simply rotate the anti-slippage pins approximately 1/6 of a turn and they will retract back behind the front registra-
tion surface. A flat blade screwdriver can be used to rotate the pins as shown in Figure 9.
5. BOTTOM REGISTRATION SURFACE
For certain applications, you will want to use the bottom surface of the plate joiner for alignment. When using the
bottom registration surface, the adjustable fence should be set to 0° and the height setting is unimportant. This sur-
face is used primarily when making ‘T’ joints (see applications section). The distance between the centerline of the
blade and the bottom registration surface is fixed at 9.5 mm (3/8") which allows centering on 19mm (3/4") thick
stock. The 3 red marks on the bottom registration surface indicate the centerline (or the deepest point) of the bis-
cuit cut and the approximate width of a #20 biscuit so that you’ll know where the edge of the blade is and can pre-
vent breakthrough. To avoid breaking through the workpiece, align the shoe so that neither outside mark extends
beyond the end of the workpiece. If either side does, there is a good chance that the blade will break through the
surface and ruin your work.
6. DUST EXTRACTION
There are three options provided for collecting dust from your plate joiner as described below.
A.
Adjustable Direction Elbow
(See Figure 10)
This attachment inserts into the dust exhaust port on the right side at the rear of the base assembly and clicks
into place. To remove, pull out firmly. The directional elbow rotates easily to aim the dust in the most convenient
direction suitable for the particular application.
B.
Dust Adaptor
(See Figure 11)
This attachment, when inserted as described above, allows the use of several common sizes of vacuum hose to
be attached for direct vacuum pick-up of the dust.
C.
Dust Bag
(See Figure 12)
The dust bag provided fits snugly over the dust adaptor described above. To empty the bag, open the zipper
underneath and dump dust out.
NOTE:
When the bag becomes full, the dust will back-up into the adaptor and the exhaust port on the right rear of
the tool. To clean out, turn off and unplug the tool and remove packed dust. The bag will hold the dust generated
from approximately 70 to 100 #20 biscuit cuts before filling up.
General Operation
Plate joiners are primarily used for making cabinetry and furniture, joining millwork or other similar applications where a
strong, accurate joint is required in wood or wood by-products. There are literally hundreds of variations of joints that
can be made with your Plate Joiner. We will limit our discussion to six basic joints that can be used to build on and
adapt to your own applications. The following are some basic set-up steps that will apply to all biscuit joints.
1. BISCUIT SIZE SELECTION
As mentioned earlier, the three biscuit sizes are #0, #10 and #20. It is a good rule of thumb to use the largest bis-
cuit size that will physically fit in the application. Unless you are joining narrow face or picture frames or using 1/2"
or thinner stock, you will find the #20 biscuit size to suit most applications. After selecting the biscuit size, set the
depth adjustment knob to the corresponding size (see Controls section). Also, be sure the fine depth adjustment is
correctly set by first testing in a scrap piece. This is extremely important as you do not want to discover during
glue-up that your biscuit slots are not quite deep enough.
2. BISCUIT LOCATION AND LAYOUT
Generally, biscuits may be spaced and located at your discretion. For edge joints, a good rule of thumb is to space
biscuits every 150 mm – 254 mm (6–10") on center. It is further recommended that biscuits be placed so that the
centerline of the end biscuits is 50 mm – 74 mm (2-3") from the end of the workpiece. When joining face frames or
picture frames where the workpiece is narrow, you may have to choose the smaller biscuit sizes to keep from
“breaking out" on the end of the joint. Breaking out should be avoided if possible, but if not you can assemble the
joint and trim off the exposed biscuit tip after the glue sets (see Figure 13). When working with material up to 1"
thick, we advise to use a single biscuit located in the approximate center of the material thickness. If thicker stock
is to be joined, you may choose to use 2 biscuits across the thickness for greater strength (see Figure 14). Biscuit
locations should be marked by first positioning the mating pieces exactly as they are to be assembled. Next, make
a mark at 90° to the joint interface across both pieces at the desired biscuit locations (see Figure 15). See
Application
section for more specific information on joint layout. The marks you make will then be aligned
with one of the center registration marks on the tool, again, depending upon your specific application.
3. MAKING THE CUT
Prior to making any cut, be sure that all fence adjustments are set and lock knobs are tight. Also, be sure you have
selected the proper depth setting. Clamp your workpiece firmly and align the plate joiner’s center registration mark
with your layout mark. Turn on the tool and let the blade come up to full speed (approximately 1 second). Grasping
the switch handle and auxiliary handle and positioning the fence firmly and squarely against the workpiece, plunge
the blade until it bottoms against the stop. Continuing to hold the tool squarely and firmly, allow the return spring to
retract the blade from the work and then release the switch to shut the tool off. It will take some practice to obtain a
“feel” for the tool to produce accurate joints, so practicing in scrap wood first is advisable.
4. JOINT ASSEMBLY
After your joints are cut, you may wish to trial fit everything together before gluing. When you are satisfied with
your joints, evenly spread any good quality woodworking glue in each slot as well as on the mating flat surfaces of
your joint. Place biscuits in the slots, assemble the joint and clamp until dry. For a biscuit joint to be most effective,
it is important that the biscuits themselves be in contact with the glue. This is because the biscuits absorb the
moisture in the glue and expand to form a tight joint.
