Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 557 7 Amp Plate Joiner Kit

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The tool itself is well-made, easy to use, arrived perfectly adjusted, and has all the features I could want and then some for plate joining. Amazon now offers this tool at a much lower price than I paid at the local dealer, so it's hard to imagine buying anything less. I'm very happy with mine and expect to make good use of it.

My complaints are minor. I might have given 4 1/2 stars if that was an option. From having used it some, here are my comments:

1. The dust bag doesn't work well for me. It seems like after the first few goes the 1" pipe got plugged and the scraps went everywhere but in the bag from then on. I had to clean out the freshly-cut grooves, which were full of the cutting debris. I would guess that using a dust-collector or shopvac with this unit would resolve these problems.

2. The manual tells you how to cut grooves, but it doesn't tell you how to use plates to join wood. How far apart should the bisquits be? Pictures show then line up one next to another, yet I think that about every 8-16" is enough for most applications. How big are the grooves? For example, can I use a #20 bisquit with 1/2" plywood? How far from the edge should I put the center line? Answers are: just short of 1/2" per surface, yes, and at least 1 1/2". Sure, you can measure, you can figure it out, but if you've never seen a plate joiner being used, the manual doesn't give all the practical info you might like.

But: the unit gives you a second (smaller) blade for cutting tiny plate grooves (handy for making small things using FF bisquit). It is very easy to adjust the depth of the cut, and a knob allows you to adjust it incrementally without the whole thing going out of whack (like the Freud does when you loosen the fence). The depth gauge works well. It's set up to be fast and easy to use. Mine came perfectly adjusted for use the first time (the Freud I tried first did not). The fence is very flexible to use. The sandpaper on the machine helps keep it exactly where you set it on the work.

TIP 1: be careful that you don't press down at all when you power it on. If it is down even a 1/8", the blade tip will snag the work and move away from the line. You can recover easily by repositioning the cutter and trying again, and no damage is done. Also, the torque in the motor can be enough to move the machine from the center line; the sandpaper helps this.

TIP 2: There is a minor design problem with using the unit with fence set to 0 degrees. For more on the problem, and a simple solution, search the web for "pc557 fence alignment" (without quotes).

(ADDED July 2008) TIP 3: Rockler dot com makes a three-sided bisquit gauge, sizes 20, 10, and 00, that is great for previewing the depth of cut, by laying it over your stock and marking the center guide point for using the tool. This is important for joinery that may not have room for the bisquit. It does not support the small FF bisquit. You could easily make your own gauge using the bisquit cutter and a bisquit along with a small scrap of wood, and that's what I'll do for FF.

(Added July 2010): Most joins I have done have been at the edges. I found that when I wanted to join an edge to the middle of another board, it is much more difficult to set up accurately. You have to draw a line 3/8" from where you want the biscuit, and clamp a straight edge there to ensure that the groove is cut in the right place. I wish they had guide lines on the tool that could be used to line up with the line where you want the slot to go, eliminating the need for a straight edge, and reducing the chances for error. At least they do tell you how to do it in the owners manual. This is a minor deficiency and I still give the tool 4 stars.

I purchased this biscuit joiner only a short time ago and being a die hard wood worker I have definitely put it to the test. The 557 powerful motor breezes through the hardest woods in a snap. I have used it in Oak, Ash, and Pine (alot of Oak) and no problem. I have read several other reviews in other brands in my search for the right joiner for me. After careful consideration there was but one choice Porter Cable 557. I have read several complaints about the Dewalt and there accuracy (I own some Dewalt tools and Love them). Fine Woodworkings review laid heavy on my decision as porter cables accuracy was within .005 (1 1/2 human hairs!!) the dewalt was .0315 or 1/32. I have used this tool plenty, Glued up cores, jointed rails & stiles for face frames, 45 degree miters, & 90 joints. The cores come out flush and I mean flush just general sanding. I would highly recommend this tool over any other on the market. Im sure you would consider this money well spent

...

UPDATE.... 11/20/2010
8 years later and many biscuits installed my joiner still performs as the day I pulled it out of the box. Grant it, I do not us it daily, but every time I plug it in it gives peak performance. A no regret purchase!

I am now hooked on the biscuit joints! I use to like the ease and use of dowel rods for end joints, but was sometimes limited with the size and application of the dowel. But this PC biscuit joiner has changed my mind!

The ease and accuracy is simply amazing. The fence system is simple to operate and allows for a host of heights and angles, all with precise cuttings. The powerful motor (7.5 amp) always cuts a smooth and accurate slot. There is very little, if any, vibration that could cause distortion. Changing slot sizes is as easy as turning a knob. Includes the #0, #10, #20 and FF cuts. The smaller 2" blade, which is included, is a simple task to change over to cut even smaller frames.

