Q: How does a manufacturer deal with the style vs. function issue when trying to choose the right kind of fastening system? Like dowels vs. metal fasteners? Or nailers vs. an alternative joining method?
Karl Frey, Lamello product manager, Colonial Saw: It depends on the product being built. Pneumatic driven metal fasteners such as nails, staples and corrugated fasteners are good for high production assembly of wood parts that will not be seen, such as upholstered furniture frames and certain components of case goods and cabinets. There are some risks involved, however. They are less accurate and errors can happen like fastener "shiners" when nails or staple legs bend while being driven and end up on the outside of the wood surface, and corrugated fasteners tend to cause wood splitting. Any face nailing will have to be filled and sanded before finishing when using metal fasteners.
Joining biscuits and dowels allow for accurate alignment, thus a high-quality end result. A male end fits into a female hole aligning the two parts being joined and you end up with a nice tight flush joint. When attaching with metal fasteners, such as screws, nails or staples, it is up to the person installing the piece to align the parts or use a jig or clamping device if no other alignment element is included. Furthermore, biscuit joinery allows for slight lateral play when joining pieces together making assembly smooth and allows for a margin of error without sacrificing quality. Other methods such as dowels, mortise and tenon, and pocket hole screws must be cut with 100 percent absolute accuracy or the joint will not be flush, this increases setup time and any errors will cause aggravation.
Phil Lail, vice president sales, Pan American Screw, Inc.: Manufacturers generally come to us for recommendations for specific applications. For instance, a manufacturer using primarily MDF in their assembly usually has problems using staples and nails because they lack the holding power in this man-made material with no grain. We recently developed a new thread design called Woodmaster® that features a serrated thread design that slices through man-made materials like MDF and composites providing maximum holding power. In hardwood applications, the customer is generally concerned with splitting or cracking of the material when it is being fastened using generic coarse thread wood screws. They are also concerned about the additional labor required to predrill holes so the wood does not split. Many of our most popular fasteners feature a Type-17 point that works like a drill tip to allow the screw to predrill itself, minimizing splitting. We have also incorporated self-countersinking nibs under the heads of many of our fasteners to allow the manufacturer to not have to pre-countersink holes for flat head screws. The nibs under the head carve the material out making a small hole the exact size of the head diameter.
Rick Bush, product manager, FESTOOL: FESTOOL addressed all of these issues when it launched the Domino joining system. The Domino offers a truly innovative approach to a time-tested method of joinery: the floating tenon. The floating tenon comes in many forms and provides a "blind" fastener (unseen to the eye as it is inside the piece) that is also a strong and beautiful joint.
The machine provides a hand-held, portable and indexable solution for producing oblong mortise slots in seconds. The design of the Domino tenon provides strength and durability, and is available in different thicknesses ranging from 5mm to 10mm, widths ranging from 19mm to 24mm, and lengths from 30mm to 50mm. Constructed of solid wood, the Domino tenon features glue pockets for maximum glue surface and side ridges to prevent creep. The Domino machine is fully adjustable for depth and thickness of material, while also providing variable width settings. The variable width settings allow the Domino a little lateral "wiggle" room to float a joint to match or can be fully locked for zero play.
Q: What are some of the advantages of using preglued dowels? Are there disadvantages?
Frey, Colonial Saw: Lamello does not currently offer preglued wood joining plates. Preglued dowels are faster to use, especially with automatic machines, but errors can happen; sometimes the adhesion is not correct and parts do not hold together. Most pre-glued dowels are water activated by applying a spray or mist of water in the dowel hole. If too much water is applied, it could damage certain materials such as plywood and composites. Wood joining biscuits are used in conjunction with liquid glue as the moisture in the adhesive causes the biscuit to swell, thus making a tighter joint when the adhesive cures. It may take longer, but the end result is a nice tight strong joint.
Lail, Pan American Screw: We do not carry a line of preglued dowels, but my past experience as an engineer in a furniture manufacturing environment is they can be a real time saver when you are running a production line. In my opinion, the holding power is not as great as a freshly glued and clamped grooved dowel, but it does the job and is usually complemented with the additional holding power of nails, brads, staples or screws.
Bush, FESTOOL: Preglued dowels are easy to use and may save time, but their shelf life is quite limited and highly sensitive to the environment in which the dowels are stored. Another issue is their ability to maintain shape and size. Due to the properties of the wood and the effects of time and moisture, the dowel may work loose causing the attached piece to rotate or for the joint to fail. Unlike a dowel, the FESTOOL tenon is shaped to be rotation proof while able to handle the shear and lateral forces that a joint may be subjected to.
Q: What are some of the latest trends in fastening and joining?
Frey, Colonial Saw: Lamello has developed many joining elements in addition to beechwood biscuits since they invented plate joinery systems which make biscuit joiners more versatile for woodworking applications. Products such as "Simplex" metal interlocking KD plates; "C-20" translucent plastic joining plates for solid surface applications; "Duplex" biscuit shaped hinges installed using a biscuit joiner; and the latest items "Fixo" self-clamping biscuits, which eliminate the need for mechanical clamps; and "Clamex" the biscuit-shaped KD Detachable connector system for knockdown and RTA applications offer versatility. These innovative products are changing the way woodworkers build products.
Lail, Pan American Screw: Pan American Screw and Deerwood Fasteners have always tried to be on the cutting edge of fastening technology. We have taken the knowledge we have gained over the 50-plus years of "listening to our customers" and are trying to solve their problems. With the business climate as it is today, large manufacturers down to small shops are looking for ways to save time. Our line of fasteners that predrill and self-countersink themselves help them speed up their assembly operations. Pocket hole construction is also becoming more popular and is a great timesaver for both large and small companies. Our new Pocketmaster® face-frame screw has been designed to eliminate the need to stock several different thread styles for the type of material being used for face-frame construction. In the past a typical manufacturer would stock fine thread screws for hardwoods, coarse thread screws for soft wood and hi-lo or Woodmaster thread screws for MDF and particleboard. Our new Pocketmaster® screw has a unique thread design and cutter point that can be used in any material from hard hickory or ash to MDF or composite materials.
We have also added a new product for fastening countertops that is also a great time saver. Currently you fasten a postformed top with draw bolts that have to be installed at the jobsite, and the user is on their back in the cabinet door opening trying to tighten the bolt using an open end wrench. Our new Zip Bolt™ has a patented cam action that is simply inserted into the cutout, a hex bit is inserted in their cordless drill, and they reach in and tighten it without having to crawl into the cabinet door opening. The old draw bolt takes about two minutes to install — the Zip Bolt™ takes about six seconds. Time is money in both large factories and small cabinet shops.
Bush, FESTOOL: In joinery methods and joint types, there is little that is new, but the approach to creating these joints was revolutionized with the FESTOOL Domino joiner. The machine itself is adjustable not only to stock thickness and angle, but depth as well. With a patented routing principle composed of rotation and oscillation the machine is incredibly controllable yet achieves a perfect mortise. The tenon itself is designed just as carefully for long-lasting, strong and beautiful joints. An ancient and time-tested joint, the mortise and tenon provides solid joinery that is both functional as well as stylish. The FESTOOL Domino joiner puts mortise and tenon joinery in your hand.