Shultzy
Established Member
Screwfix have a Ferm biscuit jointer for £25, got to be a good buy
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro ... 3&id=17569
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro ... 3&id=17569
Biscuit Jointer
- Thread starter Shultzy
- Start date
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Philly
Established Member
Beware, Shultzy!
Mine was a piece of poo....... :?
Philly
Mine was a piece of poo....... :?
Philly
Shultzy
Established Member
I'm glad I've already got one
Smudger
Established Member
I got one when they were £79!
It's been fine for rough(ish) work.
It's been fine for rough(ish) work.
andycktm
Established Member
Mine works reasonably well
OPJ
Established Member
I've had a couple of problems with mine...
First of all, the fence doesn't seem to be parallel to the blade, so joints need a fair amount of sanding after glue-up. I don't know whether the fence can be adjusted so instead I use thin scraps underneath the jointer and forget the fence altogether. Which is fine for standard 90 degree work of course...
The second gripe I have with this tool again involves using the fence. I find I can lock the depth setting as tight as I like (without over-tightening!) and yet, after the first few boards have been done, I'll look back and realise the setting has moved so that some joints are lower than others and, therefore, the boards don't line up.
The numbers of times I've had to recut the slots and inserts TWO biscuits, I could tell you...
Aside from this, though, it seems pretty good value to me. :?
First of all, the fence doesn't seem to be parallel to the blade, so joints need a fair amount of sanding after glue-up. I don't know whether the fence can be adjusted so instead I use thin scraps underneath the jointer and forget the fence altogether. Which is fine for standard 90 degree work of course...
The second gripe I have with this tool again involves using the fence. I find I can lock the depth setting as tight as I like (without over-tightening!) and yet, after the first few boards have been done, I'll look back and realise the setting has moved so that some joints are lower than others and, therefore, the boards don't line up.
The numbers of times I've had to recut the slots and inserts TWO biscuits, I could tell you...
Aside from this, though, it seems pretty good value to me. :?
mailee
Established Member
Well mine seemed to cut too wide a slot and the biscuits wobbled about! I have to say the fence seems to be in line with the base plate though. I have been considering buying a decent blade for it.
I got one too, about £50 a few years ago.
When tilted, the fence wasnt parallel.
A little bit of shimming out to get it straight and it worked a treat. I leave it in there all the time now.
The other problem i had was the depth adjuster, after about 6 months the thread in the casting had virtually stripped. So the wheel did have the tendancy to turn just out of position. Again fixed easily with the aid of a tap and a slighty larger screw.
But for £30 and a few adjustments surely they are not to be sniffed at for someone who rarely uses one!
When tilted, the fence wasnt parallel.
A little bit of shimming out to get it straight and it worked a treat. I leave it in there all the time now.
The other problem i had was the depth adjuster, after about 6 months the thread in the casting had virtually stripped. So the wheel did have the tendancy to turn just out of position. Again fixed easily with the aid of a tap and a slighty larger screw.
But for £30 and a few adjustments surely they are not to be sniffed at for someone who rarely uses one!
SammyQ
Established Member
Wot they said, in approval. Yes, it's a 'cheapo'; yes, you need to fettle it sometimes; but "hey!" - as an amateur, with maybe 100 bikkie joints jobs per year, it's just the ticket. I personally do not find it as inaccurate as reported, but maybe allowing for foibles is less important to me than the overall execution - see my comments on Grand Designs thread.
Gary S
Established Member
I bought one last time round when it was going cheap - no complaints from me apart from it seems to really clunk in to action - not very smooth. Probably (or should I say, DEFINATELY!) not as accurate as one costing hundreds of pounds, but for the limited number of times I use it I find it works very well - better than trying to faff around with a router or using dowels.
I'd say go for it but don't expect a silk purse from a pigs ear... :lol:
I'd say go for it but don't expect a silk purse from a pigs ear... :lol:
motownmartin
Established Member
Ihave just bought one but not used it yet, after reading the comments i am a little concerned, lets hope it does the job.