This unit has a great dust collection system. The dust bag REALLY works! All chips are routed to the dust opening chute and neatly collected in the bag. The bag is easily removed and emptied.

This unit might be a little more expensive than other plate joiners, but the results are in the end product. Accurate, precise cuts yielding a smooth, strong joint are almost a sure thing.

I have owned this tool for about 4 years. It is decent, but not perfect. It cuts very well, and I have no problem holding it steady against my work piece. I don't get any burning associated with cuts, either. The dust collection issues that others mention are an inconvenience if not using a shop vac, but not a show stopper. The most troubling flaw is the fence design (and I am not talking about the plastic hinge that other reviewers have had problems with). My problem is adjusting the fence to a certain height, "locking it," and having it stay put to make multiple cuts. When I use that fence as a reference for how far away the cut should be from the top edge of the board, the fence will drift, and the fourth cut or so that I make will be as much as 1/8 inch lower (farther from the top edge of the board) than the first cut. To me, this is unacceptable. I should be able to make repeatable cuts using the fence as a reference (like I would expect with a table saw or router station or miter saw, etc.). I spoke with Porter Cable representatives at a woodworking show, and they just told me I should not use the fence in this manner. I should only use the bottom of the tool as a reference for where the blade should cut. Well that is fine for 3/4 inch stock, but for anything smaller, I would need to shim the tool!! That is not the right answer. The tool has a fence, and that fence should be useable. Pretty disappointing tool from a reputable company.

I like most other people-pro or enthusiast, like to handle tools befor I buy them. Amazon/Tool Crib has a great selection and good prices, but I visited my local home center to hold the tools. I probably would have purchased the DeWalt were it not for one glaring problem. I cut my knuckle when I picked up the tool. There is a very sharp edge on the fence, that was present on the display, then confirmed the same defect at another store. I then looked at the PC more closely, to my surprise, I began to notice small things like the very legible degree markings, the adjustments were intuitive, the tool is comfortable and the top handle is more ergonomic. The DeWalt has better balance and initially I was drawn to the DeWalts rack & pinion adjustments but the PC works just fine. In my area PCs accessories ( blades, biscuits . . . )are more prevelant, which is convenient if you need a blade now. In terms of usage, I am not sure that there is much of a difference in the end result, PC and DeWalt make quality products, both are pretty noisy, but the PC dust bag may collect a few more chips during operation. The Porter Cable has proved to be an accurate tool, that does a good job, has plenty of setup options and I didn't cut my knuckle. I'm satisfied !

The folks at Porter Cable have a winner in their inventory with the 557 plate joiner. This is an extremely smooth and easy-to-use tool. (Notice, I didn't say "quiet.") If you've never used a biscuit joiner before, this is an excellent choice. Why? For one, it's backed with a super warranty. Two, it's made in the USA (Jackson, Tennessee). Three, It's accurate and easy to use. There is very little runout (wobble) in the blade... so instead of getting loose, sloppy slots that defeat the purpose of using a biscuit to start with, you get a nice, tight fit that is a significant aid in aligning parts. Finally, it comes with the ability to use face-frame biscuits, which will allow you to use it where other plate joiners won't even work.

I use this thing all the time in edge-glued tops, and the ability to flatten and align the faces of the boards being edge-joined is a real work-saver. If, instead of buying this one, you buy a tool that cuts sloppy joints... you won't get this benefit at all, and will spend a lot more time using the old sander on your glue-ups.

The dust collection bag works fairly well... but this tool still has a tendency to dust the user's eyeballs more than it should... so be sure to wear eye protection.

I purchased this tool from Amazon after much, much research on other brands and prices. I learned that it was the best quality joiner with most features available on the market. And Amazon's price was definitely the best, and got a case of biscuits to boot! The first time I used the tool I was totally impressed. I cut (40) #20 biscuit slots and it worked beautifully. The dust collection bag worked pretty good at containing all the big shavings, but quite a bit of small dust escapes to the shop. The bag filled up after about (35) slots, and you know as soon as that happens, because everything starts going everywhere! So I searched stores and the internet endlessly to find a 1" adapter so that I could connect my shop vac but came up with nothing. I finally bought a stepped adapter fitting at Sears where my 2 1/2" vac hose would attach on the one end, but the smallest step on the other end was a 1" OD which was the same size as the OD of the tool outlet. I finally bought a 2' piece of clear PVC tubing at Lowes with a 1" ID and 1 1/4" OD and a couple of hose clamps. The tubing fit nicely over the outlet port of the tool and snugged up with a hose clamp. The other end fit over the 1" OD of the stepped adapter and I clamped that, and then my 2 1/2" vac hose fit into the big end. I haven't tried it yet, but I know it will work just fine. I was very disappointed with the Porter Cable manual that came with the tool. I've never used biscuits before, and it gave absolutely no information on biscuit joining guidelines, techniques, or glueing, so I just wung it. Everything went together fine, but it would be nice if they provided a little info on biscuit joining. For example, for a #20 biscuit, how deep should the slots be to allow for proper expansion of the biscuit (min/max)? And spacing guidelines for different types of joints. What is the minimum thickness you should have from the bottom of a slot to the opposing exposed face of the material? I don't really trust the factory preset depths for standard biscuit sizes. Overall, I love the tool. PC should be able to afford to put together a little better documentation, and give a little direction on a vacuum dust collection strategy. Let me know if you want to see a pic of my dust collection set up.

