Lamello Tenso

[Nick Gibbs]

We've just had delivery of the new Lamello Tenso 'biscuits' with a Zeta for testing. Has anyone else seen them? I think the amazing. In fact they could be the most revolutionary thing to hit furniture making, because in theory you can snap panels together with glue, and they will not come apart. It means furniture could more easily be sent out flat-pack, with just a tube of glue, or perhaps some form of glue tabs (when they get invented), and the customer just snaps it all together with no need for cramps and screws etc... My quick test today brought amazing results, with hardly any fiddling. The only problem is getting dry assemblies apart.

 

[petermillard]

They do look pretty amazing - video here

https://vimeo.com/66819171

The only problem is getting dry assemblies apart.

Yeah, def look like a one-shot deal...

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Have you tried the Zeta?

 

[Paul Chapman]

The only problem is getting dry assemblies apart.

If you look at the Lamello website, there are some versions of the biscuit which join together with an allen key fitting and can be taken apart http://www.lamello.com/en/home/join-woo ... ta-p2.html

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[petermillard]

Have you tried the Zeta?

No - though I do like Lamello, as they make Festool look cheap; £1280 for a Zeta, in case anyone was wondering... Having said that, for the kind of work I do a Zeta would probably make more sense than a Domino; for basic carcass production it would massively speed things up, and make some projects far easier to construct. Hmmmm...

 

[Nick Gibbs]

We tested the Zeta with the Allen key lock a few years ago, and thought they'd be brilliant for kitchen fitters and the like for attaching face frames. But yes hugely expensive. The make the Zeta more useful for the onsite joiner/carpenter than the Domino. But at £1280 the whole machine was too expensive for that one trick (despite it being a very clever trick). There are other ways round that problem.

This new 'biscuit' is, I think, even more interesting as it means that you can assemble a carcase without cramps or screws, just by clicking together. That's great on site. It also means you could send a carcase out to a customer for them to assemble without any tools or skill. This could herald opportunities for woodworkers selling stuff anywhere over the Internet. Not sure how yet, but worth thinking about.

 

[Paul Chapman]

This new 'biscuit' is, I think, even more interesting as it means that you can assemble a carcase without cramps or screws, just by clicking together. That's great on site. It also means you could send a carcase out to a customer for them to assemble without any tools or skill.

A great idea but I would have reservations about sending a carcase out to a customer for them to assemble without any skill given the cock-ups people make assembling flat-pack furniture. I can just imagine a customer clicking the wrong pieces together and then finding it impossible to get them apart again.

A brilliant piece of kit but not something to let loose on Joe public who don't know what they are doing. For that sort of application I'd stick with existing knock-down fittings.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Nick Gibbs]

I think you could actually, having seen these things. You could use dowels in specific spots to help align the pieces. We will see.

 

[fretnot]

We've just had delivery of the new Lamello Tenso 'biscuits' with a Zeta for testing. Has anyone else seen them? I think the amazing. In fact they could be the most revolutionary thing to hit furniture making, because in theory you can snap panels together with glue, and they will not come apart. It means furniture could more easily be sent out flat-pack, with just a tube of glue, or perhaps some form of glue tabs (when they get invented), and the customer just snaps it all together with no need for cramps and screws etc... My quick test today brought amazing results, with hardly any fiddling. The only problem is getting dry assemblies apart.

best to use the bisco for dry fitting and them swap them out for the tenso when you are ready to glue up

 

[Lamelloman]

Hi Nick
It takes about 15kg of pressure to get the Tenso together and about 25kg to get them apart
A sharp tap with a soft hammer will part them but they are not knock down fittings they are for glueing without the need for clamps.
There is about 1.5mm of adjustment for alineing the joints before the glue sets
For dry assembly use Bisco P-15 plates to check all goes together ok tun remove them, fit the Tenso -14 and glue
Someone should have told you about these
Next time give me a call and I can make sure you get the bits you need

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Thanks. Is that you, Bob? How do I get some P-15 plates?

