Dewalt has expanded their 20V Max cordless power tool system with their first cordless biscuit joiner, DCW682.
The new Dewalt cordless biscuit joiner can make up to 300 joints (600 cuts) per charge in red oak when powered with a 5.0Ah battery.
It weighs just 5.5 lbs (tool-only), and can be used to cut slots for #0, #10, or #20 biscuits.
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The biscuit joiner features a brushless motor, tool-free adjustment, a cutting depth selection knob, integral fence that adjusts from 0 to 90°, electric brake, paddle switch design, and retractable anti-slip pins.
It features an angled dust port and comes with a dust bag. The dust port is also Dewalt Airlock-compatible for connecting to a dust collector vacuum.
Price: $289 (tool-only, DCW682B)
Discussion
As you might be aware, biscuits are small oval pieces of wood that are commonly used to connect sheet goods and solid wood parts together. Let’s say you’re building a larger panel from smaller sheets – using biscuits helps with alignment purposes during glue-up.
To use wood biscuits, you need a biscuit cutter or joiner to cut matching slots in two or more workpieces.
There aren’t many cordless biscuit joiner options, presumably because this type of joinery is more often used in workshop settings as opposed to jobsites. Still, there are definitely remote uses, such as gluing up wood countertops in-place. Cordless convenience can also benefit workshop users.
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It seems that biscuits aren’t as widely used these days, but there must be enough demand for Dewalt to introduce a cordless joiner.
Kingsley
Mmmm biscuits
Kingsley
Can it join a cookie and a digestive?
MattW.
Looks like a angle grinder adapted to a plate way to reuse parts!
Kingsley
From a consumer point of view that’s a good thing as it means an overlap of parts and hopefully high reliability and lower cost.
Of course that may not be the case!
Koko The Talking Ape
I guess that’s what the rear end is, with the motor and electronics, but the front end is pretty different. All those stops, guides, hinges, etc. have to be pretty precise and secure. It isn’t super clear, but there’s actually a rack and pinion to make the slot height adjustment travel up and down. 🙂
Gordon
That’s exactly what the Makita one is. You would think it would be cheaper, but they seem to add the cost of the plat jointer parts onto the retail price of the angle grinder. The Makita isn’t even brushless, and doesn’t have a brake. They’re probably just cranking out as many of the old model grinders as they can before the molds die.
Kent
The business end looks almost identical to the DeWalt biscuit jointer I bought in the 90’s. I’m a bit surprised it took this long to bring it to market.
MattG
I’m a woodworker. I own a biscuit joiner that I’ve used twice in the 17 years I’ve owned it. Norm lied to me, there just isn’t that many use cases where you need a biscuit and when I bought it I didn’t know any better. I own a domino too. I use that all the time. At least when I find a need for a biscuit 10 years from now my corded biscuit joiner will still work because I won’t have to hunt down an obsolete battery online to make it work again. I can see zero value in owning this.
Maybe someone has a use case for something like this?
Franck B.
I’m not really a woodworker or carpenter, and I’ve used biscuits more than you have! But I’ve always used them when near power. And I used a router to make the slots placing them precisely with my existing edge guide, although I did purchase a specific Whiteside bit.
I think someone whose work pattern already uses biscuits a lot might be convinced that a cordless option is a desirable benefit.
Steven B
Simple, most of us can’t afford a Domino. I use biscuits all the time. They’re cheap and more forgiving than dowels. I am sure if I could afford Festool, I’d stop using my biscuit joiner as well.
Boots
I imagine the guy who is 25 tools into a cordless platform when the battery platform gets an update. For special purpose tools like this I prefer corded. But I am still waiting on their 20v cheese grater.
David
Now to keep my fingers crossed for a cordless Domino style cutter when the patents expire.
Nathan
indeed – if they ever do
MM
Patents last 20 years. I think the Domino came out in 2004? So assuming the technology was patented the same year it would expire in 2024. It is possible the patent dates to before 2004 in which case it would expire even sooner. I don’t think it will be long before we see copies. I would think that the big power tool companies are likely already working on them–it would be illegal for them to be sold before the patent expires, but there is nothing illegal about R&Ding copies before the patent expires.
