Budget biscuit jointers?

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flanajb

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Looking to replace my aged and rubbish Firm biscuit jointer. The quality is that bad that the blade is not parallel to the base!

I don't really want to spend £200+ for a Dewalt and up to £300 for a Makita or Bosch and was wondering whether anyone has purchased a different brand. If so, I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Thanks
 
I can't comment on the biscuit jointer but I too have a Ferm one and it has been pretty good. Only comment I can make about it is the slots are just a tad too wide as they only lightly grip the biscuits. I may change the blade to a good quality one and try that.....one day. :roll:
 
Budget biscuit jointers?
I picked up one of these http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... t%20joiner via another forum member, great piece of kit. It is the yellow Clarke model.
The business end seems identical to the Dewalt version, works a treat, I have done right angles and mitred corners.
cant fault it for the price. The blue Clarke model is definitely not up to this standard.
Hope that helps.
Chunko'.
 
MickCheese":2bn64z51 said:
I will add don't touch the Wickes one. The depth stop keeps slipping.

Mick

Thats strange Mick because I was just about to say I have the wickes one aand it seems fine...but keep in mind I am new to them so have nothing to compare it with..But I have used it a few times and the results have been OK.
 
And don't go near the Trend either. Terrible fence adjuster that is totally inaccurate and to my mind useless.
Just got rid of mine and replaced with a far superior and cheaper DW. What a relief =D>

Mark
 
I have the one they offer at Aldi, for the limited amount i have used it for it's been excellent.
 
I've got the yellow Clarke BJ600 too (as linked above). Was one of my Christmas pressies from SWMBO.

Had a good play with it and it seems solid enough and accurate too.

Oz
 
Freud JS102 here - Had one for over ten years and has been excellent - still as accurate as the day I got it
 
You're gonna hate me for saying this: I just spent some of my Christmas money on a Makita 3901.

I'm chuffed to bits. The motor is basically a quite ordinary angle grinder, which is OK, but the business end is really well made. There's obvious surface grinding, giving squareness and precise dimensions on the bits that matter. It plunges really smoothly, and the depth setting, once properly adjusted, is really quick and easy. I'm sure extraction would be better, but just with the dust bag connected it leaves no mess at all. It also doesn't kick when it enters the wood*, which pleasantly surprised me.

I've just used it to reinforce a picture frame's mitres, which were too awkward to biscuit 'traditionally'. Instead of cutting into the mitre faces themselves, I glued the frame up square first, then cut into the back, across the mitres (at right angles), and 'stitched it' with purpose-made half-biscuits** cut on the bandsaw. Finish by planing back flush with the back surface.

It worked a treat, not least because the thing cuts so accurately. I'm guessing the slots come to within 1 or 2 mm of the moulding on the face side of the frame.

I've also used it to join 18mm MDF at 45 degree angles for jig-making. It didn't miss a beat.

I fussed over the amount it cost for ages, and watched eBay. In the end I bought it just after Christmas at Axminster's old catalogue price, with 1000 biscuits thrown in.

I really don't regret spending the money. Axminster have put their price up now, I think, but other people are still selling it for <£250.

Cheers,

E.

*it may kick as the cutter loses its sharpness, only time will tell.
**an ordinary biscuit's grain goes the wrong way - the bandsawn grain went along the long axis of the 'biscuit', to 'stitch' the mitre.
 
I would go for secondhand myself....this Atlas Copco one came in a metal box...with instructions at a bootfair for the astronomical price of £25....

220820091247.jpg


It's a superb bit of kit...with a really good quality fence and mechanism...

220820091246.jpg


At the end of last year's bootfair season I manage to pick up ten bags of biscuits for 50p a bag but that was an early buy and really in the right place before everyone else.

FleaBay has bargains galore...go for a good brand and you can't really go wrong...especially if it's a local one and you can collect and check it out to ensure it is as described.

Jim
 
If you've got a good router how about a biscuiting set (groover, arbor and bearings) from wealden? I'm really impressed with mine, might be worth a thought?
 
Hi, Chaps

I have a Makita 3901 its been very good I am over half way through the 1000 biscuits that I got with it.
It has worked faultlesly so far, the extraction is better if you use a vac but it will fill the bag.

The best thing about a biscuit joiner is you can plunge vertically in to the middle of a panel.

Pete
 
Racers":1osldpty said:
The best thing about a biscuit joiner is you can plunge vertically in to the middle of a panel.

That's why I got mine, too (already had a 4mm grooving cutter set for the RT).

I'm getting tighter joints with the proper tool, as it's very hard not to wobble slightly when moving the work instead of the tool (as on a RT), and biscuiting odd angled mitres, whilst not impossible on the RT, is much easier with a biscuiter too.

Cheers,

E.
 
Another thumbs up for the Clarke BJ600 from Machinemart. I got one of these when they were voted best on test in one of the mags, it beat the bigger names like Dewalt Hitachi etc all round.
Proved to be a very solid and accurate piece of kit, easy to use and efficient. It does everything I need a Biscuit Jointer to do at a much lower price than the competition.
 
Don't buy Erbauer, slot isn't parallel to base and power switch falls off if you look at it funny. Does seem to be living forever out of spite though, I also use it for trimming the bottom of skirting boards to fit flooring under.
 
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