Purchased this in Jan. 2005 and so far very happy with my second PC tool (my other is a plunge router). I had used a friend's Freud biscuit joiner previously, and this is definitely a big step up. I also looked at the DeWalt, but this had a couple of advantages. First, comes with 2" blade for smaller FF biscuits (not many joiners will accomodate this, although I must admit you may not use it that often). Second, unlike most bicuit joiners I've seen, the front handle is attached to the fence. This makes it much more stable and less likely to slip on a larger workpiece. Adjustments are very easy to make. The fence adjusts fully to just about any angle including 0 degrees with just the turn of a knob and with no pieces to add or remove. I also like the very handy and accurate fine depth adjustment.

Before you buy, be sure to read the negative reviews regarding some plastic bearings wearing out--I haven't encountered this problem, but I haven't had it that long either. With $25 off from Amazon, $30 mail-in rebate from PC, and included 1000 biscuits (500 #20, 250 #10, 250 #0) from Amazon worth about $15-20 it turned out to be only slightly more expensive than inferior competitors.

One other note--the problem some reviewers mentioned about the fence not being flush when set to 0 degrees was only a problem with the model 557, Type 2. All of the new PC biscuit joiners being sold (including the one I got from Amazon) are Type 3, in which the problem was fixed.

this is an incredibly rugged tool which i purchased at one of the local borgs and got a $50 rebate. for those of you who wish to graduate from pocket screws for basic wood joinery, this little gizmo is just what you need. i have used it recently to help assemble a full set of kitchen cabinets which i built with a combination of pocket screws, biscuits and confirmat screws.

it's great for assembling face frames and attaching them to the cabinet box without the annoyance of pocket hole screw holes that either need to be plugged or covered over with veneer. it works well for cabinet box assembly as well although you'll need to use several clamps until the glue sets in approximately two hours. it shines in attaching fixed shelves to the cabinet or bookcase sides although for best results i would recommend building a simple 'L' shaped jig out of plywood to make sure that you can reference consistently from the edge. the face frame blade is something that you will NOT find in any other biscuit jointer and comes in handy when you're dealing with widths that are less than two inches and it makes assembling miter joints much less painful.

the dust bag/port has been cited as a weakness but once you get into real woodworking, you'll come to the realization that NONE of the passive dust collection systems will work for long whether it be a table saw, a miter saw or even a biscuit jointer. spend the extra fifty bucks and get a shop vacuum and hook it up to the port. you'll spend much less time dodging sawdust and more time cutting joinery!

even though the tool is pretty much IDIOT proof, i would make several safety recommendations. first of all, do NOT hold narrow pieces with your other hand while pushing the biscuit jointer as there have been multiple reports of lacerations sustained when the piece slipped out of place and the jointer bit into the user's hand - use a clamp especially when cutting joints on the edge of narrow pieces like face frame rails. secondly, be very careful NOT to push down until AFTER starting up the jointer or the jointer will catch and throw the piece and probably mar it. finally, make sure that you don't plunge your biscuit jointer through the work piece and into the table below (DAMHIKT).

try not to REST the jointer on the surface of the table when you're cutting stock that is slightly over 3/4" as the slight tilt will throw off your joint. either move the piece over to the edge of the table so that you can index the biscuit jointer with the fence set at 90 degrees or elevate the work piece with another piece of wood. keep track of which side you're cutting from so that everything lines up correctly. spacing the biscuits every six to eight inches will yield a strong joint but make sure that the clamps are TIGHT!

I tend to not write reviews when I first buy tools, I wait a while until the "new" wears off and I have a chance to see the warts under the shine.

I have had mine for several years and gone through a couple of thousand biscuts, (literally, I'm on the fourth box of a thousand).

The fence is accurate, and is the only one that lets you set it to 135-degrees, a good feature if you want to use biscuts in a long mitered edge of a cabinet. It lets you reference the biscut, and thus alignment, to the outside face, which is the one that shows.

The machine is still tight and accurate even after years of use.

I have always used it with the dust collection hose hooked up, and have had a few problems with chips clogging up. But, most of the competitive models don't have any dust hook up at all, so even with it's occasional clogging it is still a plus.

It is one of the only joiners that will do face frames, and that was one of the features that led to my purchasing it.

If it breaks tomorrow morning, I'll have another on order by lunch.