| Project by Rich | posted 02-22-2018 08:38 PM | 1920 views | 12 times favorited | 6 comments |  |
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I upgraded my old (and I do mean old) Porter Cable 555 biscuit joiner to the 557. I wanted a fixture to mount it in for doing frame construction and cutting biscuit slots for panels. A web search led me to this example on the Highland Woodworking site, which looked like it fit my needs. I like how the guide that’s used cutting slots in the ends of rails is to the right of the cutter, since that’s the way the blade will tend to move the piece.
The major change I made to the original design was to add hold down clamps to ensure that boards for panels were held flat to the base so that the faces would line up when I glue up the panel. I also added two extra threaded inserts so the guide board can be stored flush to the fence. That allows me to quickly install the biscuit cutter perfectly aligned to the fence, and can also be set back to support boards vertically for carcass cuts. Finally, a couple of slots routed in there makes it easier to move around and hang on the wall.
It’s a very simple fixture but does a nice job of enhancing the usefulness of the biscuit joiner.
-- My grandfather always said that when one door closes, another one opens. He was a wonderful man, but a lousy cabinet maker
6 comments so far
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#1 posted 02-22-2018 09:42 PM
Nice Job!
One of the drawbacks of using a hand held biscuit cutter,
is being able to securely hold the material in place while making a cut.
The fixed cutter with the hold downs insures nice solid, consistent cuts, = flush results.
I like it.
Richard
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#2 posted 02-22-2018 11:27 PM
Very Nice & Well Done!
-- Richard (Ontario, CANADA)
Ivan
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#3 posted 02-23-2018 07:42 AM
Awesome! I plan to make this for a long time. I like all your features, just got to see the video too, now.
-- Ivan, Croatia, Wooddicted
EarlS
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#4 posted 02-23-2018 06:07 PM
Well made and highly useable jig for the biscuit cutter. I’ve always used one hand to hold the piece and the other to run the tool. This is a much better and safer approach. Yet another good idea that I need to borrow.
-- Earl "I'm a pessamist - generally that increases the chance that things will turn out better than expected"
TungOil
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#5 posted 02-24-2018 11:33 PM
Nice work Rich. I’ll have to try making one of these. I have the Dewalt biscuit joiner and find it difficult to get consistent cuts with. This might be just the ticket!
-- The optimist says "the glass is half full". The pessimist says "the glass is half empty". The engineer says "the glass is twice as big as it needs to be"
Rich
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#6 posted 02-25-2018 12:16 AM
There’s nothing more frustrating than cutting the slots for a joint or panel and seeing when you dry fit that one of them is off. It has happened to me far too often in spite of how carefully I tried to get everything lined up. I might even wind up adding a hold down clamp to the guide bar just to play it safe.
-- My grandfather always said that when one door closes, another one opens. He was a wonderful man, but a lousy cabinet maker
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