Rog
I would love to see a Domino alternative from a major manufacturer
fred
I confine real love mostly to family members – but I agree that it will be really nice to see what happens when the Domino patents run out. I would hope that we will not only see many less expensive alternatives but also some innovative changes.
I also wonder what Festool might be doing to preserve some of their market share. As an example, I use my Domino XL machine with aftermarket cutters from Seneca to cover the entire range of sizes. I also use jigs from Seneca and others (RTS, TSO, Woodpeckers) to enhance/hold-fixed depth settings, mount the machine on tracks etc. I can see some of these features being included in new machines. Perhaps some other innovations will also be forthcoming – sort of akin to what Lamello has done with the Zeta P2 system.
Meanwhile, I’d be cautious about jumping in too quickly on Domino machine copies from lesser or unknown manufacturers. I think I’d want to wait to see what reviews were like.
When the Lamello biscuit jointer went off patent, there were a flurry of machines quick to the market. Some have since disappeared – perhaps in part to poor quality. A well-cut biscuit slot, dowel hole or domino mortise – does require some precision to create a well-fitting joint.
I once tried a Freud-branded duo-doweler (FDW710K V0) – bought back in 2009. I can hardly say enough bad things about it – as it could not create well-aligned dowel holes from piece to piece. It was a $300 piece of junk as far as I was concerned. I see that there still are duo-dowellers being sold by Triton and Grizzly at $230 and $140 respectively but suspect that they might not be of the same precision as the current $1450 Mafell
Koko The Talking Ape
Oh man, I’m drooling for a Domino from DeWalt or somebody.
Adam
If another manufacturer came out with a Domino alternative, it wouldn’t be as good as the festool, the festool is very well engineered .
fred
@ Adam
I suspect that some manufacturers could produce a well-engineered and constructed tool – perhaps of even better quality compared to the Festool machines. the question remains about whether they would have an incentive to do so.
When the Lamello biscuit jointer went off patent – you saw lots of clones. I don’t recall that any cut slots as precisely and consistently as the original. But the Dewalt that I bought was good enough for me back then – and cost a fraction of what the Lamello cost. When the Fein Multimaster went off patent – some of the copies that were marketed had better features (like better blade-holding/changing) – forcing Fein to upgrade theirs. Arguably the current Fein Multimasters and Supercuts are still among the best in class – perhaps the top of the heap. But other OMTs sell for less and most get the job done.
With a Domino Machine – much like the Lamello Zeta P2 – the precision needed is a level above an OMT or conventional biscuit jointer – but I suspect that the engineers at Lamello, Fein, Bosch, Milwaukee and Dewalt (to name a few prospective vendors) would be up to producing a functional machine or even one with additional features. The question remains about what market incentives (Domino machines seem more of a niche tool than an OMT) will exist and what price points versus quality will make clones sell.
Franck B.
Or, a non-Western company could just develop and then sell it in China or other similar country. And continue selling it, even selling a few on amzn. Then when the time is right, sell it legally.
It reminds me of when GearDrive tools came out. They applied for a US registered trademark, which Apex quashed, and also did a C&D. It didn’t matter that they already made/printed everything with the ® symbol, they were INVESTED in it and sold it anyhow. You can still get it on amzn today, sometimes under the parent company name but buyers still get the old stock which is technically not legal.
Brian
You HAVE to have the Domino hooked up to dust collection – it creates so much dust and the side-to-side motion of the bit means that a dust clog equals a broken bit. And if you have a hose attached, a cord is nothing more.
fred
My first home-shop biscuit jointer was a Dewalt DW682. I’ve owned for more than 30 years. I thought that I’d use it forever – but decided that there were better alternatives. When I bought it – I sort of choked on the price of the Lamellos that we had in our cabinet shop and remodeling business. The Dewalt was an OK – much cheaper alternative – but produced somewhat sloppy slots. I thought biscuits might replace most of my dowel and mortise&tenon joints. They did not. When I bought a Festool Domino XL machine – its precision and capabilities (especially with aftermarket add-on cutters and jigs from Seneca et. al.) came closer for me to achieving that goal. I still sometimes use dowels (have a Dowelmax jig), cut tenons on my table saw and mortises on the drill press – but the Domino machine has become my go to tool for most joining.
