MakitaPJ7000 Plate Joiner, Blue

This is a great biscuit joiner. I had to replace my old one of a different brand and read the reviews about the Makita and the Dewalt and couldn’t decide between the two. So I ordered both of them and first opened the Dewalt and was very disappointed in the finish of the tool. The fence did not move smoothly, and there were many sharp edges that needed to be deburred which I did while inspecting the tool. One very important requirement for this tool is that the blade is parallel to the bottom of the tool and the fence so I put the tool on a flat surface and inspected the squareness of the tool. The blade was out of alignment by about a degree and a half and I was not able to ever correct it. This is enough to make assembly difficult. As a result of this, I didn’t even plug the tool in and returned it.The Makita on the other hand was very nicely made, and everything fit and moved perfectly. It’s easy to adjust and one of the best features is the ease in clearing out chips when they get stuck in the exhaust port, which will happen on all biscuit jointers. The Makita has a single screw that does not require tools to open up the base and clear out the chips. The Dewalt required a screwdriver and removing four screws to clear out the dust port.My only complaint about the tool is the location of the switch which is not compatible with left-handed operation. I have dealt with this issue my whole life with switches on power tools being set up for a right handed person. I would definitely buy this tool again, but judging from its quality, I may never have to.

Does every thing a plate joiner should and well built Makita quality . This replaced an older porter cable plate joiner that just got worn out over the years (15+). I just couldn’t justify the Festool domino system which is super cool stuff but not $1500 + cool.Festool is for the pro who can afford it and justify the cost by production needs. I’m a semi pro DIY GUY so I use the plate joiner a lot and the cost is around $200 and I’ve not had any joints fail yet so it’s way more cost effective for me. Either way they both have their place. If I wad rich and just wanted the best and cost wasn’t a consideration Festool is a no brainer.

I like it. Easy to handle, easy to use. Only dislike I have is the bag doesn't stay at the angle you put it, it drops down. It still works.

I completed a fair effort in visiting several local hardware and wood working specialty stores before selecting the Makita plate joiner. The fence design is superior to the P-C and D-W brands, and it is far far better than the cheap line sold by Home Depot and Sears (same tool). In particular the fence is all metal (save plastic knobs) and it slides smoothly on close tolerance (hardened?) round shafts (very clean and rugged design!). The fence adjustments are accurate and square, however with any similar tool (router, etc.) I never trust the scales built into the machine -- i.e. double check with calipers or other measuring tools. The cam-type fence lock works smoothly and does not push or cock the fence off its setting. I was surprised to read that some fellow reviewers reported loose or binding fence mechanisms -- fortunately this simply was not true in my case.I will note that although spring loaded the on-switch latches too easily in the continuous run position. This is not a big deal, for a tool that has such a specialty application, and thus usually much lower shop use time. The fence plate or "foot" is all die-cast aluminum and Makita only provides a narrow slot which is aligned over your work lines. This has not been a limitation for me, but other reviewers expressed some frustration in this regard. Instead I like the large footprint of the fence for its stability, and I will thus deal with the relatively small alignment "aperture".The machine is somewhat noisy but has plenty of power for clean cuts in hardwoods and various "engineered" woods. I use a vac setup so I can't comment on the dust bag. I've been using D-W biscuits and they fit firmly in the slots cut by the Makita.In sum, I've been very pleased with the performance of the JP7000 and thus rate it a solid 4.5 stars.

As professional cabinetmaker I had been using a Lamello Top 20 for many years. When I finally burnt out the motor after many years of almost daily use I was going to get a new Lamello until i saw the price ($1,800.00). I believe, generally you get what you pay for and I usually buy the most expensive tools that I can afford/justify, so I decided to do a little research. After comparing it to the other cheap plate joiners out there, the Makita PJ7000 for about 150.00 seemed to be the best value.After several months of regular use I can say, unequivocally that it is a very good value. The castings are of good quality, flat and square, no sharp edges. The adjustments, particularly the auxiliary fence that you can raise and lower with the turn of a dial, are very accurate. After setting it, I always check the fence for square and haven't had to adjust it yet.I also love the swivel dust port. I attach my Fein vacuum hose to it, using an adapter, and it swings out of the way for each operation whether the fence is at straight or at 90*While I don't expect it to last as long as my Lamello, for the money I could replace the Makita a few times and still be way ahead of the game.