Lamello ADVANCED Jointing system : Zeta P2 

You're welcome :)

No actually, but you could dowels or other biscuits, the zeta machine can be used to cut 'fat' biscuit slots for which they make a thicker biscuit.

@@helmreichenterprises8391 I purchased another blade to carry with the Zeta P2 that will cut your regular beach biscuits

woodgears.ca/joint_strength/glue_methods.html Check out that link, suprisingly the joint with little clamping pressure and no pressure [actually a 0.3mm gap] had a tremendous amount of strength. Counterintuitively, less clamping pressure led to more strength. I have seen videos where clamps improved glue joints, so I'm confused. But I feel confident these joints should be plenty strong. I'd throw in a domino or two if you want additional strength.

It's not huge, but a couple of millimetres. And that depends a little bit on how perfect your cuts are.

I must agree with you, I have two other brands, and they are quite a step down :(

They are nothing like dominos, dominos are more like a mortice slot, or something you might do with a router, I guess its a hybrid between a dowel joint, and a motrice & tenon. The Zeta produces a slot like a biscuit cutter, but they have an added keyway for the special fittings. The two systems don't really compete in the same space. Dominos are more like an upgraded dowel system, whereas Zeta is more like a rapid knock down fitting system.

Helmreich Enterprises My bad. I meant biscuit joiners not domino. Still, if you could cut a semicircular groove with the same radius and the thickness of the complete p-system fastener including the keyway, could the apparrent scewholes be used to fasten it in the slot?

@@TBamle They are the same arc, but the slot is about twice as thick. They provide a non keyed slot also, depending on how you set the machine. Lamello make a plastic biscuit that is a very good equivalent to the familiar biscuit joiner, it also can be used as a guiding tongue in a joint that uses the other fittings. For example: With a joint that is say 600mm long, you may choose to have a clamex (cam fitting) fitting either end, and use the biscuit as an alignment guide in the centre, you may choose to glue the joint, or leave it dismantlable.

16mm is the thinnest I would use it on, which is 5/8th inches.

Both biscuits, and dominoes cut away at the material strength, I wouldn't compare clamex unglued to any glued joint, but rather comparable to other knock down fittings. The advantage tenso fittings have is that they are an invisible clamp, so on a mitre joint glued they mean no clamps, no external forces, no potential damage from assembly aids, and also you can clean up glue immediately without having to wait till the clamps come off. On butt joints once set tenso with glue would be similar to a butt joint glued. The keyway on the system does give quite deep purchase on the material, so there would be quite a few knock down fitting that would not perform as well as the clamex. I don't see domino as a competitor to tenso or clamex, I see them as applicable to different tasks. It's kinda like comparing a van to a sedan.

Helmreich Enterprises Thank you for the reply and the information.

+Ron H Lamello joints are rarely used on their own and they tend to part of a larger structure such as a cabinet. That means there are more than likely four sides to the cabinet so any forces you apply on one corner would get transferred to the other corners as well. And then there is the fact it would be very difficult to apply pressure to that corner anyway especially at a level that would break that corner. Most of the test you see on the internet applied to biscuits with a mechanical setup are not realistic to the real world. Who in their right mind is going to get a hydraulic system and apply it to a corner of a cabinet and then complain afterwards that it broke. I have built tables 20 years ago with biscuits and they are still going strong. I have one in the workshop that does get moved around and it has not come apart. There is also then the option of using screws on it if you want to as well with the biscuits.

None of the other machines do this job. I don't know how to answer the question. It's kinda like asking is a motorcycle really worth more than a bicycle.

@bearpapie69 You are incorrect they are not all the same joiners. Lamello has its own joining system meaning it provides an array of different types of connecting biscuits. And how the jointer works is in relation to the actual type of biscuits used. Different Lamello biscuits require a super accurate cut at specific depths for each biscuit type. Lamello jointers are designed specifically for this systems approach. The other brands of Jointers you named are good with standard biscuits do not expect them to be usable with all of the lamello connectors. They would be extremely hard work to use with all of the lamello connectors.

Bearpapie69 you can’t compare any biscuit jointer with the lamello as it’s a different class of machine, if you’re happy with using a standard biscuit jointer then that’s fine but the lamello is next step up. All depends what standard of work you want to produce

its like the domino, if you want flawless finish, then the money is nothing.

Rarius I’m in the Uk and I love my Festool Domino. Yes the FT Domino is expensive and I waited for years to buy. But now I use it most days (genuinely I do) and it saves me so much time. I use the Domino in situations I’d never thought I’d use it in before I bought it. This tool looks interesting but I prefer my Domino. These plastic joints don’t do it for me. I like glued wood on wood. Just me. 🇬🇧

You can control the distance in from the mitre point. Also they have moved toward P14 being the standard so as not to need to reset the cut depth.

It will work fine even with Tasmanian oak which is fairly hard, and prone to splitting & splintering.

That's not good. :/ I've had a good run out of mine.

I find it a useful machine for site assembly, but DIYers are probably not the best customer for this machine. Although it would depend on what they are actually likely to do.

Nearly ;)

I am not sure that it is all that simple. It takes fewer trees, and less energy to use particleboard to make furniture than say solid timber. It takes less adhesive (plastic) to make particleboard than it does to make plywood, as well as fewer trees. Particleboard however is not as good for jointing, so that's where there is a complication. Both solid timber, and plywood require about 3 x more trees. Laminate is more durable than lacquer, and the processing is way more labour efficient. The odd assembly fitting is the price that must be paid. As for plastic as a whole, I think philosophically I am not in favour of the high turnover plastics that are in use for minutes, hour, or just a few days, but this diminishes as the use moves into years. Plastics in cars have a shorter life expectancy than furniture. Everyone uses cars. Plastics in a phone, or computer these days has a shorter life expectancy. Hmmm :/