QUESTION: Has anyone used biscuit joinery on 3/4" plyw

[halfdome, Danny]

Look for Apple Plywood it is just as strong and comes in 4x8sheets, Danny[color=blue][/color]

[Chris C]

Thanks, Halfdome, I'll try that.

[cracker39]

I had to relay this info. I checked my biscuit slot widths, and found that the narrowest piece I could end cut a slot for #0 biscuit was about 2" wide. In the MLCS catalog, I found a router bit that cuts a round 1 15/32" slot for a 1 13/32" round biscuit (# 11). If you are very careful, you can cut a slot in the end of a piece as narrow as 1 5/8", or more comfortably, in a piece 1 3/4" with some room to spare. It's costly though, at #32.95 for the bit and 100 #11 biscuits.

They do have a single slot cutter for $12 in the 5/32" width, but it cuts a 1 7/8" diameter slot, so you're back to a 2" width piece of wood. But, this cutter also comes in a 5.2mm width so you can cut slots and use a strip of 5.2mm plywood as the "biscuit". That brings up possibilities. BTW, I did some conversions. 5.2mm is 0.205". 3/16" is 0.185" and 1/4"of course, is 0.25". So, 5.2mm is barely over 3/16", but under 1/4".

Their site is www.mlcswoodworking.com and they have LOTS of router stuff, as well as forstner, bradpoint, and countersink drill bits.

[randy chesnutt]

cracker 39, grizzly.com. cat. 2005 page 185. you will see biscuits model h3732 #ff that is the size i believeyou are looking for. i believe some call them picture frame biscuit. i don,t have any around i used up all my biscuits.so i can,t give you the measurement.

[halfdome, Danny]

Another method to join 2 pieces of plywood, and I do this all the time, is to route a 1/4" slot and pull it together with Dog Bones ( drawbolts ). It is very strong, needs no clamps and you can bondo over the slot you route for the dog bones if desired. This is the common way counter tops are joined together. On my floor I used 1/2" Baltic Birch, it comes in 5x5 sheets, and routed a 1/4" spline of baltic Birch at the joint and glued and stapled a 5" wide piece of 1/2" B.B. over the joint. Then I dadoed a 1" x 7" piece of Poplar and glued it over the ply to cover it from the elements. Looking at my floor frame you would never guess it was done that way. Danny

[cracker39]

cracker 39, grizzly.com. cat. 2005 page 185. you will see biscuits model h3732 #ff that is the size i believeyou are looking for. i believe some call them picture frame biscuit. i don,t have any around i used up all my biscuits.so i can,t give you the measurement.

I checked my Grizzly catalog to see those. MLCS has picture frame biscuits too, called #H-9 on their site, 1 1/4" x 1/8". I'm not sure they're the same as Grizzly's, but the shape is the same as the H3732. The ones I was referring to (#11) are perfectly round and are for "cabinet or face framing".

[angib]

Beware - Thread hijack in progress

This discussion is nicely timed as I was watching a TV program on boat/ship construction techniques used by the Romans, and they used something rather like biscuits. They cut mortices in the edges of adjacent planks at intervals and fitted 'loose tenons' (ie, not part of either plank) just like rectangular biscuits, into both mortices and then fitted a pin through each tenon and mortice, and so hold the planks together. Clever, eh?

Andrew

[cracker39]

Andrew, I watched that program last evening. It was rawthah fascinating. Seriously, I never knew that Caligua took time out from his debauchery to have something constructive made like those two ships.