Biscuit Particulars

Since they are made from compressed Beechwood, care must be taken to prevent the absorption of excess moisture lest they begin to swell before use. Keep only a minimal supply at hand around the workshop, and store the bulk of them in a cool, dry place in the original sealed bags. The addition of a desiccant pack to the workshop supply, which should be in a screw-top plastic container, may prove beneficial to controlling moisture also.

In the event swell is experienced before use, some popular methods of recovery are to:

• Recompress the plate by squeezing it in a vise.
• Sand the surface to fit
• Put enough biscuits for the job in a paper bag and microwave for no more than 30 seconds, do not leave unattended, and do not do this in front of the wife

Gluing Biscuits

It is recommended that whatever glue is used, it be applied to the slot and not the biscuit, and a spatula- type tool be used to ensure wetting of both sidewalls of the slot.

To effectively utilize the swelling effect from biscuits, some water content must be present in the glue used, or pre-wetting of the biscuit will be required. Typical "Carpenter's Glue", also known as P.V.A., is usually sufficient for most woodworking purposes, and is available in both indoor and water- resistant formulations.

Plastic Resin glues will give much better performance for exterior uses, and are mixed with water anyway, so ample swell is guaranteed with its use.

Resorcinol glues and Epoxies are a two-part system of resin and hardener that is free of moisture, and so pre-wetting of the biscuits is required.

Polyurethane gluing tips from Chuck Ring and the gang at Woodworker's Central http://www.woodworking.org/index.html explain the special processes involved when using polyurethane glue:

Here's the URL for a database that contains 13 articles on polyurethane adhesives: http://209.122.88.33/ArticleSearch/visitsearch.htm use polyurethane adhesive for your keywords.

Here's a list of articles specific to Polyurethane glue:

http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive98/1_17ring.html

http://www.woodworking.com/magazine/jul96/poly/index.html

http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive98/4_29ringstuck.html

http://www.woodworking.org/WC/Shoptips/clampad.html

For more information about biscuit joinery see: http://www.ameritech.net/users/hankm/wme.htm

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