Oops! Biscuit Slots Refuse to Align
I was cutting slots for a long edge joint the other day, and everything was humming right along. But when I put the boards together, they didn’t line up worth a darn!Turns out I made a very simple mistake. All along I thought my plate joiner’s fence was sitting on top of the board. Nope. On some cuts, the bottom of the plate joiner was sitting on the bench instead (1). The board was a bit bowed, so I ended up making slots at different heights. That’s why the boards weren’t flush. To fix the problem, I glued biscuits in the bad slots, cut off the excess and started over. This time I made sure the board hung over the edge of the bench when I cut each and every slot (2).This mishap is part of a much larger story. Click here to see a boatload of plate joiner techniques and tips. |
1. Slots may not line up if your plate joiner sits on the benchtop. There may be a small gap under the fence. 2. Hang the board over the edge of the bench to make consistent slots every time. |
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