Customer Reviews

Freud JS100A 6.5 Amp Plate Joiner

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have used this tool to place hundreds, if not thousands of biscuits on all kinds of projects. The fence can be a little tough to adjust, as it tightens with a wing nut on each end of a threaded rod. You must turn both ends at the same time to get a tight grip. I find that I use it without the fence most of the time. The blade is mounted such that it hits the middle of 3/4" stock just sliding on the base. I clamp my work to the extension table on my table saw and just slide the biscuit joiner on the table surface. It is easy to hit your marks on edge joints this way. For right angle joints, I use a guide clamp (like a Tru-Grip CT24C) squared on the workpiece (i.e. the side of a bookcase) so the base of the joiner rests where the bottom of the shelf will be. It is easy to make a verticle plunge into the board resting on the table.

The depth of cut is easy to fine tune, and there are positive adjustment stops for three sizes of biscuits.

One thing I don't like about this tool is the "clattering" sound it makes while running. I have run this machine quite a bit and never had a problem, but it has sounded like a loose bearing from the time it was new. The fence could use some improvement, but that is easy to work around.

If it ever breaks down and I have the cash, I'd like to try a Lamello. That's the one Norm has on the New Yankee Workshop!

I've used this Biscuit Joiner on hundreds of projects. It's quick, cuts multiple sizes for different biscuits, and does a really great job. I also bought a kit which allows one to make a stand out of the joiner. This has also been extremely handy. The joiner is mounted upside down and allows you to line things up real easily.

The Freud JS-100A is my first biscuit joiner. I picked it because it looked well made and inexpensive. After two years, I now use biscuits for everything and am putting the Freud to heavy use. It is an increasingly annoying resident of my shop; as of today I am in the market for a better-designed joiner.

The Freud continues to work OK--I have become used to the motor noise, which sounds like a handful of ball bearings rattling around in a coffee can. The dust collection system is its worst failing--the chintzy plastic manifold doesn't make a good seal and dust blows out the joint into your face. And when you have to remove the manifold to get the tool into a corner, you find access to the screw is blocked by the biscuit size selection dial. Oh, and dust goes right through the bag too, again right in your face if you're bending over to see what you're doing.

The crude fence adjustment mechanism is a real pain. When you are trying to center the cut in a board, it's just a trial and error game. Some kind of screw adjustment would be most helpful (as in the Porter-Cable 557 I bought to replace the Freud).

In production use, the tool seems heavy and poorly balanced. The on/off switch is awkwardly located, at least for me--I have to turn it on and then position it for a cut (instead of lining it up and just switching it on briefly for a quick cut. Then I have to set the tool down and turn it off. You have to wonder what they were thinking when they built this thing.

I use this joiner to build solid wood panels for table tops and cabinet doors and for this it works fine. The tool seems well built, has adequate power, and I do not need a tilting fence for beveled joints. The fence height adjustment could be a little easier, but I almost always use 3/4" stock so I rarely have to adjust it. It does make a disconcerting rattle when it is shut off, but this seems to be normal. The price is also reasonable for what is basically an angle grinder with a fence and carbide blade. If you are a typical hobbyist like me, then this joiner is all you'll ever need. Save yourself the $...that you would need to spend on the fancier models for biscuits, glue, stock, etc.

This is probably the cheapest way to get into biscuit joining, particularly if you are uncertain about the technique and want to give it a try. Unlike more expensive models, the fence is fixed at 90 degrees so you cannot put biscuits into a mitered joint. Since I have never made such joints this was not an issue for me.

The first thing I did was to remove the fence. Without the fence the blade height is perfect for cutting biscuits in 3/4" stock.
Using the tool in this way is very easy and accurate and the Freud setup is perfect.

The only thing I regret about buying the Freud is that I have come to find that this is one of the most used tools in my little workshop. ...

Almost since the moment this thing came out of the box, I wished I had spent the extra money to get the Porter Cable 557. As other reviewers have pointed out in their colorful fashion, the 2 main failure points of this tool in my opinion are: 1. The fence very poorly designed. While trying to buscuit boards for a table top, the fence (which I thought I had tightened to the point of near over tightening) gradually slipped across 7 buiscuits, each cutting at it's own special height. Very dissapointing! So I re-aligned it and tried again on scrap. This time really reefing the fence lock down. Slipped again. Thrird time I used some channel locks for leverage to tighten the fence. Worked fine with no slippage. #2 problem: The dust port (as mentioned in other reviews also) is awful. Cutting red oak, ash, and cherry with the bag *OFF* allowing material to free flow (since it was plugging up with the bag on) the unit would only get through 1-2 cuts without jamming up. The problem was a baffle in the middle of the dust port. While it is probably there for strength, it catches the shavings and proceeds to completely block the chute every time! I solved this one with a rotary tool and cut the baffle out and it works fine now. The other more minor complaints like the noise and ergonomics are minor compared to these major problems. There is no easy solution I can see for the fence problem. Save your coins a little longer and buy the Porter Cable. Just don't buy the PC biscuits for either machine as they have over a 40% failure in the batch of 1000 I just bought!!

I too made the mistake of buying this tool. The annoying noise and the dust collection system I can live with but the slipping fence is totally unacceptable. I did do a quick fix to the fence which worked and the rating jumped from a 1 star to 3. I just drilled and tapped two holes on the face of the fence opposite the existing tightening lever and put in a set screw in each and now no slippage. One hole probably would have worked just fine but the aluminum fence is soft and doing two holes was no problem so what the heck.

I have owned a JS100 biscuit joiner for over ten years. I have recently replaced the cutter, but other than that, have had no problems. It has served me very well.

I received this unit 4 years ago as a gift from my father. I have only used it on two projects and while using it on the second project it died. The problem was traced to the windings in the motor. Terminal for a $100 tool even though it was only used to cut less than 50 biscuit slots. That aside, the rocker switch is in a very poor location and the fence adjustment is crude. This is not a slam on Freud as I recommend their saw and dado blades.

The noise is aweful. There's something to be said by doing things silently with fine handtools. Then there's doing things with good power tools and smooth running motors. Then there's my sons push mower that ejects plastic balls within plastic that clicks and clatters. This motor is maybe more annoying than a plastic mower.
It does the basic job, it's cheap. If you're not doing many joints or are sticking to the basics it's fine maybe give it another star for limited use. Or get a 557 for twice as much, do more, and not be annoyed by that aweful motor.