I have recently purchased a Ferm biscuit jointer and find the slots it cuts to be very slack. I have made sure the machine is held firmly before you ask and in fact even tried clamping it down to the wood, just in case I was moving it without knowing and it is still slack. Do you think a good quality blade might be the answer?.
There are other post about this biscuit jointer. One that I have seen is that the blade may not be fully tightened allowing it to wobble slightly. This will cause over size slots. I believe I read instructions on doing this on another forum a while back. Here is the recent topic about the same tool. http://www.screwfix.com/talk/thread.jspa?threadID=4008&tstart=90
quicker o the draw than me dewy biccies are made from compressed beech and will swell in contact with glue i have the ferm jointer some times it is a bit loose but in general wood glue has filling capacity of about 1mm not ideal but ok for diy or light use big all
I have used biscuits before but normally use the router for them and found a good tight fit with no play. I am using the same biscuits that I use with the router but there is a hell of a lot of play in them. Hoping the glue will take up the excess is a bit of a tradeoff especially if you want a flat tabletop don't you think?.
My first use of the Ferm bickie jointer had slots at different heights making it impossible to get a flat table top. I learned from this mistake & cut them again between the existing slots only this time holding the fence firmly down with the left thumb. Perfect alignment this time. As said before. Check the blade for slackness or out of true. Biscuits expand about 50% when wetted with the glue. They are only really for alignment but pva glue makes them swell giving a tight joint. I've often gone back to a biscuit cutting bit in the router to get in places the bickie jointer wont fit & also in the router table where I can make sure all cuts are the same height. Its just a bit of practice needed. If you release the left thumb pressure while withdrawing the cutter the slots will be over size.
helloo mailee slightly oiled so if its not clear ask again tommorow first point if possible you can put both bits of wood to be grooved back to back extra support the jointer wont need the support but it gives you more to rest on [zoom down one side back down the other] stop short of final end positions to stop buiscuts showing you can use battons clamps over the joints to pull them together if an edge is to high or low just put a slither of wood to pull the two edges together[between the batton at the top or bottom as required ps didnt use spelling check so if its right ill be amaized hope this helps big all
Hi big all, I see what you are saying but surely the biscuits should fit snug to start with and not need shims or fiddling with to make them fit, after all they are supposed to speed the job up aren't they?. For those replies that mention holding the machine face plate tight to the timber, I did mention that I even tried it with clamps holding it down to the work and still it cut oversize!. I have checked the fit of the blade to the spindle and it seems to be fine. As I stated I have used a router biscuit cutter in my Elu for many years and had no problems at all. Maybe it is just a case of a cheap tool and I need to spend more on a good quality one?.
mailee, biscuits should be a good fit when dry, then expand to make a very tight joint. If they are loose when you put them in the joint will never be strong.
Yes I find some biscuits variable in thickness. I recently bought a large box of Lamello biscuits, I was surprised to find that they were not sealed in plastic, just loose in the box?
I know Matt said to keep them in a plastic airtight box but I keep opened bags in a large coffee jar with a silica gel bag inside to absorb the moisture.
Hi Like you I came across this problem.In the end I thought I would remove the blade and with the coarse side of the oil stone took a little bit off both sides of the blade.It means taken blade out two or three times.Use a off cut of hardwood or MDF will do,Just to test on. PS hope this works for you
I do keep my biscuits in a biscuit tin surprisingly with a bag of silica jel, and they are Lamello ones I use. I tried them in a slot cut with the router cutter and they fit snug as a bug in a rug.
mailee i agree with you entirely the should be a snug to tight fit i was just trying to assure you that though not ideal it would be an acceptable finnish at the price [better to get used to tools so you know how much use you think you could find for it] big all
Hi, I get the opinion that the ferm joiner is not worth its salt, Would a higher quality machine produce better results? Any personal recomendations?? I want to use it for mitre corner jointing.
that jointer works well for DIY use but my original question about the slackness of the blade, which would cause wobble, wasn't answered. The link I posted was about the same problem & someone said how to tighten the blade when tuning the tool.
helllooo dewy ive just looked at my ferm bicki cutter if you turn the guide round till its parallel with the machine there seems to be a tiny bit of play between the plastic part and the guide again between the guide and the base plate and again a tiny bit play between the base plate plunge rods all together they make probably up to 1mm deviation between cutter blade and guide wouldn't have though this was enough to cause a problem think i will experiment tomorrow to see exactly what width the groove on my machine is big all
right people ive been playing took out the plastic insert round the blade opening it has serration for grip [pull lightly with you nail in the center] then remove the other bit of plastic by gently unclipping the ears in the center spray with ptfe blade spray [blade an bearing surfaces where the plastic used to be]not essential but makes it even smoother now i find its a much smoother easier to use machine dare i say more acurate machine!!! can you try this and let me know don't forget to readjust the fence cheers big all