I did buy a Lamello Zeta P2 machine more recently – to produce knockdown furniture that one of my children requested. Not unexpected (at the price of the Lamello (5.5 times the price of this Dewalt) it produces flawless tight-fitting take-apart joints.
Back on topic of this jointer – I can see how a cordless one could be handy. My ex-compatriots tell me that they tried out a Makita:
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XJP03Z-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Joiner/dp/B00Z04WRXY
I heard that they wished it could do different-sized biscuits – like tiny ones for use on casing and moldings.
Juergen
Well, I have the Makita cordless Biscuit Joiner. And it can do differnt sizes. And the joins are realla, really god. I think over here in Europe we use them more.
fred
I know that many biscuit joiners can do #0, #10 and #20 biscuit slots all cut with the same 4 inch diameter blade. But back when the tool was the new thing – and everyone who watched Norm Abrams thought they needed one – there were a few tools that cut slots for biscuits as small as 5/8 inches wide. This compares to the #0 biscuit that is 1-7/8 inch wide. The #0 is the smallest biscuit for which most current biscuit joiners can cut a slot. I suppose if you could find and mount a smaller diameter blade it might work to create a well-fitting slot for tiny biscuits:
https://www.zoro.com/richelieu-hardware-r1-14-in-6-mm-x-1116-in-17-mm-mini-beech-wood-biscuit-pk-110-2993404/i/G801974897/
Using a router and slot cutter would also work – but not something that is well suited for quick work at a jobsite.
Tiny biscuits are good for casing. Today, the only dedicated machine that I can find (on eBay) for cutting these diminutive slots is an old blue Ryobi DBJ50. So today, glue and pin nails will have to do if you want an expeditious way to try and holding casing miters tight for the long haul.
Nathan
I use a Freud biscuit device that seems to be a rebadged Lamello. it works great, but I use it infrequently. I don’t have a domino – and probably won’t buy one for quite some time.
If I did I’d probably trade. I have no need for a cordless biscuit – but I see the appeal.
JoeM
Okay, so this is a DeWALT FlexVOLT Domino XL, for lack of a better metaphor? I have severe doubts that I would ever use a biscuit joiner for my kind of tool use, but I just want to clarify that… this is the same kind of tool as the infamous Domino XL from Festool?
If so… Okay, DeWALT entered the ring with a surprising choice here. And I need not really care about Festool’s holding the Domino XL over everyone’s head all the time, resting on their laurels like their system is truly worth the extreme prices. Now they have to prove it’s still a competitive price with systems such as DeWALT. That makes ME happy anyways.
fred
This is a cordless biscuit (aka plate) joiner – a rather poor relation IMO (and many others) to a tool that creates mortises for floating tenons (aka dominos). It may be nice that Dewalt has decided to produce a cordless biscuit joiner – but it is only peripherally “the same kind of tool” as either model Domino machine. If Dewalt had created a good cordless floating tenon mortising machine – that indeed would have been something to behold – especially if it could work without wood chip vacuum extraction.
JoeM
Thank you for the clarification, fred! Groove versus… Hole/Slot type of difference you say? I would have to say it’s still a little odd that DeWALT decided to enter this into the Cordless line.
I still don’t like Festool, yes I’m stubborn that way. Even if DeWALT had duplicated the Domino series, I know it wouldn’t be the quality standard of Festool… I just don’t feel the company deserves to charge the higher prices that they do for every single thing they make. If only the Domino series was expensive, and they… let’s say Halved the price on everything else they make… I wouldn’t hold so much dislike for them. They make one or two things extremely well, above the standard of any other company, but the rest of their scarce offerings are barely average in quality or usage. Yet they demand a higher price than other brands for those products, even when the other products are rated higher than Festool’s version.
That’s where Festool loses me. I at least understand that their Domino and Domino XL are industry-leading tools, without equals in the industry. But their Impact Driver, Sanders, Systainers… I’m sorry but those are all sub-par to Bosch, Makita, Hitachi/Metabo/MetaboHPT, DeWALT, and Milwaukee. What tools those companies make, are all made better than the Festool edition… Except the Domino/Domino XL, where I have absolutely no defense for my position here.
