitrant boards, or even use a couple of cauls if things are
really awry.

JP

Better yet, plane a little.

You don't understand my skill-set. Once I get it glued up, I don't
want to screw it up. I can control a sander better than surface
planing.

Not a complete idiot with a plane but, .... well.................You
gotta understand my skill-set. :^)

You should try a plane sometime. Really.

Oh, I have a couple of planes and do use them but mostly for edge
planing. I have done some surface planing but I usually call on my
old Ryobi surface planer. Don't get much practice that way.

Maybe lazy.

Ron

On 5/10/2009 6:49 PM spake thus:

Better yet, plane a little.

You don't understand my skill-set. Once I get it glued up, I don't
want to screw it up. I can control a sander better than surface
planing.

Not a complete idiot with a plane but, .... well.................You
gotta understand my skill-set. :^)

You should try a plane sometime. Really.

Oh, I have a couple of planes and do use them but mostly for edge
planing. I have done some surface planing but I usually call on my
old Ryobi surface planer. Don't get much practice that way.

If you can edge-plane, you can certainly surface-plane. Getting a nice
straight edge with a plane is much more difficult than touching up a
surface. (To me, anyhow.)


--
Save the Planet
Kill Yourself

- motto of the Church of Euthanasia (http://www.churchofeuthanasia.org/)

Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe wrote:

"Perry Aynum" wrote in message
...
I want to make a replacement tabletop out of oak, with jointed pieces.

Do I really need biscuits for the joints? Is the glue not strong enough?
What did furniture makers use before biscuit joiners? I guess I could
use splines, but I've never been able to get them perfect.


Glue / clamps have always worked for me. But then again, I don't have one
of them there fancy biscuit thingies.


I've tried it both ways and have found that the biscuits actually are more
hindrance than help. They are also just another thing to have to consider
if you are going to do any shaping of the top after it is glued up. Taking
one's time gluing works just as well and any imperfections can be
hand-planed off pretty quickly.


Gotta plane / sand after the glue sets to even it up.


--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough