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Last Updated on July 6, 2020 by woodcutter
After retiring from military service, I ventured in my hobby- carpentry. Of course, I am now older and a little weaker than I used to be a few years ago. But that has only made me more experienced and smarter. One thing I learnt while serving in the army was to do things by myself I’d not prefer to call for help for basic repairs or to buy furniture. But because I’m now elder, I love to use the right tools. For my plate joiners, I have the best joiner biscuits for the job!
Are you in a hurry? Here’s summary table review:
What are joiner biscuits?
Oh, I’d not love to leave anyone behind. When you are making furniture, you realize there are joints you cannot use nails or screws. You must look for a way to stick pieces of wood together without damaging the material. And, whether you are using wood, PVC, or any synthetic material, you will need biscuits.
Just as the name sounds, biscuits are small cookie-sized pieces of wood ha let you stick things perfectly. In this case, you use a biscuit joiner machine. Check out for our best biscuit joiner reviewfor more details.
Once you have cut the holes perfectly, you will need to fit in the biscuits into the sockets you’ve created. Firs, you’ll brush enough wood-glue so that they can be sticky enough. Then, you’ll fit them in the holes and thus create joints without drilling in screws or hammering nails.
Of course, if you’re super-savvy, you can always create your own biscuits. But that is a little labor intensive, and you’ll have to spend a lot of hours doing that. Plus, you’re not likely to come up with the accurate sizes and shapes of biscuits.
For my work, I trust ready-made biscuits as professionals make them. The manufacturers are keen on every detail, as they have specialized machinery or this purpose. The pieces are cut to the right size, and they fit in different joints, as you want them to.
However, it’s crucial to understand that these specks come in various sizes. You see, you’ll be making different types of furniture, and some of them will require multiple types of biscuits. Getting a size that works best for you will make your work quite easy.
Best Joiner Biscuits Review
Do not just buy a biscuit. Make sure you’re taking home the best quality possible. And, this will work if you find stuff that’s strong enough to withstand pre-installation breakages. Also, it should be able to fit in the sockets you are creating. PORTER-CABLE 5554 1000 Assorted Biscuits are some of the best you can buy!
First, each pack comes with a thousand consistent and uniformly sized biscuit for each size. For a price of fewer than thirty dollars, this is a steal!
[easyazon_infoblock align=”center” identifier=”B0000222ZA” key=”image” locale=”US” tag=”woodcutter-20″]And, most importantly, the sizes fit well in your joiners. One of the factors you must pay attention to is the size of the biscuits that you are buying. You do not want them to be larger or smaller than the tools you use. You just want them to fit appropriately. That’s why it makes sense to have 500 number 20 sizes, 250 figure 10 sizes, and then 250 size zeros. Remember, their size is uniform and consistent per ever size.
Another factor worth your close attention is the type of material. What’s the kind of wood? Well, these pieces are made from flattened beech wood. First, this means it will not break haphazardly. Second, it also suggests that each piece is easy to glue into the socket you decide to use.
Why is it important to look at how well it can stick? It’s because primarily, the biscuits are for holding into other woods. A least, you want them to be able to soak up into liquid glues and to fit correctly into the sockets. PORTER-CABLE 5554 1000 Assorted Biscuits are best useful when soaked in water-based glue. That way, they create a tight wood joint.
It’s crucial that you look or a piece of biscuit that not only sticks into the holes you drill but also lasts long. Let me explain: one of the reasons I wouldn’t recommend that you pick mahogany biscuits is that since they are strong, they can’t possibly soak water. So, the joint will be weak. Likewise, if you are going to choose a wood that is too weak, it will not make it to the socket in the first place. So, how different is PORTER-CABLE 5562?
[easyazon_infoblock align=”center” identifier=”B00004TI49″ key=”image” locale=”US” tag=”woodcutter-20″]The hundred number 20 biscuits are made of some of the best wood laminate. This gives perfect stability, fitting, and toughness needed for a cookie. I started by telling you I’d not choose hardwoods. It’s because an excellent wood material for making biscuits needs to be able to soak into the water-based wood glues. And the good thing with the wood used in PORTER-CABLE 5562 is that after it is soaked, it swells up to strengthen the joint.
