We don’t have any power biscuit-joiner users on our crew, but we do occasionally use this specialty tool for tasks such as reinforcing the miter joints on trim. And since we are already on the DeWalt 20-volt battery platform for many of our other tools, we were interested in trying out the company’s DCW682B brushless cordless biscuit joiner.
We used it on a few of our recent remodeling projects, such as a window job that needed a few extension jambs. That was a good opportunity to put it through its paces.
Weighing just a little over 5 pounds without the battery, the tool itself is light and comfortable to hold in the hand, and the brushless motor proved to have plenty of power. We really liked the 20-volt cordless option, which is convenient on site compared with running an extension cord and plugging into an outlet.
There is a depth selection knob that allows for the use of #0, #10, or #20 biscuits; for joining the mitered corners of our extension jamb frames together, we ended up using #10 biscuits in order to achieve a nice, solid connection. Adjusting the height of the fence was easy, thanks to its dual rack-and-pinion design. Adjusting the fence to a 45-degree bevel to make the cuts for the miter joints was just as easy as setting the depth and height of the cut, since all adjustments are tool-free.
Once adjusted, the 4-inch-diameter blade made quick, clean cuts in the 1x10 PVC trim stock that we were using for the extension jambs. There’s a paddle switch instead of a trigger for turning the tool on, and an electric brake for stopping the blade and quickly moving on to the next cut.
Since we were cutting PVC stock, we were happy that the tool comes with an angled dust port and dust bag, which did a good job of collecting those little plastic particles that would otherwise fly everywhere and stick to everything. For even better dust collection, the joiner can be connected to a standard 35mm dust extractor or to DeWalt’s proprietary AirLock system, though we didn’t test this.
We added some PVC glue, inserted the #10 biscuits, and assembled our extension jambs, confident that this small extra step—made easier by DeWalt’s cordless biscuit joiner—would give the miter joints extra strength. $280 (tool only) online. dewalt.com
Photos by Mike Whalen.
