GMC BJ110 Biscuit Joiner: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
GMC's budget biscuit joiner, gone since the brand left the market in 2008. What to check on a used one, and the current equivalent.
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The BJ110 was GMC’s entry into biscuit joining — a small plunge cutter that swings a 100mm blade into an edge to cut a crescent slot for a compressed beech biscuit.
GMC’s Australian operation was placed in receivership in 2008. There is no warranty support and no parts channel.
What a biscuit joiner is actually for
It is an alignment tool, not a strength tool. The biscuit swells with the glue’s moisture and locks the slot, which stops two boards sliding out of register while you clamp a panel. That is the job it does well.
It is not a structural joint. A biscuit in a frame corner adds very little long-grain glue surface. If you want strength in a face frame or a carcase, a domino, a dowel or a mortice does more.
If you already own one
Three things to check before you trust it on a panel glue-up:
Fence square to the blade. Cut two test slots in offcuts, join them dry, and lay a straightedge across the seam. If the faces step, the fence is out and every panel you glue will be too.
Plunge return. The spring should snap the base back hard. A lazy return means the blade is exposed longer than it should be.
Blade condition. A dull carbide cutter burns the slot walls and the biscuit will not seat. Replacement 100mm four-tooth blades are generic and still widely sold — you do not need a GMC part.
What to buy
The Makita PJ7000, linked below, is the reference tool in this class. Its fence adjustment is what earns it: a rack-and-pinion height mechanism with positive angle stops, so the setting you dial is the setting you get on every cut.
Skip the biscuit joiner entirely if what you actually want is joint strength. Buy a doweling jig or a router and cut a real joint.