swampgator wrote... My method is to cut all my wood to size, lay it all out on the table, put painters tape along the edges, line up the joints, mark both pieces of tape of how the boards will be joined. That mark is then used to lign up the biscuit cut. ...
The only thing I haven't figured out exactly is joining angled edges, such as the drum above, unless you can take the angled edge to the table and low it over the biscuit joiner. ...
I do use my Shopsmith for most all woodworking. Rarely do I pick up another tool except for clamps. :cool: That's how versatile this machine is to me and made me fall in love with in in the 1970's. Couldn't afford one, but was still in love with it. :D
First, bIf, I agree with your comments re the SS. When planning almost anything it is the first thing comes to mind. (Well, maybe not what to have for breakfast.)
As for the lining up the biscuit cut, I'm not sure I understand exactly your method, but for the angles I was using I think your usual method should work.
On mine, I laid down the slats, or staves, on the workbench (ah, how I love saying that, having a real workbench now after all these years) and aligned them carefully to one end, and marked 'em that way for future alignments. . Then marked three lines for the biscuits along that 42" or so, one ~4" from each edge, one centered.
{Now here is where I made a major goof. Set my ruler on the group in various positions to figure a balanced setting, and originally made a mark at 3". After looking and thinking, decided that was too close to the edge, so moved it to 4" and made the marks. But I did NOT erase the first mark at 3". Later, when setting up the Joiner, well, I don't need to tell you what happened. Suffice it to say if one of your biscuits is so far off it wont go in, you can cut it in half and still use it, if, say, you didn't notice til way after the Joiner had been taken down.}
Anaway, to cut, laid the stave wide side to table, slid to joiner fence, and the small angle still allowed an easy eyeball line-up to the fence mid-mark when the pins started to engage. At that point, with the pins- very sharp- engaged, a simple tilt up (pins now pivot points) to mate the stave edge to the fence (here's where a clean flat rip cut did its job) and push in to cut.
Writing this I can see where a more acute angle might present problems with those Line alignments. Still, once the edges are mated, it is perfectly clear if the lines also meet. A little slop is allowed, too.
I do remember when setting up getting to the point of seeing how the workpiece engaged the Joiner, when I saw that gap because of the angle I had a major Oops moment. Turns out the pins are positioned perfectly to manage this problem.
