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These Biscuits arent for Eating!

Importance of those Wood Biscuits in Woodworking

There's a saying in woodworking that you should probably hear: Good woodworking projects use glue. Great woodworking projects use a little more. That little more means wood biscuits. Wood biscuits are small oval shaped discs that are inserted with the use of a biscuit joiner. Historically, of course, biscuits did not exist in the woodworking processes. Simple wooden pegs were used. These pegs were the precursor to wood biscuits.

Wood biscuits join two pieces of wood together. Something a bit more than glue is often required for most wood working projects. The projects often require panels of twelve inches or more to be joined without the overwhelming presence of seams. Glue is both fine and necessary, but excellent woodworking projects simply cannot survive on glue alone. Biscuits are both simple, and quick to use. A biscuit joiner, the tool that helps you insert a biscuit, cuts the hole in the opposite edges of the project you are working with. You then cover your wood biscuit in glue and insert it in the slot. Clamp the two boards together, and you are on your way to finishing one of the best woodworking projects you have ever made.

Biscuits are both strong and durable. They can act as joiners where glue simply will not hold. Most biscuits are comprised of compressed wood components. This usually means something like beech shavings, but the actual composition can vary from company to company. Once the glue joins with the biscuit in the slot you have made with your biscuit joiner, the biscuit is allowed to expand to fill the slot. This has the effect of tightening the joint, allowing you to work with it and smooth it more than you ever thought possible.

Most biscuits are slightly less than one fourteenth of an inch thick, though it is possible to purchase them in varying thicknesses from different wood biscuit making companies. There are three common wood biscuit sizes. Size number zero is five eighths of an inch wide and one and three quarter inches long. Size number ten is three quarters of an inch wide and two and one eighths of an inch long. Size number twenty is one inch wide and two and three eighths of an inch long. As with the thickness of wood biscuits, some manufacturers make different biscuit sizes. If you are looking for a specific size, it might be good to check around from company to company.

The best biscuit size to use is the best size that suits your purpose. You should try to use the largest sized biscuit for your project. This will increase the stability of your woodworking project. While you can use a wood biscuit on any joint project, there are a few common joints where they are used. Anytime you are manufacturing an edge to edge joint, like in dining room tables, end tables, or coffee tables, biscuits can be very helpful. Any time you are creating a miter joint, like with a picture frame, biscuits can add stability to the project. When you need to use butt joinery or end to end joints, biscuits offer you the strength you need. In places where corner joints are necessary, like drawers, biscuits are not only helpful, they're traditional. In the case of T joints, like you might use when you create a book shelf, a biscuit can offer you that little bit of extra stability you have been searching for.

When you get ready to start using wood biscuits as a joinery tool, there are a few things to remember. First, biscuit storage is a bit touchy. You should always store wood biscuits in a clean, dry, airtight container. The nature of wood biscuits makes them very susceptible to moisture. Moisture can cause them to swell, which makes them useless for woodworking purposes. Second, be sure to check and recheck the way your joints fit together before you start your project. Dry fitting your components is not just a good idea; it is a necessity in the world of wood biscuits.

Wood biscuits are typically sold in bulk at hardware stores and other hardware retailers. With the popularity of internet shopping, you can even buy them at most online woodworking specialty shops in various sizes.

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Open and Shut Case: Mysteries of the Stuck Window and Door Revealed


Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, you cant get the door open. Its mysteriously stuck. You move over to open the window of opportunity, and after much huffing and puffing, you realize you cant get that open, either. Whats going on here?

Learn all about how and why doors and windows stick and how to fix them, so youre not stuck the next time opportunity pays a visit!

Stuck Windows
Windows can stick for a variety of reasons. Often wood expands and contracts, moving parts have been painted over, or two surfaces may simply seem fused together. Some of the most common problems and fixes for stuck windows are:

Painted-over joint: Cut the paint with a window zipper (tool designed just for this purpose) or a putty knife. Hold blade flat against the sash and push the edge into the joint while drawing the tool along the surface.
Paint build-up: Similar to when joints are painted over, years of painting can also result in an accumulation that causes excessive friction. Use a paint scraper to remove excess paint from the window stop, parting strip, and blind stop. Raise and lower the sash throughout the process. For a lower sash, it is also a possibility to remove the window stop to sand and scrape the edges facing the window. If none of the easier solutions were successful, remove both sashes and completely strip the paint to the bare wood. Repaint the sashes and reinstall when the pain has dried.
Too much friction: Lubricate the sash channels with candle wax or talcum powder. This can also prevent painted surfaces from sticking together. If spring metal weather-stripping is found in the sash channels, reduce tension by using a hammer and block of wood to flatten the strip.
Just plain stuck. A sharp rap to the center rail, near the lock can sometimes break a bond between painted surfaces. The blow can be administered with the palm of your hand or a rubber mallet. Another option is to gently tap a wooden block again the sides of the sash.
New friction channels. If you have some extra time on your hands and are very concerned with preventing heat loss, another option is to install new friction channels. To do this, first remove sashes, weights and pulleys.

Push fiberglass insulation into the openings for the weigh cavities. Start at the top and work your way down with the aid of a flexible rod or stick.

Using a hammer and sharp chisel, notch the ends of the top parting strip to create the new channels.

Replace the sashes in the window frame between the two new channels. Tilt the entire assembly into the opening from the bottom inside.

Finally, reinstall interior stops according to the manufacturers instructions for adjusting tension. If windows are too loose after the stops have been installed, increase tension by hammering a wood block against the stop at nail placements. When the tension seems right to you, drive in several nails.

Stuck Doors
Doors can stick for many of the same reasons as windowstoo much tension, or painting over moving parts. However, with the addition of hinges, that also opens up a whole new area of possible reasons for stuck doors.

Door rubs against jamb. The solution to this problem differs according to which side the door is rubbing against the jamb on. If the door rubs against the jamb on the hinge side, you will need to shim the hinges out. Unscrew the hinge from the jamb and place a piece of cardboard behind it. Shimming out the bottom hinge may resolve the problem of a door binding at the top of the strike jamb.

If the door rubs against the jamb on the side without the hinge or against another part of the door frame, the door may need to be modified so it will fit. Mark the door with scribe lines so you know where to plane and remove the door (removing bottom pin first and working your way upward). Lay the door on a flat surface and plane the appropriate edges.
Loose hinge screws. To fix loose hinge screws, wedge the door open and remove the screws. Fold back the hinge, being careful not to lose any existing shims. Buy or whittle wood pieces to fit the holes. Add glue and push the wood pieces into the holes. Scrape the wood plugs until they are flush, fold the hinge back into place, drill pilot holes and drive in new screws.
Moving a stop. Sometimes its easier to move the stop than unwarp a door. If a door is binding against the hinge-side stop or will not close properly because of an improperly placed stop on the latch side, pry off the offending stop. Close the door and draw a line, along the doors inside edge, on the jamb. Nail the stop on this line.
Moving a strike plate. A latch and strike may get out of alignment because a house had settled. If the strike plate is too far away, shim it out with cardboard. If it is too close, unscrew the strike, chisel out a new mortise, drill pilot holes, and replace the strike. If necessary, use wood putty to fill the old mortise hole and sand until smooth.