Rookie Cabinetmaker Teaches a Nifty Biscuit Joiner Trick

In my first attempt at cabinetmaking, I wanted to use biscuits to secure the corner blocks in the bathroom vanity I made for my wife. But the blocks were too small to clamp to the bench while I plunged with my biscuit joiner. After a bit of head-scratching, I finally decided that if I couldn't clamp the workpiece to the bench, I'd clamp it to the tool.

After attaching the corner block to the joiner's fence as shown in the drawing below, I used clamps to temporarily mount the biscuit tool to my benchtop. Then, I just pulled the trigger and plunged. Since that experiment, I have tried the process with both smaller and thinner pieces with unqualified success.
—Jim Culler, Bellville, Ohio