You may well have heard both the term plate joiner and biscuit joiner and assumed they were in fact different tools. Both a plate joiner and a biscuit joiner are the same thing just with different names. Biscuit joiner vs plate joiner – in the US they are more commonly referred to as a biscuit joiner in the UK and Europe you will probably hear the term plate joiner used more often.
Speaking of benchtops, you can opt for a benchtop planer to save a little money instead of a floor model planer. The jointer will give you a perfectly square single edge and flatten that single side, whereas the planer will give you consistent thickness and parallel surfaces. There are so many clever and skilled woodworkers who always seem to find workarounds to make up for limited tool inventory or poor wood, and in the wood planer or jointer discussion, cleverness once again shines.
What is the main difference between a jointer, joiner and planer. If you buy regular pieces of timber you need to get flat and square, a jointer will be beneficial for you. A planer over a jointer might be more useful if you can only choose one – because of the option of pre-milled timber, and the ability of hand planers to be portable whilst also cutting, shaping, levelling and smoothing.
Years ago, back in the 1990s and early 2000s, a biscuit joiner became a very popular woodworking tool. Well, as much as I admire Norm Abram, a biscuit joiner may be one of the most useless power tools you can own. If you’re new to woodworking, or if you’re a maker, you may not even know what a biscuit joiner is.
biscuit jointer vs planer Related Question:
Why use a jointer instead of a planer?
The jointer will give you a perfectly square single edge and flatten that single side, whereas the planer will give you consistent thickness and parallel surfaces. Jointers have their cutting knives embedded in the table with the wood passing over them, whereas planers cut from above the wood.
What is the difference between a plate joiner and a biscuit joiner?
A plate joiner is the same as a biscuit joiner and are used to create an oblong hole in two matching pieces of wood. After the joiners have created the hole, a biscuit is glued, inserted and typically clamped until the wood is dried.
Is a jointer really necessary?
Simply purchase your lumber already milled in S3S or S4S form (surfaced on three sides or surfaced on 4 sides). If you’re at a point in your woodworking where you’re starting to use rough sawn lumber, say from a lumber mill or your local sawyer, then a jointer is absolutely essential to your shop workflow.