Biscuit Joiner BJA 300

Assembly & Operating Instructions

Thank you for purchasing the Triton Biscuit Joiner - BJA300. You now have a versatile and accurate
timber joining system which should give you years of trouble-free service.
Please take the time to read these instructions, and pay attention to all safety warnings.
This Biscuit Joiner suits Triton Router Table - RTA 300 only, mounted to either a Triton Workcentre
or a Triton Router Stand. The cutter supplied has a 1/2” (12.7mm) shank. An additional 1/4” (6.35mm)
shank is also supplied for use in smaller routers.
Tools required: Philips-head screwdriver, 10mm spanner, ruler
Page Page
ASSEMBLY 2 Bevel Joints 5
Dust Extraction 3 Cutting Two-up 5
Power Connection Warning 4 Multiple Biscuit Joints 6
Safety 4 Inset Joints 6
OPERATION 4 Make a Work Steady 6
Cutter Height Adjustment 4 Mid-panel Joinery 7
Sighting Up Cuts 4 Biscuit Spacing 7
Right-angle Butt Joint 4 Test Assembly 7
End-to-end Butt Joint 4 REPLACEMENT BISCUITS 8
45˚ Mitre Joint 4
GLUES AND GLUE APPLICATION 8
Edge-to-edge Joints 4
Edge-to-face Panel Joints 5 CARE OF THE CUTTER 8
 Biscuit Joiner BJA 300
21

17

19

18

20

15
14 10 16

1 4
7
5

5
11
13 3

12

6
8

COMPONENTS LIST
Fastener Bag Contents
1 Outer Bearing x 2 3 Sliding Insert x 1
2 Hold-down x 1 10 Main Body x 1
4 M6 x 20 Screw x 3 14 †
Biscuit Joiner Cutter on 1/2” Shank x 1
5 M6 Hex Nut x 3 15 †1
/4” Shank x 1
6 Inner Bearing x 2 16 †
Notched Windows x 2
7 M6 x 45 Screw x 2 17 †
Slotted Windows x 2
8 M6 Flange Nut x 2 19 Sliding Guide x 1
9 Inner Clamp Knob x 2 Pack of 50 Biscuits x 1
11 Boss x 2
12 M6 x 30 Hex Bolt x 2
13 Washer x 2
18 Sliding Guide Clamp
20 Coach Bolt x 1
21 Round Knob with M6 nut x 1
†
Supplied fitted in position
Page 2
ASSEMBLY Fig. 1
5 - 10
Step 1: Fit the Outer Bearings (1) and Hold-down (2) to
20 - 25
20 - 25 5 - 10
the Sliding Insert (3) using the M6 x 20 Screws (4) and
M6 Hex Nuts (5) as shown. Fit the Inner Bearings (6) to
the sliding insert using the M6 x 45 Screws (7) and M6
Flange Nuts (8). Do not yet tighten. All bearings should 10 - 15 15 - 20
be parallel to the sides of the sliding insert.
15 - 20 10 - 15
Fit the Bosses (11) from underneath the two central holes
in the sliding insert and attach the Main Body (10) to the
sliding insert by tightening the M6 x 30 Hex Bolts (12) & When re-fitting, use the safety guards to push them fully
Washers (13) through the captive nuts in the main body. home. Store the unused pair of windows in the holes
Loosen off the depth stop screws on the underneath of provided on the sliding guide.
the sliding insert to allow approximately 29mm movement
of the spring-loaded plunger. (Fig. 4)

Step 2:
Slide the zinc locking pin on the underside of the main
body to the central “lock” position.
Fit the sliding insert into the router table tracks by hooking
the hold-down under the outer (orange) track first. The
slots on the inner bearings should locate onto the flange
on the aluminium inner track. Now firmly tighten the inner
bearing screws and check that the sliding insert slides
smoothly. If there is any float between the aluminium inner Fig. 2
track and the inner bearings, loosen the screws, twist the
For the next few steps, fit the notched windows (with the
bearing slightly and re-tighten.
“5-10” designation reading right way up) to both sides of
The lock pin on the main body should locate in the slot on the main body by inserting them into the slots beside
the router plate. In Use: When a safety guard is each window opening. Use the safety guards to push
depressed the lock pin is released, allowing the fence to them fully home. (Fig. 2)
slide in the direction the guard is depressed. The fence
will automatically spring back to its central position. Step 6: Fit the Biscuit Joiner back onto the table.
Screw the Inner Clamp Knobs (9) onto the inner bearing With the power cord disconnected, push in the safety
screws, they cut their own thread. In use: When fitting or guards and check that the cutter clears the guards and
removing the sliding insert the cut-away edges of the the plastic windows.
clamps must face away from the inner track. During
operation turn the cut away edges toward the inner track.
Do not over-tighten, the sliding insert should be held
down yet free to slide.
Check that the Biscuit Joiner is level with or slightly above
the table surface and if necessary remove it and adjust
the height of the aluminium inner track on the router table.

