Logan F300-2 Pro Joiner for Joining Frames, Wood Corners, Stretcher Bars and More With Nails Included

Overall I would have to say that I am quite pleased with the Logan F300-2 Pro Jointer. There are not many reviews for this type of equipment and much of what I found appeared biased; leaving me to feel as though my purchase would be a bit of a gamble. Hopefully this review will help answer some of your questions.The product arrived almost fully assembled and only required two extension supports to be mounted to the base which was easy to access and quick to install. Setting the equipment for a particular frame profile only took 10 minutes and most of that was reading the manual. I did a trial run with an assortment of basic frames of rectangular cross section.I made 18 frames from yellow birch, soft maple, and black walnut ranging in size from 3x3 to 8x10 and each was fully assembled in less than 5 minutes. The jointer comes with 100 V-nails each of 1/4 and 3/8 inch for hard and soft woods (400 total). I also purchased 1/2 inch hard V-nails. My frames were 3/4 inch thick so I used the 1/2 inch V-nails and pressed two at a time. The manual recommends pressing one at a time for very hard woods but there was no need to do this for any of the woods I used.Every single use was smooth and without error; every nail fully inserted, no cracking of the wood, and the joints were held flush by the clamping mechanism and remained tight after removing from the jointer. The lever pulls down easily and with very little resistance as the nails are inserted.There were only two drawbacks that I found:1.) The jointer works best for 8x10 and larger frames, smaller frames get hung up in the clamping mechanism, either the frame sits on the quick clamp release button or the clamp handle is difficult to access. I would say the smallest frame that can be joined is 4x6 with a 1 inch width. Smaller frames sit on the quick release button when joining the two halves of the frame. I found I had to hold the button down with the frame while pinching the two halves together while inserting the V-nails. Larger than 4x6 and this won't be an issue but the handle is extremely difficult to access until making an 8x10 or larger frame.2.) The V-nail holder is adjustable to allow for various frame widths, however, the movable portion of the holder lacks any means of locking it in position. I found that it would slip between uses so I had to keep an eye on it and realign it periodically.Even with these two drawbacks I consider this to be a great product and am happy with my decision to purchase it. I will probably design a handle extension to make the clamp accessible with 4x6 and 5x7 frames and will not go less than 4x6 in the future.

Works well so far. Drives v nails into solid maple. I don't like the overall design whereby you lower the frame onto the nails. Makes it cumbersome when making a very large frame, in my case 60x20" but it still works. Lever is flimsy and feels like it may break easily. Also there are screws on the bottom that protrude below the padded feet. I tried to slide it across a table and gouged the finish.Watch the Logan graphics video for assembly and use.

I have only used this tool 3 times, and it gets easier every time. The only drawback I have found, as others have tried to describe, is the position of the quick release button for the clamp which holds the pieces in place when nailing. (The clamp is that skinny black thing in the middle of the lower, yellow platform. The quick release button is positioned on the top side of the bottom yellow platform, in the corner nearest to the worker.) In the final nailing of 2 halves, a frame too small (w/o a clearance of 3 1/2", inside), would sit on top of the button. Therefore, one would be hard pressed to get the frame to lay flat while nailing the opposite corner (the "Kitty" corner). I did not find this to be a big drawback because a frame with only 3 1/2" inside clearance is either awfully small or awfully narrow. "Skinning" this size a cat, becomes less cumbersome, especially when you can prepare the two halves with the framing tool. Good Luck & Happy Framing!Logan Pro-Framing F300-2 Pro Joiner

I build mostly large picture frames and for that, I would not recommend this product. You're supposed to apply glue and then join the corners with this tool, eliminating the need to clamp it. It's very cumbersome for the sizes I build (24"x36" and larger), and the corners are not as tight as they should be. I tried glueing and clamping the frames before I used this tool to put the V nails in, and it results in a better, tighter corner, but sometimes the force you have to use makes the dried glued corner come undone. I'm really regretting spending the money on this because my $50 hand tool I bought from Rockler Woodworking gets the job done better, albeit slower.One good thing about this pro joiner is that its a fast way to join picture frame corners. If you build frames smaller than 24"x36", this product works well.

I just had this delivered last night, and I am regretting it already. First of all, the directions were not clear in 3 or 4 languages, and it took a lot of head scratching to get it set up properly. The enclosed DVD was more of an infomercial than instructional guide, and was no help at all. Once I got it together, I tried to join a 2 in wide, 30 in square frame and the gaps were horrible. The extension arms have a little pad on them that is maybe an inch wide, and any stock that is wider than the pad will rock when you plunge the frame. I tried shimming it, but to no avail and I ended up ruining a $60 frame. Not being a framer by trade, I thought $200 would buy me a decent tool, but this was not the case. After some research I see that a "REAL" pro joiner is going to run you about a grand...so you get what you pay for I guess. It might work fine for smaller frames and smaller stock, but I'll never trust it again.

This is a great tool. However, be aware that it will only insert two v-nails at a time. I wrote to Logan and told them that sometimes I do wide molding and it really needs 3 nails. I asked if it would be worth it to buy another v-nail block to add to the tool. They promptly replied and said they would not guarantee the arbor could handle the mechanical stress of 3 nails, and recommended against it. So if I want 3 nails, I do 2 followed by 1.