Lamello Biscuit Joiner Review
Plate joiners are an invaluable and modern piece of equipment used in the woodworking and carpentry industry. The primary function of a plate joiner (also commonly referred to as a biscuit jointer) is to facilitate the joining together of two pieces or timber, particle board or chipboard. It works on the same principle as a regular angle grinder with a modified, task specific cutting head fence design. In simple terms the plate joiner is used by clamping the two pieces of timber together and then cutting a crescent shaped section from each piece. This creates the void for the plate (or biscuit) to be fixed in place using glue, cementing the joint together.
The simplicity of the tool can save hours of time compared to other traditional labour intensive timber joinery techniques. The plate joiner can be used to assist in the construction of many different types of timber joints such as T-joints, mitre joints, edge to edge joints, butt to butt joinery and corner joints.
There are many power tool companies such as Lamello, Skil, Ryobi, Makita, DeWalt and Bosch which provide the market with numerous models of plate joiners. The most important factor to consider when purchasing a plate joiner is the quality of the workmanship and materials used in making the tool. A well made tool will always last a lot longer than a cheaper, inferior one and the 101252 Lamello Biscuit Joiner certainly falls into the former category!
Lamello is the company that invented the plate joiner technique and they most definitely make the best machines available in the world. The 101252 Classic C3 5 Amp Lamello Biscuit Joiner machine is solid. You will not suffer from the frustration of loose tolerances using this machine, dramatically reducing the instances of slipping and bad cutting. The Lamello is well designed for everyday use for everyone from a first time DIY enthusiast to a master builder. It features an adjustable fence and depth mechanism, with the measurements and common setting marked very clearly providing confidence and precision to the user.
The dovetail design ensures that the multifunction square stop remains parallel to the front plate. The Classic CS Lamello Biscuit Joiner also features a swivel fence which can be adjusted to any angle from 0° to 90° as well as an accurate ball detent which can be stopped at 22.5° / 45° / 67.5°. The Lamello 101252 Classic C3 5 Amp Plate Joiner can also be used for other applications such as wood patching, shadow joinery, duplex hinges and trim edge-banding.
Lamello provide a twelve month warranty on their plate joiners and guarantee that parts and accessories will be available for your model for a minimum of ten years after date of manufacture.
Over the years I have been guilty of using other brands of plate joiner and I have worked with many other carpenters and cabinet who have done the same. The Lamello’s slide shoe, fence and multi-function stop square are all made from one piece of machine milled metal. Lamello is the only plate joiner in the world constructed like this. This quality of construction ensures perfect accuracy, literally for decades. A Lamello Biscuit Joiner simply cannot be beaten for longevity, precision and reliability.
