Porter-Cable 557 7 Amp Plate Joiner Kit | Find Product Reviews ...
View Product Details Features about Porter-Cable 557 7 Amp Plate Joiner Kit Go. ». All the biscuit settings you’ll ever need (or ever be able to find. Read More Customer Reviews about Porter-Cable 557 7 Amp Plate Joiner Kit Go. ». If you’re in the market for a buscuit joiner, this is THE one to buy, unless you’re willing to spend several hundred dollars more for one of the Lamello joiners. I tossed my first plate joiner over the fence after using this brute. My other joiner would never produce slots as accurate as the 557. If you’re in the market for a biscuit joiner, this is the way to go. If you have a wood worker in the family without one, believe me, they’ll love ya for this gift. For the second, more complex run I bought the PC biscuit joiner as a treat. I owned a DeWalt biscuit joiner for a few years. This was my first biscuit joiner and i would without a doubt reccommend it to anyone. This joiner recieved rave reviews in every compasison I could find. When the time came to sell the DeWalt and get a new one, I decided to buy the Porter+Cable 557. I use the vacuum hose (sold separately) with the fitting that mates with the dust port on this tool (and all PC power tools), and buscuit joinery has been transformed from one of the messiest jobs in my shop to one of the cleanest. GENERAL PHYSICAL IMPRESSIONS: Even more than the DeWalt, the Porter+Cable is a really well-built machine. What a pleasure it is to use–good fit and finish, very easy adjustments, versatile…I used it vertically to cut biscuit slots for the backsplashes while the countertop was in place–something I couldn’t do with my dowel jig. The large handle at the front of the machine is in just the right spot, giving you a good firm grip on the machine when you plunge into the wood. Grabbing this handle and pushing down sets the unit right where it needs to be on the work surface and against the wood that will receive the biscuit. After using dowels to make one run of oak butcher-block countertop, I became frustrated with the quality of my joinery and the time required to clamp my little jig repeatedly. Only one thing I wish PC had done differently, and that has to do with the case, not the tool itself: a better method for storing the small blade would have been great. The carrying case that comes with this unit is sturdy and useful, and the machine sets down securely inside. I have only ran 105 biscuits through it, however, it was deadly consistent and the fence was perfect right out of the box. I have been so pleased with this tool that I turn to it first when there are options for joinery methods.