Domino 500 advise

[RobinBHM]

Hi all,

Ive been asked to build a kitchen and am wondering about getting a domino 500 to help.

Face frames: what is the smallest face frame that a domino joint will fit?

The client wants some fancy boxes that they csn slide across in the corner units instead of a modern magic corner. Boxes to be made a bit like a fancy wine crate. I dont know if a domino can help here or not. Whats the thinnest section a domino can joint? Would 12mm be minimum?

Also is a kit better than buying the bits separately.

Many Thanks Robin

 

[Bodgers]

I think they recommend that the tenon is 1/3 of the size of the thickness of the material. I've pushed over that a bit though on my oak framed cab doors I've done recently and gone down to 10mm. Probably best to go with the recommendation on softwood or critical joints etc.

Smallest tenon is 4mm.

 

[MattRoberts]

The thinnest domino is 4mm thick and 20mm. The recommendation from festool is a minimum of 5mm of material around the domino, so that would mean 14mm thickness and 30mm width.

However, assuming there isn't going to be a huge amount of strain on the joint, you could probably get away with 12mm thickness

 

[RobinBHM]

The thinnest domino is 4mm thick and 20mm. The recommendation from festool is a minimum of 5mm of material around the domino, so that would mean 14mm thickness and 30mm width.

However, assuming there isn't going to be a huge amount of strain on the joint, you could probably get away with 12mm thickness

Thats useful to know, so I could do a front frame with 36mm wide stiles (thickness would prob be 26mm)?

And a drawer box construction of about 12mm thickness.

Ive no clue about a domino, I'll have to do some youtube surfing!

 

[Bodgers]

The thinnest domino is 4mm thick and 20mm. The recommendation from festool is a minimum of 5mm of material around the domino, so that would mean 14mm thickness and 30mm width.

However, assuming there isn't going to be a huge amount of strain on the joint, you could probably get away with 12mm thickness

Where does that 5mm recommendation come from? I'm not seeing that in the manual...

 

[petermillard]

FWIW I've used 4x20s in 9mm MDF, and 5x30s in 12mm MDF, all without any issues - albeit in relatively 'lightweight' applications. I use 5x30s in 12mm birch ply for drawer boxes all the time.

HTH Pete

 

[custard]

Face frames: what is the smallest face frame that a domino joint will fit?

That's a good question to ask.

You've loads of choice in both the thickness and the length of a Domino, but hardly any at all in the width.

Here's a good summary,

http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/DOMI ... Width.html

Basically the width of the mortice will be 13mm plus the diameter of the bit, and that severely restricts the width of your rails given that you'll usually be using either 6mm or 8mm Dominos. Something like a 50mm rail for example is too wide for a single Domino (especially without a haunch to prevent twisting), but too narrow for two Dominos.

Consequently I end up using a lot of 63mm wide rails, I can just squeeze two Dominos into that width for a secure, "twist free" joint, and it's the widest workpiece that will fit under the hold downs on my router table for grooving! But I'm not proud of the fact that aesthetic decisions about furniture design dimensions are effectively being dictated by machinery constraints.

You can always bump the machine along a bit, cut a second overlapping mortice, and then make your own loose tenons, that'll deliver a wider and more versatile layout. I do that all the time and it works well, but when you go that route any speed advantage of the Domino goes straight out the window.

 

[custard]

And a drawer box construction of about 12mm thickness.

That works really well with 4mm Dominos. I don't make that many ply drawer boxes, but when I do they fairly zip along with that construction, especially if you use a "Domiplate" on the 1/2" setting for referencing. The only occasional headache is graduated drawer heights, once again you can sometimes get caught out by the layout restrictions on Domino joinery.

http://www.senecawoodworking.com/produc ... nd-3-4-ply

 

[Bodgers]

You can always bump the machine along a bit, cut a second overlapping mortice, and then make your own loose tenons, that'll deliver a wider and more versatile layout. I do that all the time and it works well, but when you go that route any speed advantage of the Domino goes straight out the window.

When I first got mine, I 'mass produced' a bunch of oversized tenons for the two bit sizes I have. At least that cuts down a bit on the time, so the only extra effort is one more plunge per go.

