How to Use Joinery Biscuits for Stronger Furniture

Designed to strengthen wood joints like miter joints or butt joints, biscuits are inserted into joints using a biscuit joiner and held in place with wood glue. Despite the multi-step process of inserting joinery biscuits, physically doing so is a process that even beginners can tackle with ease.  

In this post, we will discuss the use of joinery biscuits and how they make stronger furniture. We will cover what joinery biscuits are, the benefits of using joinery biscuits, and how joinery biscuits work. Keep reading to learn more! 

What Are Joinery Biscuits? 

Joinery biscuits are small, oval-shaped pieces of wood that are used to reinforce and strengthen furniture joints. They are inserted into specially cut slots into pieces of wood being joined together to create a strong bond between certain joints.  

The purpose of joinery biscuits is to create a stronger bond between the two pieces of wood, resulting in more stable furniture. When the biscuits are inserted into the slots and glued into place, they provide additional surface area for the glue to adhere to. This creates a stronger joint that is less likely to fail over time. Just don't use them for high-stress joints that hold a lot of weight like chair joints or bookshelf joints. 

Joinery biscuits also help to hold pieces of wood in alignment during assembly. This is particularly useful when it comes to creating seamless joints, such as mitered corners or offset joints.  

Joinery biscuits can be used in a wide range of woodworking applications, including making picture frames and tabletops creating seamless connections. They are compatible with various types of wood and can be used with solid wood, MDF, plywood, or veneered materials. 

In the next section, we will discuss why you might want to use joinery biscuits. 

Why Use Joinery Biscuits? 

Joinery biscuits are a popular and effective way to create stronger and more durable furniture. 

One of the main benefits of using joinery biscuits is that they allow for seamless joints. By cutting slots into the pieces of wood being joined and inserting the biscuits, the resulting joint is both strong and nearly invisible. This makes joinery biscuits perfect for creating picture frames, tabletops, cabinet doors, and other furniture pieces where 90 or 180-degree angles are necessary. 

Another advantage of using joinery biscuits is that they can reinforce weaker joint types, such as butt joints and miter joints. The biscuits help prevent the pieces from separating or warping over time. 

There are various types and sizes of biscuits available, allowing for versatility in woodworking projects. Mini biscuits are ideal for narrower materials, while larger biscuits can be used for thicker larger material. Common biscuit sizes include #0, #10, and #20. 

How Do Joinery Biscuits Work? 

The process of using biscuits begins by using a biscuit joiner or plate joiner to cut slots in the edges of the wood that will become your joint. The joiner has a circular blade that cuts a matching slot in each piece of wood. This creates a perfect alignment for the biscuits to be inserted. 

Once the slots are cut, glue is applied to the biscuits, and they are inserted into the slots. The glue evenly coats the surfaces of the biscuits and the walls of the slots, ensuring maximum strength and a tight bond. 

The pieces of wood are then aligned and clamped together. The biscuits help to maintain alignment during clamping, resulting in seamless joints. The excess glue is wiped away to prevent any mess. 

The joinery biscuits provide extra strength to the joint by increasing the surface area for glue to bond the pieces of wood together. This eliminates the reliance solely on a butt joint or edge joint, which can be weaker. The use of joinery biscuits is particularly beneficial for mitered corners and narrow materials, where a stronger joint is needed. 

Want to learn more? Discover more about the history of wood joinery in this blog! 

Joinery Biscuits You Need from Cincinnati Dowel 

Joinery biscuits are one of the best components you can use to align your joints and create stronger pieces of furniture. They are relatively inexpensive and can drastically increase the lifespan of your piece. 

What's more, if your biscuit joiner is attached to a fixed surface, you can attach and glue wood biscuits with great accuracy. 

Furniture makers all over the world are increasing their use of joinery biscuits in furniture making for stronger joints with less expense or technical acuity. 

Curious about how Cincinnati Dowel can deliver the perfect custom wood biscuits to your business, then click here to reach out to our team now!

For more information on wood dowels, follow Cincinnati Dowel on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.  

Also, if you are satisfied with your Cincinnati Dowel experience, leave us a five-star review here!