AvM
Only recently have other tool manufacturers begun to catch up to Festool in their offerings of track saws, miter saws, sanders, etc. Festool remains peerless in terms of dust collection and the domino (floating tenon). Ultimately it’s not how much a Festool costs versus subpar (or sometimes decent) competition but rather how much time it saves me on a job because of those few critical features it has that it does really well.
Feel like the drill and driver are overrated? So do I. So I use another brand. But there’s zero chance I would switch from the domino to a biscuit joiner because of how expensive the biscuit joiner is in time.
Stuart
No, this is a 20V Max cordless biscuit joiner.
The Domino cuts mortise holes for floating tenons. This cuts slots for wood biscuits.
Hamburger bun vs hot dog bun.
And to repeat, this is NOT a FlexVolt tool, I’m not sure where you got that idea from.
JoeM
Sorry, tired… Slipped up. Let’s call it a “Brain Fart.” I know it’s not a FlexVOLT, and even I don’t know where that came from.
You wouldn’t happen to be able to make me look less like an idiot, and swap that out for 20V Max, could you? Or are we cool with this acknolwedgement that I know it’s wrong?
Thank You, Stuart, especially for pointing it out.
Stuart
If you’re confusing 20V Max and FlexVolt, chances are others might too, hence the clarification.
JoeM
Oh… Another good point… I really am tired… Didn’t think of that either.
Man, Stuart… You’re on a roll, catching my screwups today… Been having “Those” kinds of days lately as well. The ones where you just seem to be cursed? Wake up and trip yourself to the ground, sneeze near the dish strainer, and a bowl falls and breaks, leaving syllables out of words while speaking… Just… “Walk Away Before You Fart and Make the Windows Fall Off” kinds of days… Weird kinds of things.
Thanks for lookin’ out for me, Stuart!
Steven B
I think this is a solution looking for a problem, hence why it’s the first cordless version, TMK.
Biscuit joiners are typically used in workshops, usually in the same spot. I have mine hooked up to a vacuum with a relay switch so cordless would be very detrimental. Right now, turning on the tool turns on the vac and running it with vac makes the cut smoother and puts less wear on the blade and motor.
I can’t imagine anyone thinking, “well, I like my biscuit jointer, but it’s sure a shame that I can’t take it some places because of cords.”
It’s very much a precision tool for a workshop to align relatively precise joints for glue up, not something most people take onto a job site.
Jared
I imagine this was more of a “why not cordless?” situation than it was overcoming any problems with cords.
Those who do want portability will have it, those who don’t need it might still enjoy it. It’s only the person who wants a cord that gets disappointed… 😛
fred
I suspect that to the extent my ex-compatriots are using it, the cordless Makita gets used for constructing built-ins (cabinets, bookcases etc.) on customer premises. I also suspect from what I heard, is that they bought one to try (and probably park at the workout center) – not 20 to carry in every truck.
alex
You can pair it with a cordless dust extractor for a quick job or use it outside on exterior trims.
XRH07
Dewalt had a cordless biscuit joiner on the old 18V platform 15+ years ago. Makita has had one on the 18V LXT platform for at least 10-12+ years.
You also use the word typically, so you’re well aware there can be niche use cases where somebody might want these. They’re not being produced just to take up warehouse space. There’s a supply to meet a demand, they’re not going to stack the shelves to the ceilings with these at Home Depot, they’re going to be a special order sort of item.
You don’t want/need it, but other people do. Simple as that.
Chris
About time someone came out with an alternative to makitas cordless biscuit joiner. And damn, that price. 😳
jayne erin defranco
Something i really don’t need so of course i want one. Crazy about Dewalt tools
Caleb H
This may be the first biscuit joiner for DeWalt, but they did 14.4 Volt and 18 Volt NiCad Plate Joiners a long time ago. Models DW931 14.4, and DW932 18. Both cost more on eBay than this, if you can find one, which is nearly impossible.
MFC
I have the corded one and it works fine. Would I use it more if it were cordless?
Hmmm…
No.
Chrisk1970
This is actually cool. Probably will go with a WEN but…