 

[mailee]

Now that is impressive. I'll bet those blades are expensive though.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Now that is impressive. I'll bet those blades are expensive though.

Do you mean blades or Tenso biscuits?

 

[mailee]

No, the Blades Nick. it looks like there are two of them as it separates to cut the recess at the rear. Or have I got the mechanics wrong? :?

 

[Nick Gibbs]

No you have got it right. I've no idea about the price of blades, perhaps because I hadn't thought about it being used enough for them to be replaced!!!! But if the kit is being used for MDF or chipboard, then the price of blades would be critical. I will check it out.

 

[petermillard]

No you have got it right...

Really? About 00.40 in the video above you see the plunge action hit some kind of stop, and the blade looks like it rises and falls to make the T-slot?? Brimarc have the replacement blade at £108 inc VAT btw.

Not to hijack the thread, but I've always thought of Lamello as making expensive biscuit jointers, but this thread has had noodling around a bit online and some of the stuff they do is quite amazing. The 'Invis MX' system has me seriously interested - video here:-

http://www.lamello.com/en/home/join-woo ... is-mx.html

So many thanks to Nick for starting the thread.

Cheers, Pete

 

[Nick Gibbs]

No worries. The Invis is very interesting too. Very specific in its uses, I think. I've used it, and it works well, but I can't see how one would use it all the time as the fittings are expensive.

You're right about the plunge action. It creates a curved T slot. The Zeta, and especially the Tenso, and the Allen key locking biscuits, and its ability to be used as a biscuit jointer, makes it one of the most interesting power tools I've seen for a long time. Possibly more revolutionary than the Domino.

I've never been much of a biscuit jointer fan. I think they are often overpriced, and I have had perfectly good results from £50 models.

 

[petermillard]

No worries. The Invis is very interesting too. Very specific in its uses, I think. I've used it, and it works well, but I can't see how one would use it all the time as the fittings are expensive.

Yes, definitely one of those things where you can point to very specific times when it would have been the perfect solution - few and far between admittedly, which is just as well with the fittings at a few pounds apiece :shock:

You're right about the plunge action. It creates a curved T slot. The Zeta, and especially the Tenso, and the Allen key locking biscuits, and its ability to be used as a biscuit jointer, makes it one of the most interesting power tools I've seen for a long time. Possibly more revolutionary than the Domino.

Possibly, though I think they'll need to get the price down before that happens; an expensive tool that uses expensive proprietary fittings is always going to be a niche product, and I don't think anyone's going to be buying a Zeta just to use it as a plain biscuit jointer

 

[Nick Gibbs]

I don't think anyone's going to be buying a Zeta just to use it as a plain biscuit jointer

I didn't mean that. I only have a SIP biscuit jointer, which is fine for occasional use. I have a job in mind that if it takes off will use the Tenso biscuits extensively, as the only solution I can find. That the machine could also be used as a biscuit jointer would be an added bonus, especially as I could build biscuits into the construction of said project. The price is high, but for the job I have in mind, acceptable as there is no other solution that offers cramp-free gluing without any need for screws or KDs or anything. I would only be using a few Tenso biscuits at a time, so the cost of those would be negligible (though important I agree). We will see. I think it's also interesting that it could be used without glue at all.

 

[petermillard]

I don't think anyone's going to be buying a Zeta just to use it as a plain biscuit jointer

I didn't mean that....

And I wan't seriously suggesting that, hence the " "

The price is high, but for the job I have in mind, acceptable as there is no other solution that offers cramp-free gluing without any need for screws or KDs or anything. I would only be using a few Tenso biscuits at a time, so the cost of those would be negligible (though important I agree). We will see. I think it's also interesting that it could be used without glue at all.

Sounds like the right project to use one on then, and always the best way to justify the cost of new hardware - it's how I bought my Domino. Be interested to hear how the job progresses, if you have the time.

Cheers, Pete