Step 4: Remove the Biscuit Joiner Cutter (14) from its

storage position in the end of the main body.
If you have a 1/4” (6.35mm) router, remove the 1/4” Shank
(15) from its storage position in the end of the main body.
If tight, gently prise it out using a screwdriver. Unbolt the
cutting disc from the 1/2” shank and refit it to the 1/4” shank. Fig. 3
Do not overtighten. Store the unused 1/2” shank in place of
the 1/4” shank in the end of the main body. At full extension the cutter should protrude 13mm (1/2”)
from the face of each window. (Fig. 3) Use a screwdriver
Remove the Biscuit Joiner from the table. Fit the large to adjust the depth stop screws on the underside of the
insert ring, supplied with the router table, to the router sliding insert, inward or outward, until 13mm is achieved.
plate. Tighten the cutter firmly into your router collet. (Fig. 4) In Use: You can adjust the stops to limit the travel
Adjust the cutter height so that there is 5-7mm (3/16” - 3/8”) for shallower slots in thin material, using cut down biscuits.
clearance between the underside of the cutter and the
router plate. Make sure the router’s height adjustment is
securely locked before use.

Step 5: Familiarise yourself with the two sets of

Windows (16 & 17). They reduce the risk of finger entry
into the cutter zone, and improve saw dust extraction. The
windows are reversible so that the two sets cover the full
range of cutter height adjustment from 5mm to 25mm (3/16”
to 1”) above the table. The cutter should never be set any
higher than 25mm (1”) above the router plate. (Fig. 1)
To remove the windows push outwards, from the inside,
near each side of the window. They are quite tight when
Fig. 4
new, but loosen up with use.
Page 3
Step 7: Fit the Sliding Guide Clamp (18) to the Sliding Power Connection Warning
Guide (19), using a Coach Bolt (20) & Round Knob (21). The combined electrical load of your router and vacuum
cleaner may exceed the rated amperage of your domestic
extension lead or power outlet. Therefore you should
connect your vacuum cleaner and router to separate
outlets, and switch on both appliances separately.

Safety
• Always work in a well-lit, uncluttered environment.
• Always wear safety glasses and hearing protection.
Use of a dust mask is also recommended.
• Make sure the Router Table is securely locked down to
your Workcentre or Router Stand.
Fig. 5
• Always switch off the power and/or disconnect the
With the knob loosened, you can slide the guide on and power cord when fitting or adjusting the cutter or
off the main body. Tightening the knob locks the guide to raising the main body.
the main body. (Fig. 5)
• Always keep hands clear of the cutter apertures in the
Dust Extraction main body and never operate without the notched or
The Biscuit Joiner has been designed for use with a slotted windows in place.
vacuum cleaner for sawdust extraction. It can be used • With the power off, check that the cutter clears the
without dust extraction, but you will need to lift the main safety guard and windows before making a cut.
body after every 20-30 cuts to clean out accumulated
shavings. • Never push in the safety guards by hand unless the
power cord is disconnected.
While any vacuum cleaner can be used, domestic (bag-
type) units can fill up very quickly. For a much larger • Do not join timber narrower than 14mm. The cutter
capacity, we recommend fitting a Triton Dust Collector could break through the back of the material.
(DCA300) to your vacuum cleaner. • Always disable power tools when not in use by
Screw the vacuum hose (left-hand thread), supplied with switching off the tool and removing the power cord
your Router Table, onto the dust port at the end of the from the Triton switchbox.
main body and plug the wand of your vacuum cleaner into • Always keep children and pets out of the workshop,
the hose adaptor. especially when you are operating power tools.

OPERATION Fig. 7
The Triton Biscuit Joiner - BJA300 can be used with or X
without the sliding guide fitted. The sliding guide can be
used on either side of the workpiece and reversed for 45˚ X
or 90˚ joints.
minimum 3mm
Fig. 6

Sighting Up Cuts
If you have marked your wood for the position of the
centre of each biscuit, line up your pencil marks with the
central lines marked on the windows and the top of the
main body. (Fig. 8) You don’t have to be very accurate in
lining up cuts - the biscuits are designed to move
sideways a little in their slots. You can also safely
elongate the slots. You use the two reference lines on the
top of the main body, on either side of the central line.
See “Replacement Biscuits” on page 8.

