Wood Biscuits Are Not About Baking

If someone comments on your wood biscuits, don’t feel insulted. He or she was talking about your woodworking, not your baking skills.

Wood biscuits are those oval disks that join wood pieces together. In the past, people used pegs, but today they use a biscuit joiner to insert the biscuits into a piece, for a joint that needs more strength than glue can provide.

Wood biscuits are commonly used in edge-to-edge joints, such as tables, and miter joints, such as picture frames. They are also helpful in corner joints, such as drawers, and T-joints, such as book shelves.

Biscuit joiners are handy tools. This is how a biscuit joiner works: It cuts corresponding holes in the two pieces to be joined. Then when the biscuit is covered in glue, it is put into the hole in one piece. The corresponding piece is put in place. As the glue dries, the biscuit expands to fill the holes, allowing for a tighter joint.

If you have any trouble using a biscuit joiner, go to your local hardware store. The knowledgeable staff there can show you handy tips to use the joiner efficiently. Soon you will be joining wood parts like a pro.

When you doing a project that uses biscuits, make repeated checks of the joint before you glue the biscuit in place to be sure everything fits properly. When the glue dries, it will be very difficult for you to take the unit apart if you’ve made a mistake.

Wood biscuits are made of compressed wood and are generally very small, well less than a quarter-inch thick. Three sizes are generally available: 5/8-in. wide, one inch long (size zero); ?-in.wide, 2 1/8-in. long (size 10); and 1 in. wide and 3/8-in. long (size 20). Different thicknesses are available from a variety of companies. Yes, believe it or not, there are companies devoted to making wood biscuits.

Experts say it is best to use the largest sized biscuit available for your project, to ensure stability. Just as with the baked variety of biscuits, it is essential to store wood biscuits properly: in a clean, airtight container. Soggy wood biscuits are just like soggy bakery biscuits ? no good to anyone.

You can find wood biscuits at most hardware stores and home improvement centers. Use your favorite search engine to find a supplier online. If you do a lot of woodworking, buy bulk supplies of several sizes. You will be glad to have them on hand in the middle of a project.

Wood biscuits are great to use because they make it easy to create a smooth, nearly invisible joint. They make the wood products you create much stronger and more durable. They are very easy to use. You won’t regret any comments made on these wood biscuits.