The size 20 is suitable for most typical slate joiners. Thus, it allows you to make hole-joints using any standard machine, and it works pretty well. Remember, one of the factors that make a good biscuit is compatibility. The biscuits have to be congruent with the drills you are using so that they can form a good fit!
So, is PORTER-CABLE 5562 a good purchase? With universal compatibility, easy to use design and the appropriate type of wood, yes, it’s worth adding to your cart. And the price is a steal!
This is one of my favorite joiner biscuit packets, and it’s for several reasons. First, I hate shopping. Espressly, I don’t want to wait until I ran out of joining materials to pick a cart. That’s why I choose to buy in bulk. Second, I’m a perfectionist, so all the things I make in my workshop need to please me as much as they want my customers. So, what do I do? Get biscuit sizes that will fit appropriately. And that’s how I fall in love with the PORTER-CABLE 5554 1000 Assorted Biscuits!
[easyazon_infoblock align=”center” identifier=”B00004TR9U” key=”image” locale=”US” tag=”woodcutter-20″]They come in a consistent and uniform size. Five hundred pieces have a 20-size number, and the other 250 have size ten and size respectively. That means I never have to keep buying or scratching my head every time I need to make a smaller or larger joiner-hole.
The best thing about pieces is that they have a similar design. The consistency is important because you certainly don’t want to make unequal joints. If you are the wood-worker that intends to make precise holes and furniture designs, you certainly know what I mean!
Plus, they are compatible with different joiners. Just soak them quickly into the water-based glue, and they will swell up to make tighter joints.
This is your kind of biscuits if you are looking into doing only a small project. You realize that the PORTER-CABLE 5554 1000 Assorted Biscuits comes with a thousand pieces- that’s so large you can make a thousand joints! Such a sachet would be suitable for people who operate in busy environs. Or, those that do professional carpentry. Certainly, DEWALT DW6800 No. 0 Size Joining Biscuits (75 Pieces) is the medium and family size.
[easyazon_infoblock align=”center” identifier=”B00004RHGK” key=”image” locale=”US” tag=”woodcutter-20″]Seventy-five pieces, if you use them accurately, could serve more than 15 tea tables. However, I have to admit that such levels of accuracy aren’t just human. You’ll make a few errors here and there, and that’s why you need a large number to work with.
So, if your home woodwork chores need some redoing, you may need DW6800. They’re only 4 ounces during shipping, and they enjoy a market rating of more than 4.5. Yes, that’s how people across the world love to use these biscuits.
Is it worth the money? Perfectly so! The pieces cost less than ten dollars. You will break neither your bank nor your wallet for that, will you?
Size matters, but so does quality and price. I know you’ve heard that when it comes you joiner biscuits, you get what you pay for. But that does not mean you can’t get lucky sometimes. Yes- you can still get excellent biscuits at an incredibly low price. And that’s what you get with these biscuits. For less than ten dollars, you can get 175 pieces to fit well in your 1 and ½ inch materials.
You see, if you want to make the perfect wood joints, you need to create accurate sockets, and then get the best biscuit that can fit that hole. The holes made by Porter-Cable’s 557 Deluxe Plate Joiner are specifically the best suited for the PORTER-CABLE 5563 biscuits. It’s not that other machines will not accommodate the biscuits: but, you may as well need to confirm that. In our best plate joiner review, we explicitly stated the importance of compatibility to the biscuits when choosing a good machine.
[easyazon_infoblock align=”center” identifier=”B0000222ZC” key=”image” locale=”US” tag=”woodcutter-20″]These biscuits measure 13 by 30 millimeters. The size plays a significant role in how well they fit into the holes you drill. Plus, they determine the kind of furniture and strength joints that you can make. This is not to mean that they will not fit in other holes. In fact, I’ve even experienced some tough times when I didn’t have enough biscuits and had to try fitting two. The joint required lots of readjustments to remain intact. Whether you’re a professional or a beginner, I’d certainly not recommend it!
Instead, try finding biscuits that fit well into your socket. PORTER-CABLE 5563 provides plenty of the strength you require to keep the construction functional. At 5/32 inches thick, you can work on any typical face frame or furniture skeleton.
