maxm63•8d ago

I had to pick between a biscuit joiner and dowels for a big kitchen job

A client in Tacoma wanted a full set of maple cabinets with solid face frames. The joinery had to be strong and clean. I was stuck between using my biscuit joiner or switching to dowels for the frame corners. I went with dowels, using a JessEm jig I borrowed from a friend. It took a full day to set up and drill all the holes, but the alignment was perfect. The glue-up was less stressful because everything locked in place. The frames came out rock solid with no gaps. I'm thinking about buying my own doweling jig now. Has anyone else made this switch and found it better for face frames?

2 comments

2 Comments

evannelson8d ago

Honestly, it's just a face frame. A good glue joint with some clamps would have been fine and saved you that whole setup day.

oscar_hunt618d ago

A full day just for setup on a face frame seems like a lot of extra work. I've always had good luck with biscuits and glue for that kind of thing.