Vormulac
Established Member
Hi all,
I bought one of those £20 Wickes jobbies recently, it saw quite a bit of use in building a large bin-storage box out of plywood and in my opinion (although I'm one of the less experienced members of the forum) did a sterling job. I was very wary because of all the talk about not considering a biscuit jointer unless it has cost at least £300, so I was extra vigilant when I set it up and did my test cuts on scrap, this allowed me to note the small idiosyncracies that it had.
It's not perfect, I found the depth fence was *fractionally* twisted so once I had set the depth on one side I had to push the other side down to the right height before I tightened it up - but once I had, it held the settings well.
I'm only a hobbyist, I expect it would p*ss off someone who had to make a hundred biscuit joints a day as part of their job, but for me I think it was money very well spent and I would recommend it to a hobbyist on a budget.
Just my 2p.
Vormulac (who would really like a £300 biscuit jointer :wink: )
I bought one of those £20 Wickes jobbies recently, it saw quite a bit of use in building a large bin-storage box out of plywood and in my opinion (although I'm one of the less experienced members of the forum) did a sterling job. I was very wary because of all the talk about not considering a biscuit jointer unless it has cost at least £300, so I was extra vigilant when I set it up and did my test cuts on scrap, this allowed me to note the small idiosyncracies that it had.
It's not perfect, I found the depth fence was *fractionally* twisted so once I had set the depth on one side I had to push the other side down to the right height before I tightened it up - but once I had, it held the settings well.
I'm only a hobbyist, I expect it would p*ss off someone who had to make a hundred biscuit joints a day as part of their job, but for me I think it was money very well spent and I would recommend it to a hobbyist on a budget.
Just my 2p.
Vormulac (who would really like a £300 biscuit jointer :wink: )
Freetochat
Established Member
Go for a Domino, better than a BJ!
ByronBlack
Established Member
Domino and Biscuit Jointer in my opinion seem to fill different roles.
Vormulac - glad you mentioned the wickes one. I was there last week picking up some kitchen cabinets and saw a whole pile of them in the bargain bin for £25. SWMBO said I should get one as i've often talked about 'biscuits' but decided to leave because it looked cheap. After your mini-review, I think I might go back and pick one up, at the price if it only lasted for a year or so it would have been worth it.
Vormulac - glad you mentioned the wickes one. I was there last week picking up some kitchen cabinets and saw a whole pile of them in the bargain bin for £25. SWMBO said I should get one as i've often talked about 'biscuits' but decided to leave because it looked cheap. After your mini-review, I think I might go back and pick one up, at the price if it only lasted for a year or so it would have been worth it.
Shultzy
Established Member
I'm amazed that this post has generated such a wide response. It has shown that we have a membership with truly varied views. My take on this issue is if you haven't got a biscuit jointer and you want to try one out
a) to see how it work and
b) "do I really need one"
£25 is not a lot of money to try it out.
If you then use it a lot and it doesn't perform to your requirements you can fork out for one that does.
If you don't use it very much, but it performs ok, money well spent.
PS as its my 500 post, thanks to all those that have been interested in what I have had to say.
a) to see how it work and
b) "do I really need one"
£25 is not a lot of money to try it out.
If you then use it a lot and it doesn't perform to your requirements you can fork out for one that does.
If you don't use it very much, but it performs ok, money well spent.
PS as its my 500 post, thanks to all those that have been interested in what I have had to say.
Vormulac
Established Member
Happy 500 posts, Shultzy! ccasion5:
Oh crumbs, I hope your Wickes biccie jointer is as good as my one and you don't get a turkey, Byron - I feel all responsible now! :shock: :wink:
ccasion5: Oh crumbs, I hope your Wickes biccie jointer is as good as my one and you don't get a turkey, Byron - I feel all responsible now! :shock: :wink:
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