Applications
1. EDGE TO EDGE JOINTS (See Figure 16)
This is the simplest to make and most common joint for the plate joiner. Follow the steps below to produce this joint.
A. Prepare the workpieces and lay them on a work surface exactly as they are to be assembled.
B. Spacing biscuits 50 mm – 74 mm (2-3") in from the ends and 150 mm – 254 mm (6–10") apart, layout the
biscuit centers.
C. Set up the plate joiner by first selecting the proper depth setting. Set the fence to 90°. Set the height adjustment to
position the biscuit in the approximate center of the stock thickness.
D. Clamp the workpiece and position the tool so that the center indicator mark lines up with the first layout mark
(see Figure 17). Turn on the tool and make the plunge cut. Retract the tool and release the trigger to turn the tool
off. Repeat for each layout mark.
E. Glue, assemble and clamp the joint.
F. For stock thicker than 1", you may wish to use double biscuits at each location. Set the height adjustment to
allow at least 4.76 mm (3/16") of stock between the biscuit and the edge of the work surface. Make all cuts at
this fence setting before readjusting the fence for the lower cuts. Again, there should be at least 4.76 mm (3/16")
of stock between the biscuit and the outside wall and between the biscuits themselves (see Figure 18).
2. FRAME JOINTS (See Figure 19)
Frame joints are an ideal application for biscuit joinery. With the plate joiner you can create a very strong, precise
joint that is much faster to make than a dowel or mortise and tenon joint. Figure 19 shows two types of frame
joints. Follow the steps outlined below.
A. Arrange the workpieces on a flat work surface exactly as they are to be assembled.
B. Select the proper biscuit size based on the length of the joint. (If the frame pieces are too narrow for a #0 biscuit,
you will have to allow the biscuit tip to protrude slightly and then trim it off after the joint is dry (see Figure 13).
C. Lay out the biscuit locations.
D. Set up the tool by selecting the depth that corresponds to the chosen biscuit size. Lock the fence at 90° and
adjust the fence height to center the biscuit on the stock thickness.
E. Clamp the workpiece and position the Plate Joiner to make the first cut (see Figure 20).
F.Turn on the tool and make the plunge cut.
G. Repeat for each layout mark.
H. Glue, assemble and clamp the frame.
3. CORNER JOINTS (See Figure 21)
Corner joints are another common and excellent application for biscuit joinery. Follow the procedure below.
A. Arrange the workpieces exactly as they are to be joined.
B. Select the biscuit size and layout the biscuit locations.
C. Set up the tool by selecting the proper depth setting, adjusting the fence to center on the stock thickness and
setting the angle to 90°.
D. For this joint, you will make cuts into the edge of one workpiece and the face of another. The edge cut is
performed the same as for edge to edge joints. The face cut is made by clamping the workpiece and
aligning the tool as shown in Figure 22. Turn the tool on, make the plunge cut and repeat for each
layout mark.
E. Glue, assemble and clamp the joint.
4. OFFSET JOINTS (See Figure 23)
You may wish to have a deliberate offset between two workpieces. This is easily accomplished with your plate
joiner by performing the following steps.
A. Arrange the workpieces as they are to be assembled and layout the biscuit locations.
B. Set up the tool by selecting the proper biscuit size and adjusting the fence angle to 90°. Select the workpiece that
will be set back and adjust the fence height to center the cut within the thickness of that piece.
C. Clamp the workpiece, align the tool and make the plunge cut.
D. Next, adjust the fence up by an amount equal to the desired offset. Use the scale and pointer located on the right
side of the tool under the fence lock knob.
E. Clamp the second workpiece, align the tool and make the plunge cut.
F. Glue, assemble and clamp the joint.
R
FIG 1
AUXILIARY HANDLE
LOCK KNOB
HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT KNOB
DUST EXHAUST PORT
DA
NG
ER
:_B
0
15
45
75
30
60
90
R
M
ADE IN THE U.S
.A.
HIG
H
PE
RF
ORM
ANCE INDUSTRI
AL
TO
O
LS
SPINDLE LOCK PIN
LOCK ON
BUTTON
ADJUSTABLE
FENCE
TRIGGER SWITCH
PLUNGE DEPTH ADJUSTMENT
KNOB
FIXED SHOE
FIG 2
(FLAT BISCUITS)
ANTI-SLIPPAGE PIN
FIG 3
R
FIG 4
R
FIG 5
LOCK KNOB
ADJUSTMENT KNOB
FIG 6
POINTER POINTS TO
12.7 mm (1/2") MARK
12.7 mm (1/2")
CENTERLINE OF BLADE
R
20
M
10
0
FIG 7
RED MARK
R
FIG 8
FINE DEPTH
ADJUSTMENT
FIG 9
ANTI-SLIPPAGE PIN
R
FIG. 10
ROTATE
ELBOW FOR
DESIRED EXHAUST
DIRECTION
R
FIG 11
VACUUM HOSE
CONNECTION
FIG 13
PROTRUDING BISCUIT
END
(TRIM OFF WITH SAW
AND SAND SMOOTH)
R
R
FIG 12