Joiner Biscuits Versus Nails and Screws
For beginners, nails are the first things that come to mind when you tell them to join different pieces of wood. But, as you become experienced in carpentry, you realize some designs require precise cuts.
If you are handling sturdy wood- mostly the hardwoods, or you’re making heavy-duty doors or wood designs, use nails. Nails are hard to break, and thus, they come in handy when you are looking to build long-lasting furniture.
But, they also damage the wood. Forcing a nail through the wood means, you will have to distort the texture and accurateness of the angles. That’s where biscuits come in!
If you’re making coffee tables, kitchen cabinets, or other light furniture, you’re highly advised to use glue. Instead of drilling screws or driving nails into wood or PVC, make holes into two pieces of wood, brush the biscuits with wood-glue and then stick them together.
Biscuits allow you to make elegant designs of furniture without a need for screws or nails.
Joiner Biscuits Buying Guide
So, how did I arrive at the list we’ve just reviewed? Well, I have a team that looks at these items before we consider them. We specifically choose products that make sense to me first and what the market has. The market has hundreds of wood-joining “cookies” and finding the best can be a tough venture. So, we only pick what we verify can make sense.
The wood-biscuit you purchase should be the one that makes your woodwork easy. Interestingly, the machine you’re using to make sockets/holes has a significant role to play in determining the best biscuit for you!
So, first, I hope you have a biscuit joiner and if you don’t have, just get inspiration from our review.
Here are some of the factors that dictate what kind of wood-joiner biscuit you can buy.
Type of Joiner Machine
The work of a joiner machine is to drill holes into which you can fit in the biscuits. And, different devices will make holes of various sizes, shapes, and angle. Some machines are only compatible with specific kinds of wood-cookies. So, you’ve got to make sure you are purchasing the right biscuits that can fit in those holes.
Also, remember that these plate joiners come in different sizes. Heavy-duty joiners may require large pieces of rusks. Small machines would require small biscuits. In short, look for biscuits that are compatible with your device. Alternatively, make sure you have biscuit joiners that have adjustable fences and blade sizes.
Fence angle
Another factor that dictates the compatibility of your biscuits and drilling machine is the fence angle. Although the cookies can always be cut into the desired size and shape, it’s vital that you find out if they already come in the shape and design that you want. Most manufacturers have an oval shape. The crusts are easy to cut to the desired angles too. However, you want to have a biscuit that is neither too wide nor narrow for your sockets. And, this brings us to the third factor.
Size of your blades and sockets
What is the size of your blades and sockets? Would you use a two-millimeter wood-cookie in a 2cm full hole? Of course, you need to have biscuits that fit in your sockets well. The kind of hole that you drill will directly determine the biscuits you use. If the hole is large, then the cookies must be significant also. And, the sockets have everything to do with the blade sizes. Fortunately, some machines have adjustable blade sizes to allow you to make accurate holes. So, make sure your wafers are the best for the holes.
Size of Biscuits
You can purchase either standard or detail biscuits. The variety is useful when you want to join small wood pieces. In most cases, these detail pieces have little structural support to offer. Let’s put it this way: if you want to make small joints that require accurate cuts, then you should have the detail-sized pieces.
Then, there are the standard-sized biscuits, which can accommodate larger structures.
Type of furniture
What are you planning to make? Is it a cabinet, coffee table, study desk, or a horse-door? We have to admit that glue isn’t as strong as nails and screws. If you are trying to make a horse door, you better think about the nails. But, if it’s household furniture, then you can glue those parts already!
If you want to make precise cuts, then you should consider gluing those parts together. The use of wood-crumps will make sure you don’t damage the designs. Plus; you can also put together materials such as PVC, wood and any other soft construction material.
What’s Next for you
By now, you’ve seen how to pick the best joiner biscuits. You realize that the furniture you make is as right as your choice of tools and materials. That’s why I’d always insist that you pick quality biscuits. A biscuit helps you connect two or more pieces of wood without any nail.
For precision, longevity, and compatibility, I would always pick the PORTER-CABLE 5553 and 5554 varieties over any other. What about you?
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