I have a biscuit jointer and use it often... they do give you a very strong joint as was said... the moisture in the glue swells the biscuit before it sets. However, Fine Woodworking had an article about gluing up boards to make a wide table top or whatever, and after lots of trial and error and testing, they decided on most glue-ups they were just not necessary if you have two good jointed edges. The glue already dries harder than the wood... period. If you try and break the boards apart they will not separate at the glue line, they will break at weaker points in the wood. In those cases the biscuits were just not needed, kinda like overkill.
That said, I often use the biscuits even where they are overkill, just because I like using them.
Thats what I've been trying to say. Biscuits are completely unessacary in this situation. I'm not against biscuits or anything, just that they are not needed here. As stated before, wood is proven stronger then wood and WILL split in the wood grain, not the joint[/QUOTE]
That's the thing with woodworkers. Everyone has there own way.
Well my own testing on old furniture I built years ago shows different. A blanket chest I built my wife just before I got the biscuit jointer is a perfect example. I edge glued the boards, not listening to my mentor, my grandfather. He told me to either dowel them, tongue and groove them, etc. I was 19 like you,(yes I was married at 19) didn't listen to him, and yup, 10 years later the top broke, at the glue joint. I re glued it after putting in biscuits, and its still fine. We still use it today, nearly 22 years after it was initially built, and nearly 12 years since I re glued it.
When a woodworking mag does a long term test, over the period of years as to the durability, I'll listen to it. Maybe. Until then I'll biscuit, or otherwise reinforce every joint.
Yes glue is stronger than wood. However wood moves a lot. Over time, a glue joint that is not reinforced in some way will fail AT the glue joint. If while the glue joint is fresh, a few day old at least, and you try to break the joint, sure the wood grain will fail 1st 9 out of 10 times. Give that glue joint 10 years, then try the same thing.
I've restored many antique tables over the years. The tops were tongue and groove on most of them. The tops were also rarely in need of reglueing. The leg stock that was glued up however most often was coming apart at the glue joints. Yes, the old glue is not as good as todays, but the blanket chest I mentioned earlier was glued with titebond, all I ever use.
I see on your user profile you've been a landscaper for 6 years. Since you were 13 apparently.. At least according to your post on the firewood and heating section, you said you were 19. By that logic, I'll count my cub scout birdhouse that I made at 9 or 10 as the beginning of my woodworking career. That means I've been woodworking for 31 or 32 years then. I'll stick with what I have given the test of time, not what some woodworking mag says.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, every woodworker does things differently. The difference is, some build pieces to last generations, while others don't care how long it lasts. Or believe everything they read.