 

[chippy1970]

Here's a little favour I did for a friend recently. They wanted their 3 seater sofa reduced to a two seater. Simple with the domino, I managed to pull the old m&t joints apart. Luckily they were 10mm so I used the domino to machine the mortices in the cut ends. I moved the machine a few times to make an extra long mortice like I think custard mentioned above. Then just made my own large loose tenons.

If you get one get the full set and the extra domino systainer.

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[adidat]

I've always done kitchens face frames 44mm x 25mm wide unless plans state otherwise. Allows for 2 pieces of 18mm board and then a slight lip. That's doors and drawer fronts as well. Usually get an 8x40 Dom in there!

Adidat

 

[MikeJhn]

Hi all,

Ive been asked to build a kitchen and am wondering about getting a domino 500 to help.

Face frames: what is the smallest face frame that a domino joint will fit?

The client wants some fancy boxes that they csn slide across in the corner units instead of a modern magic corner. Boxes to be made a bit like a fancy wine crate. I dont know if a domino can help here or not. Whats the thinnest section a domino can joint? Would 12mm be minimum?

Also is a kit better than buying the bits separately.

Many Thanks Robin

I think a decent biscuit jointer may be better suited to thin panels.

Mike

 

[Doug71]

Robin, if you have not got a domino just buy one, fantastic tool. Buy the full kit then you got all the cutters and dominos you will need and you can just replace the dominos as you use them.

Doug

 

[Simou1]

The Domino 500 is brilliant, had one from the day they were introduced despite my wife's incredulity at spending £480 on a "wobbly angle grinder" . Sold my Lamello biscuit joiner immediately and agree with all the advice to get the Domino kit with the extra cutters. Shop around as prices vary enormously.

I have ordered an XL 700 as I feel my wife has had long enough to recover. It will be delivered whilst she is out shopping and hidden immediately in Systainer mountain. I know it is devious and cowardly but I don't care!

 

[MattRoberts]

The thinnest domino is 4mm thick and 20mm. The recommendation from festool is a minimum of 5mm of material around the domino, so that would mean 14mm thickness and 30mm width.

However, assuming there isn't going to be a huge amount of strain on the joint, you could probably get away with 12mm thickness

Where does that 5mm recommendation come from? I'm not seeing that in the manual...

I can't remember - it was either in the documentation I got or after research from festool online. It might even be in the back of a pack of dominos.

I just recall it clearly as that was something I locked in my head for future use

 

[RobinBHM]

Many thanks all.

The customer wants narrow face frame stiles, say 38mm and wants the front frame to be continuous without face frames butted up to one another and resulting in double stiles. Im not sure if thats reslistic, but a domino does seem the best solution.

Mostly I do joinery, so I had thought the large machine would be the best route, but Im thinking of getting the 500 for this project and if I like it might splash out on the 700 later on!

 

[MattRoberts]

Robin - you're more than welcome to use my 500 for this job and see if you like it?

 

[RobinBHM]

Hi Matt, thats a very generous offer, I would certainly like to do that.

Perhaps I could get in touch in a few weeks once more of the design details have been finalized

Cheers Robin

 

[MattRoberts]

Sure thing - drop me a PM. I don't have the 4mm cutter or dominos though, but I have the 5, 6 and 8 along with plenty of dominos

 

[mikefab]

If you think you might want the 700 later then you could just consider getting it now instead of the 500. Seneca make an adapter to allow the 700 to take the 500 cutters, and there is a bloke on eBay in the UK selling knockoffs of these which seem to work just fine. I bought the domino 700 a few months ago and have recently used it to put 4mm doms into a 8mm panel with no trouble. The only problem with doing small stuff with the big domino is the smallest vertical offset to the centre of the cutter is 10mm. This would be an issue for drawer boxes. My solution to this is to reference off the base (15mm to cutter centre) but pack the workpiece up with a shim of say 11mm.
I bought my domino to help with fitted furniture projects and also joinery stuff but of course this is personal stuff not commercial like you. The 700 seemed to cover all the bases without the expense of two tools.

Hope this helps
Mike

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