One of the tools I need for building the flagpole is a plate joiner. This is a tool that cuts slots in wood that you fill with a little wooden piece called a biscuit. It’s a neat item that I’ve seen used before, but I’ve never owned one.

I ordered one from Amazon with a bit of bonus money from work and it arrived. I wanted to get working with it, but life got in the way, so it was a few days before I could get to it. My plan was to work with it today, maybe building a few simple drawers that I’ll use in the garage.

I haven’t read the manual, after all, who does that? However while I applied a bit of ice to my knee, I decided to watch a bit of YouTube to get some ideas and hints on how to use the tool. I think learning how to gain some skill has been one of the most amazing things from YouTube for me.

In any case, I watched a basic Plate Joiner video, then a Tips and Tricks video.

Then it was time to practice. First I unpacked the tool. I spent a few minutes checking out the manual to be sure I knew where the knobs where.

I grabbed two boards, thinking I’d make the right angle jog I saw in one of the videos. I lined them up and used a corner brace to put lines on both boards.

Once that was done, I used the sand paper trick to raise the tool slightly and cut three slots.

Not really a bit deal, but I was somewhat excited.

Once that was done, I cut the other board and then put the biscuits in.

The test fit looked good, things lining up. One biscuit was a little thick, so I sandpapered it with 3 or 4 strokes and then it was fine.

I added glue and then used my tool to actually apply a little weight as I moved on to another project.