Joe Bottigliere

Personally, I think a toothed blade should be used whether it works for YOU or not. It was done before and should continue to be done. It’s tradition. I’m not sure why everyone is focusing on hide glue. All glue is hidden once the two pieces are joined together properly. I think that is why a toothed blade was used. It provides more space for the glue to hide!!!

If I remember right, Frank Klause used white glue almost exclusively. He even liked Elmer’s since it is essentially the same animal. I like using Titebond III when gluing up darker woods since it dries to a darker color and blends in more. And obviously, it’s great if you know the piece will come into contact with water.

Dean,
Email me at tbjbotts@optonline.net so we can set up an alternate time for getting you the joiner.

I’ll bring the joiner Wednesday night. Hopefully, you’ll be there.

I addressed the Worksharp and honing guide in the original thread. You’re good with just about anything.

So, I looked at my machine with both the stock guide, the Veritas and an OLD small wheel side clamp guide I still have. I don’t see why any of them would not work for you. My only concern would be a guide with a small wheel like my old one. It allows a lot of tipping from side to side. That is great for adding a camber but if you tip it too much, I would be afraid of grabbing the paper and tearing it possibly pulling the jig from your hand. I would recommend a bit larger wheel style or exercising extra care. But it will work.

The stock guide is pretty nice in that it has a fixture for accurately setting the blade length thereby setting the angle. And it provides for a micro bevel if you use them. It has two wheels, spaced fairly far apart which provides a lot stability but little chance of adding a camber at the machine. That will HAVE to be done freehand. It also allows you enough room (on longer blades) to lap the back with the guide on.

Hope that helps.

Dean,
Not sure if you are actually looking for a biscuit joiner? I have an older Porter-Cable biscuit joiner I am selling really cheap – $35. Let me know if you are interested. I still have to look into the Worksharp for you as well.

Good question. I thought you’d never ask.
Although I highly discourage using a toothed blade on MDF, particle board or plywood substrates, I think the “old timers” had a clue about what they were doing when they roughed up a solid wood panel before applying a cross-banding layer of veneer. Avoiding the obvious like: “Well, their work has stood the test of time and we not only admire but emulate it.” I think the benefits of flattening a surface and giving it extra “tooth” for the glue were quite helpful. One could also argue (if you had nothing else to support your view) that toothing a surface could break it up to help reduce wood movement. It’s almost as if you had dozens of smaller boards than one larger plane. Think about it. 😉

The guide is almost inconsequential. You can use almost any roller guide that will fit on the base. It’s the platform that attaches tot he unit the is critical. You’re 90% there. I can check my Veritas guide to see if it will work but those cheaper, side-clamp guides might just do the trick.

None of the quality bases are cheap. I have a monster for my table saw and extension table as well as an adjustable one for my jointer. Both are worth their salt. But I do use one of the hybrid bases where you supply the wood to join the corners and a wooden base to rest the machine on. It works pretty well. It’s certainly strong enough to hold me hefty bandsaw but it is a three-wheel unit which makes pivoting easy (good for me) but a bit more fussy if you want to move the unit any distance. Based on my experience, I would recommend such a base and follow Charlie’s guidelines. If you have experience welding, I don’t see why you couldn’t make your own frame and add strong wheels. A custom frame would be even stronger since you will not compromise strength for adjustability. You could use smaller steel stock since you won’t need nuts and bolts. Just a thought.

On another note, I’ll have to break my streak with Charlie. I still have my first power tool – my radial arm saw – and make good use of it. Although I won’t rip with it anymore, it’s great for dados and indexing cuts and such. Plus the cross cut capacity is great. Now onto toothed blades.