Cutter Height Adjustment

Adjust the height of the cutter above the router plate by
using the height adjustment mechanism of your router. It
is not normally necessary to exactly centre the cuts on the
edge or end of the wood, but make sure you have at least
3mm of material on either side of the biscuit. (Fig. 7) As
long as you always lay your wood with the good (or seen)
face down on the table, the slots in matching pieces will
always line up perfectly. This is especially important if the
pieces of wood vary slightly in thickness.
Fig. 8

Page 4
Right-angle Butt Joint 45˚ Mitre Joint
Place the pieces together in the way you want to join Reverse the sliding guide and hold one of your mitre-cut
them. Mark the centre-line of the desired biscuit slot. Line pieces against the angled face. With the power switched
up the pencil mark with the central line printed on the off, use the wood to press the safety guard in fully. Adjust
main body, and move the sliding guide into position. Lock the position of both the wood and the guide to align your
the guide firmly. Switch on the power, push the safety pencil mark with the central line(s) on the main body. Lock
guard in with the wood, and slide the main body until it the guide in that position.
hits the depth stop. Allow the main body to return to the
centre position. Place the other piece on the other side of
the main body, laying it lengthways along the main body,
and make the second slot.
Fig. 9

Fig. 11

Use the front and rear windows to cut both pieces. It is

possible to make both cuts from the same window if your
cutter is exactly central and if the two pieces are exactly
the same thickness.
End-to-end Butt Joint
Preview the joint and mark the pieces if desired. Lock the Edge-to-edge Joints
sliding guide in position and cut the first piece using the Place the pieces together, good (or seen) faces down,
rear window. line up the ends, and make pencil marks at the desired
spacing.
Fig. 10
Fig. 12

Make the cuts from the front window, holding the wood
Cut the matching piece at the front window. If your slot is firmly against the thrust of the cutter. Hint: If your wood is
centred on the wood, you can cut both pieces at the same slightly bowed, press it down firmly onto the table as you
window. make the cut.
Page 5
Edge-to-face Panel Joints Fig. 15
Mark the pieces and make the marks on the vertical piece
about 50mm long, so that you’ll be able to see them.
Keep hands well clear of the cutter zone when cutting the
vertical piece. The minimum thickness of material for this
type of joint is 14mm, unless you are prepared to cut
down your biscuits and adjust the limit stops for a Min.
18mm
shallower slot.

Fig. 13

The minimum thickness of material you can use for bevel

jointing with unmodified biscuits is 18mm. The cutter will
have to be raised above the centre-line of the bevel to
avoid cutter break-out. (Fig. 16)
Fig. 16

Min.
18mm

Cutting Two-up
After you’ve had a bit of practice with the biscuit joiner
you can cut pieces two at a time provided you use the
sliding guide to support the workpieces. Preview the joint
with the good (or seen) face up, then turn the pieces over,
place them on either side of the main body without
changing their orientation, and make two cuts while
standing to the side of the table.
Bevel Joints
Lay out and mark the pieces. Hold the pieces very Fig. 17
carefully and steadily against the main body, with the
bevel point sitting on the table. Keep hands well clear of
the cutter zone, and try not to wobble the wood during the
cut or you could create an over-sized slot.

Fig. 14

Page 6
Multiple Biscuit Joints Inset Joints
To improve the strength of certain joints, you may wish to If you want to
fit several biscuits. Cut the pieces, flipping them from side create an off-set in
to side and turning them over after every pair of cuts. a joint, use a
Then use the calibration scales on the main body to reset packing piece of
the sliding guide by at least 45mm. Repeat the above two the appropriate
pairs of cuts. thickness between
the workpiece and
the table. (Fig. 20)

20
10
0
GUIDE
Fig. 20

Make a Work Steady

For handling large pieces held at 45˚ we strongly suggest
you make up a work steady and attach it through the
holes in the sliding insert with bolts and large washers.
Make the two square sides about 200mm wide with the
length being determined by the sort of jobs you’ll be
doing. Notch out a section of the sides to allow for the
20 cutter and spring-loaded guards. (Fig. 21)
30 Fig. 21
40 Fig. 18
50
GUIDE

Provided your material is at least 18mm thick, you can

strengthen 45˚ mitre joints by using two biscuits. To join
pieces at angles other than 45˚ you can still use the
sliding guide, if you place appropriately angled wedges
between the workpieces and the faces of the sliding
guide. Screw-holes are provided in the faces of the guide
for attaching wedges or other guides you may make.

