Ryobi biscuit joiner / jointer?

[tiroth]

Any satisfied customers? I have scoured the web without coming to a conclusion on this; the arguments from experienced woodworkers appear to fit solidly into one of two diametrically opposed categories:

1. Biscuit joiners are low-precision devices. Get a Ryobi / OMalley / GMC and as long as the fence is parallel it will work fine. Return any lemons and try again.

2. The runout/bad fence of cheap units renders them useless. Get a Dewalt or Porter Cable.

My only interest is in improving dry fit and making assembly/alignment more manageable and repeatable.

Ryobi is about $99, O'malley about $60, PC $165, Dewalt $140.

[Timn8ter]

I can't offer a comparison but I can say the Porter Cable unit works well. You may be able to find a reconditioned one for a good price.
I've not used Makita but this looks like a good deal.
http://www.toolking.com/makita/view.asp?id=6112

[azira]

Features: possibly, but quality shouldn't be the issue. Besides which, get the cheap one, if it breaks buy another one or warrenty it, you'll still likely have saved more than buying a makita, dewalt, or porter cable. Assuming you're a hobbiest and this isn't your full time job...

However, that being said, instead of buying a biscuit cutter, I borrowed a porter cable my girlfriends dad has. When I went to look for one of my own, I noticed that the porter cable had a few neat features that some of the other ones didn't have. For one thing, it had a much wider, deeper base (bottom of the jointer, not the fence) than other ones. It also had two small sharp spikes that helped hold the jointer in place as I was using it. Unfortunately a great tool doesn't compensate for a lousy user. I could have done better on my joints.

All said and done though, even if I hadn't been so shoddy at it, I probably could have done just as good of a job with a cheaper tool... especially with the price tag on that thing. What made more of a difference when doing the 4 sides I had to do was how I set up my work piece on the table rather than the actual cut itself.
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Danny

EDIT: just clicked the link above, it does look like a good deal, if not a heavy device...

[jlh28]

I think that it works fine. In my opinion there is no reason to get a more expensive model. How often are you going to use it? It is generally one of the least used tools in my shop. The ryobi works well and the fence is pretty accurate. It is surely good enough for hobby use.

[BillFitzmaurice]

Ryobi has good quailty at reasonable prices. Brands I would avoid are Skil. Black and Decker and Freud.

[jlh28]

I have a sliding miter saw. It is a huge POS. Makes me angry every time I look at it. GRRRRRRR

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

I'm as happy as a clam with my DeWalt.

[tiroth]

Thanks guys. I've also heard bad things about the Freud tools. I do love my Freud blades though. Are their router bits as good quality?

[BobEllis]

Originally posted by jlh28
In my opinion there is no reason to get a more expensive model. How often are you going to use it? ... It is surely good enough for hobby use.

I couldn't agree more with that philosphy. In my experience, the major difference between pro quality and hobby quality tools is the power and durability. Usually durability means more accurate cuts, but what precision do you really need on a bisquit joiner for speaker cabinets? I end up either rounding over the corners or rabbeting them to accept a molding anyway. If you plan to use it for other than basic boxes, you may want to invest in a more precise tool, however.

I have a 15+ year old $50 Craftsman router that still does an acceptable job for speaker cutouts and basic edge work. I shimmed the bearings to minimize the runout once, but it has seen quite a bit of use. I was given a Bosch plunge router that is smoother and more powerful, but I still used the Sears for the driver cutouts on my last set of speakers.

BTW, I own a seldom used Freud bisquit joiner. It has done quite well when I laid out my joints carefully (not often) As Azira noted, operator attention/skill often makes more difference than the tool.

suggestion - buy the inexpensive biscuit joiner, take it easy on the tool (don't cut a hundred joints in a row without letting the motor cool down.) Spend the difference on your project. Unless of course you just love collecting nice tools

[BrianGT]

I bought the Dewalt unit, and haven't regretted spending the extra money, as it is a great tool. I would rather spend twice as much to get a tool that works well, rather than buying a subpar tool for 1/2 the price that I will have to replace in a year.

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Brian