Best Biscuit Joiner for the $$$ ?

[Socket Pounder]

Been 6 years, if the guy hasn't made up his mind by now ...

 

[skruft]

I have been happy with the deWalt and I have an old Porter Cable that is a bench machine with a foot pedal. However, I am a hobbyist so they do not get daily use.

 

[Git]

OCD/**** == Festool. Like it or not, cost being considered, there is no more **** woodworking power tools period.

My suggestion would be to find a lightly used one no matter the brand, a lot of guys bought these, used once or a few times, then they sit for decades. I have seen essentially brand new ones sold for $30-40 and the seller is happy to get rid of it. Usually with TONS of biscuits tossed in for free. It may not be every day, but of the 5 biscuit joiners I've held 4 of them changed hands this way.

I don't like Festool's elitist air and their minions are like mindless zealots but the Domino is one hell of a nice tool.

The elitists have moved on Mafell and if I was interested in buying something like the Domino (and I am not) I would buy the Mafell Duo Dowell.

https://www.timberwolftools.com/tools/mafell/mafell.html

It cracks me up to see these Domino owners trying to justify their expenditure by using Dominos in ridiculous places - like for shelf pegs and things like that.

You can use biscuits for face frames but you need a special blade (and biscuits). Normally a biscuit joiner uses a 4" blade but for face frames, you need a 2" blade that will let you work with wood as narrow as 1 1/2"

The Porter Cable 557 is one that comes to mind - so that is something to think about if you're in the market for a new machine.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004TI2Q/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Check Craig's list for a Lamello Top 20 or Top 21

Here is the duo dowel:

 

[cheechi]

you are 100% right it is hard to justify the cost, and while I do agree some of the uses are ridiculous if you have a tool and have to justify the cost (especially if that cost could have bought you other tools also) some part of me is a little forgiving in the sense that you are using what you have on hand, and being 'somewhat' creative.

I purposely didn't bring up Mafell. Festool is bad enough I didn't want to be the one to add the poison to the stew.

Most of the biscuit slots I've cut have been with a router table that was set up for that one purpose. I once worked in a shop with a man who had 8 router tables, 5 of which permanently set up for one purpose. So I'm not the expert on biscuit joiners, but For my own purposes I wouldn't turn my nose up at any of them for the right price.

 

[NoahG]

The best is of course Lamello, the inventors of biscuit joinery. The DeWalt works fine.

Lamello is to biscuit joiners as Fein is to oscillating tools.

We have a DeWalt at work, and it does the job.

Biscuits, dowels, pocket holes, and so on. Each has an application.