Fig. 19

When dealing with narrow or thin pieces held vertically or

at 45˚, always use a piece of scrap to push in the safety
guard and pivot the main body. Never place fingers in the
cutter zone, in case the cutter cuts all the way through the
Min. 18mm
wood. (Fig. 22)
If you want to join narrow pieces, position the sliding
guide so that the slots extend beyond the face you are
joining. Glue and assemble the joint, and when the glue
has dried, carefully trim off the protruding end of the
biscuit. The contrasting colour can look quite effective.

Less than
40mm

Fig. 22

Page 7
Mid-panel Joinery Test Assembly
The Biscuit Joiner cannot be used for cutting slots more Test assemble your work before applying the glue to
than 25mm from an end or an edge of a panel. For check alignment and fit. Because the biscuits can move
certain jobs (eg. sides of a bookcase or cabinet), consider lengthways in their slots, you can usually true up joints
using another method of fixing shelves or dividers, such easily.
as screws, rebated trenches, cleats or dowels.
The glue faces and the slots should be clean and dry
Fig. 23 prior to gluing. Remove any sawdust or shavings by
brushing or blowing.

REPLACEMENT BISCUITS
Triton biscuits are specially shaped to suit the cutter
supplied. Replacement Triton biscuits are available from
your Triton stockist in packs of 50 (BJA050), or 500
(BJA056).
You can use other brands of biscuits, but they are a
different size. These biscuits, commonly called #10 and
#20 biscuits, require elongated slots. Use the reference
lines printed on top of the main body on either side of the
central line. Start at the line marked “20” and move the
wood towards the outside line, in the direction of the
arrow.
The #10 biscuit slots require the depth stops to be
adjusted to reduce the travel of the sliding insert.

GLUES AND GLUE APPLICATION

Good quality water-based adhesives, such as PVA glues,
are the most suitable for biscuit joining because they have
good quality wetting properties, and the moisture makes
the biscuits swell up evenly to tighten the joint. Epoxy and
resorcinol-type adhesives can be used, but we do not
recommend the use of highly viscous glues such as
construction adhesives.
Triton brand Premium Woodworking Adhesive offers
If you prefer to use biscuits throughout you can purchase superior bond strength and better sanding and staining
from Triton a straight carbide cutter with a 4mm cut width characteristics than most commonly available PVA glues.
(part no. BJA045). Available in 250ml, 500ml and 2.5 litre bottles.
This cutter can be used for cutting mid-panel slots using Apply the glue sensibly. It is unnecessary and wasteful to
the router hand-held against a clamped batten. fill the slots with glue. On the other hand you need
Alternatively it can be done in the overhead mode on your enough glue to fully “wet-out” the sides of the biscuits.
Workcentre using the optional Router Mounting Plate Coat the biscuits with glue and/or paint glue on the walls
(AJA150). of the slots, using a thin spatula, a cotton bud, or a small
paint brush (a #6 artists size is ideal).
With a plunge router, and some practice, you can produce
slots with a curved bottom. However flat-bottomed slots The best way to tell if you’re using the right amount of
13mm deep by 40mm long are acceptable, and much glue is when you clamp the joint. A fine line of glue should
easier. be squeezed out. Glue liberally dripping out indicates an
excess, and no glue visible means a starved joint.
Biscuit Spacing
The number of biscuits required for particular joints will CARE OF THE CUTTER
depend on the type of material being joined and the loads Inspect the cutter teeth regularly for chips or bluntness,
which the joint has to carry. As a rule of thumb, use one and remove accumulated resins from the tips. Have the
biscuit (or row of biscuits) in material up to 20mm thick, cutter professionally sharpened when blunt. When not
and two biscuits (or rows) in thicker materials, spaced fitted to your router the cutter should be stored in its
equally about 1/3rd the way in from either face. special housing at the end of the main body to prevent
accidental tooth chipping.
The spacing between the biscuits along edge-to-face
panel joints and bevel joints should be around 150- Replacement cutters (BJA038) or cutting discs (BJA039)
200mm. For long edge-to-edge joints, such as for a table- can be ordered through your Triton stockist
top in natural timber, around 300mm between biscuits is
generally adequate.

Due to our company policy of continuous product improvement, specifications may change without prior notice.
Made in Australia by: Triton Manufacturing & Design Co. Pty. Ltd. ACN 000 195 951 ABN 43 000 195 951
14-18 Mills St, Cheltenham, Vic. 3192 Ph: (03) 9584 6977 Fax: (03) 9584 5510
E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://triton.net.au
International Offices:
Canada - Toll Free: 1 888 874 8661 South Africa - Free Call: 0800 600 432
Japan - Free Call: 0120 171 079 United Kingdom - Free Call: 0800 856 7600
New Zealand - Ph: (09) 415 2545 USA - Toll Free: 1 888 874 8661
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