Joiners Reviews

There is no denying that this is the best plate joiner on the market. It can produce repeatable, accurate and precise joinery in ways that the other plate joiners simply can't match. The laminated card with settings that allow precise centering of biscuit slots for varying thicknesses of wood will be really handy. I have zero complaints about this machine...except...when I ordered it from Amazon I was sent a unit that had obviously been opened and resealed. On delivery the wooden case was severely damaged (the bottom was pushed off and the center divider was fractured) and the angled dust chute guide had been mounted on the machine, and was broken. I tried to repair the case, but then why should I settle for damaged goods? I have to send the unit back for a replacement. I appreciate Amazon's return policy, but I really don't think I should have to go through this. There was no damage to the outer box it was shipped in, or any visible damage to the manufacturers box. I think this machine was damaged before shipment. I don't think we expect to receive "refurbished/damaged" goods when buying from Amazon, and I'm disappointed. I'll reserve final judgement until after I get a "new" unit.

Great product, delivers consistant result at all the time. cons: No dust bag. I mean it doesn't come with one. You may have to order from the company, and the dust outlet has a plastic holder. Mine was broken when I received it. I'm going to glue it back on.
I haven't contact Amason.com about it,but that outlet should have been a better material anyway. It comes strongly Recommended. You want a good product? as a civil engineer I strongly recommends it.

Lovely machine and as smooth as advertised. glad I purchased. The wood case is a little much. It just holds the joiner loosly. Not at all a custom fit. Would have thought this expensive a toy would be cradled somehow rather than left to just rattle around.. Oh well, hope it didn't represent a major $ amount in the purchase 'cause it's kind of "cheesy"

That should say someting right there! Guess I will make it 8! I spent more money on a biscuit joiner and a bag of biscuits than I did on this tool! I had a drill by the way! Received both at the same time, was not sure which would work better. Anyone out there looking to buy a buscuit joiner (new condition, only used to cut 2 joints, still in it case collecting dust now)?

The DowelMax jig is going to make biscuit joining a thing of the pastas soon as more people realize how great this jig is. Biscuits = sloppy joints in one axis along the length of the buscuit. Dowelmax gives you an accurate alignment in all 3 axis of the joint and is almost as fast as a plate joiner once you get the hang of using the jig (watch the video that comes with the jig and then spend 5 minutes practicing and you should be a pro.. it is that simple).
Take a chance on the price... it is worth it!

One additional thought, if you think the price is a little spendy, consider the price of a biscuit joiner collecting dust instead of making some! I am still trying to find Some use for that joiner.

This is easily the most versatile doweling jig on the market. It lets you place dowels relative to a reference face with great precision. Note that this is a lot more useful than a standard doweling jig that only places dowels in a self centering location. Also, you can place sequential dowels with similarly excellent precision.

The tool is easy to use and the accompanying documentation and video is excellent. The jig is well made and sturdy.

My only gripe with the product itself is that it would be somewhat easier to use if it were slightly larger. The jig is only about four inches long.

Having said that, it is an excellent tool and a nice complement to biscuit and pocket hole joinery. It adds a lot of flexibility to woodworking. I would buy it again.

I am relatively new to building furniture and decided to try out dowel joints. Based upon research and other reviews, I decided to try out the Dowelmax. What a surprise! Even us who are considered a novice had success with the very first joint. It is so amazingly simple and accurate, its unbelievable. I have several furniture projects lined up and plan on using the Dowelmax extensively. The folks at Dowelmax had my jig to me in exactly one week, so I can't say enough about their responsiveness. The overall quality of this tool certainly speaks for itself. (It should have come packed in a fine mahogany box as it looks more like a piece of jewelry.) I expect it will last long after I am gone. Thanks Jim and the rest of folks at Dowelmax!

I put all of my machines on mobile bases, and have had mixed luck with various manufacturers. By far my best experiences have been with the bases made for specific machines. They're a cinch to get together and start using. This one was no exception. Its very sturdy and with a good push you can jump on your DJ-20 and surf it down the driveway (just kidding). It isn't the one shown in the picture here (obviously a joiner won't fit on that) but it is better- with a foot pedal for lifting/lowering. Highly recommended.

All of my shop machines are on mobile bases. Some are home-made but the heavy pieces like the DJ20 jointer are on Delta bases. Like the other Delta bases, this is top quality. I had some initial concerns about putting this heavy jointer on a mobile base, but I am very pleased that I did. The mobile base moves the jointer very easily across some oversized garage floor expansion joints. You can't go wrong by purchasing this base.

I have several machines on Delta mobile bases. After discovering how well they are made and how well they work when I got my first one with my Unisaw, I don't even think twice now when I buy a new machine, I always get the Delta base to go with it. I just got a DJ20. This is one big, heavy jointer. It's about 475 lbs, about the same as a Unisaw, but this jointer is very long and possibly awkward to move. But my DJ20 is really easy to move and manouver around my small shop using this base. One Hint: when you set up your jointer, place the cabinet in the mobile base first, before you but the jointer assembly on th cabinet.

Excellent product. It comes strongly recommended. Good engineering. I strongly recommend it.

These biscuits work very well, but I don't understand why a box of ASSORTED BISCUITS is so much more expensive (with the same number of biscuits) as any of the boxes of biscuits that have the same number of biscuits, but all one size. For example, 1000 # 0, 10 or 20 is 37 dollars or so, and the assorted 1000 (500 20s, 250 10s and 250 0s) is 55 dollars. What's up with that?

What more can I say?

I have been using the Porter-cable plate joiner for about 4 months. I ran out of the Porter-cable biscuits right in the middle of a project on a sunday afternoon. My regular shop was closed so I bought a "generic" brand of biscuits at the local mega home destruction center just to finish the day. What a mistake. Most of these things did not fit due major variations in thickness and poor quality. Most would split when tapped into place. I ended up throwing away 2/3 rds of these defective biscuits. I have never had any problems with the Porter-Cable biscuits. These are always high quality, consistent thickness and much stronger. My daughter says they taste better also !

Saved my husband and I lots of cash! We went from .16 cents at a local lumber yard, to .02 cents apiece. (He always said I made hard biscuits!) Sandy

Good value - You can go through a lot of biscuits and this is the way to buy them...in bulk.

The Dowelmax system creates perfect spacing. The one consideration is that with a system that has the capability of doweling all the way across the edge of a board for a table top, you need to realize that even with a thousandth of an inch accuracy, multiplied across such an expanse, it is advisable to have a slight variation in size of the hole the drill bit leaves. The 9.7mm drill bit gives you that luxury. If you are using only two dowels, with a single setting of the jig, then a common 3/8" drill bit is advisable. If you are doing multiple dowels, for example 5 in a row, or more with the expansion capabilities, it is advisable to use the 9.7mm bit. I bought two of them when I bought the kit. When they arrived I was glad that they were high quality, and had an adjustable depth collar on them that would not slip a setting. Overall highly recommended.

I don't believe it.
Portable and extendable to any length with a robust connection system that offers better precision than more expensive European systems. The clamping system makes the most dangerous cuts safer than ever before and makes the table saw looks like an ancient bad idea. The anti chip protection works so good that saves me money every day by not having to rework the wood. I trim all my doors in seconds. I make 2 bookcases in one hour and I sold my dust collecting table saw.
But I do have a problem with the EZ Smart System.
I think everybody should have one and stop borrowing my EZ.
Thanks Eurekazone.

I purchased the Freud JS102 biscuit jointer in 1998 and have used it to build many furniture projects in the time since. It is a quality built machine that is worth its modest price tag. The only fault I can find with it is that the dust port leading to the cloth bag tends to get clogged up. This is not a big deal though, as it is easy to clean out. I would buy this tool again in a heartbeat for its reliability and the value per dollar spent.

I know this is a popular tool and has garnered good reviews in comparison tests. I liked it when I first started using it but after about 500 cuts I noticed the plunger wasn't working as smoothly as before, and I keep my tools clean & oiled. The sliding mechanism was wearing out far too rapidly than a 'professional' tool should. Then one day at work it just went dead; hadn't been dropped, wasn't overheated. So I probably got about 1000 cuts on this machine. The replacement? A Lamello, what I should have gone for originally.

This is the first plate joiner I have ever owned. I'm getting lazy, and no longer feel like cutting stopped dadoes for splines when edge gluing boards. So what to do? Buy a plate joiner! After all the positive reviews on Amazon, and the recommendations from a few people, figured the Porter Cable is the one to buy. Overall, this is a solid tool. The fence is long, and sturdy, the plunge mechanism has close tolerances so there isn't any "wiggle" (that is a highly technical term), and the micro adjust is great. If only using the dust collection bag, good luck! The tube leading into the bag clogs up, and the wood chips wind up everywhere except in the bag after cutting a few slots. Hook it up to your shop vacuum or, for you high end folk, your dust collection system, and there will be no problems.

This is a great product, and you can get it, along with any other products on Amazon up to $500 Free! Participate in this special promotion and get a free $500 Amazon Gift Card at this web site: nocoststuff.biz/amazon