Domino or not domino

[wizer]

A biscuit joiner can't make a structural joint. The Domino can. It certainly is up to making tables, beds, benches, chairs, etc.

 

[Karl]

It certainly is up to making tables, beds, benches, chairs, etc.

Not sure about that Tom - with a max domino depth of only 1" into each member, do you think it'd give enough glue area for a structurally sound joint suitable, for example, for beds. :-k I believe this is its main weakness - the size of project it can be used on is limited.

My mind's made up either way - I got a Systainer full of domino's and 4 cutters from e-bay. Now i've just got to buy the tool :lol:

Cheers

Karl

 

[Mr Ed]

A biscuit joiner can't make a structural joint. The Domino can. It certainly is up to making tables, beds, benches, chairs, etc.

I disagree. I've made a few tables using double biscuits to join the legs to the rails and never had one break. I am of course talking small coffee tables, occasional tables and the like, not a dining table. Biscuits work fine in these instances.

Ed

 

[Mattty]

Comparing biscuit Jointers and Dominos is Chalk and Cheese. Biscuit jointers are great for light joints such as picture frames and alignment work such as edge jointing boards. The Domino does all of that but also structural joints for doors, drawers, cabinetry etc. I know many people use a biscuit jointer for larger frames but they really are't designed or strong enough for this use.

I agree they are over priced and i for one am certainly not buying into the whole Festool thing. However they are the only ones who make the tool and at the moment can charge as they wish.

For a cabinet maker, it is a must have. For a hobbyist- only you can decide.

Just for one example- Lets say your making a cabinet door 1000mm high 500mm wide. Once the 4 components are cut the domino would have the joints formed in 2 mins flat. The same 4 pieces with traditional mortice and tenon could take an hour or 2. Multiply this by the number of other joints in can replace in a piece of furniture and the time savings are staggering.

 

[wizer]

I think it depends entirely on the design of the piece. I've seen the domino used for beds and large tables. Of course, we're not likely to know how long the joints last until someone owns up to it

 

[Dibs-h]

Chaps - at the risk of sounding selfish, I think the Domino\Festool\Over priced\can make the same with an aubergine has been done a fair bit, what I want to know is what are the essential bits one should get?

I'm also into cars and the strange thing is I've yet to get into (or hear of) such a Yes\No type conversation about spanners\ratchets, Facom vs Snap-on.

Getting my hat & coat...................

 

[Mattty]

Chaps - at the risk of sounding selfish, I think the Domino\Festool\Over priced\can make the same with an aubergine has been done a fair bit, what I want to know is what are the essential bits one should get?

I'm also into cars and the strange thing is I've yet to get into (or hear of) such a Yes\No type conversation about spanners\ratchets, Facom vs Snap-on.

Getting my hat & coat...................

I'd get the systainer with the set of 4 cutter 5,6,8 & 10mm. It comes with plenty of the different sized dominos to get you started.
I have the trim stop and cross stop attachments, they are not initally necessary and depend on the work/projct your doing. The festool website has videos that are good.

 

[Dibs-h]

I'd get the systainer with the set of 4 cutter 5,6,8 & 10mm. It comes with plenty of the different sized dominos to get you started.
I have the trim stop and cross stop attachments, they are not initally necessary and depend on the work/projct your doing. The festool website has videos that are good.

Cheers Mattty - what are the trim stop & cross stop used for? I assume it woudl be cheaper to get them with the Domino than later separately? Do you think it would be worth a punt at asking the dealer to throw 1 or both in? Especially if one is buying the dominoes?

 

[Karl]

Dibs - you can buy the 2 attachments separately, and the overall cost doesn't work out more than the "kit" price of the machine with the attachments.

I'm planning on doing as you suggest - trying to get the attachments thrown in for nowt.

Cheers

Karl

 

[studders]

Graeme

I'm just a hobby woodworker and my shop time is pretty limited with a nagging wife and two kids.

Aled

Kick 'em out of the workshop if all they're gonna do is nag, oh and lock the door and turn the music up loud.

"Sorry dear, didn't hear you calling me, locked door? , nah, just a bit stiff is all".

:lol:

 

[Oryxdesign]

It's nice to have the whole kit but you probably don't need it. I bought those cross stop things and I now never use them and I think they are a waste of time. The trim stops work well, I would have thought these are a must if you do lots of face frames. Most of my work is 19mm veneered mdf so I hardly ever use anything but the 5mm cutter, if you but the doms in large packets they aren't that dear.

Simon (who likes Snap On spanners and sockets)

 

[Mr Ed]

I am actually considering buying one, with my recently received annual bonus (no I am not a banker). Just deciding if its the thing that gives the most bang for the buck.

I think its misleading that they always get compared to biscuit joiners because whilst there is some crossover they seem to me to be different tools.

Ed (who likes Facom screwdrivers)

 

[Aled Dafis]

Simon

Don't you think that 5mm Dominoes are a bit weedy in 19mm stock? The sideboard that I made is all 20mm oak, and I used 8mm Dominoes. I ummed and ahhd afor a while before going for 8mm, but it just looked right to my eyes.

I'm not picking fault with what you do, hey you produce FAR more stuff in a month than what I do in a year, it's just that I feel 5mm to be a little thin.

Cheers

Aled

 

[Oryxdesign]

Maybe in oak but not in mdf, the mdf is far weaker than the domino.

 

[frugal]

Cheers Mattty - what are the trim stop & cross stop used for? I assume it woudl be cheaper to get them with the Domino than later separately? Do you think it would be worth a punt at asking the dealer to throw 1 or both in? Especially if one is buying the dominoes?

There seem to be two 'packs' you can get, Domino-QPlus which is just the machine and Domino QSet which includes the trim stop and cross stop. The price is a little bit cheaper but not a lot.

 

[Mr Ed]

I think its misleading that they always get compared to biscuit joiners because whilst there is some crossover they seem to me to be different tools.

Well, just been reading the Festool website and they refer to it as a biscuit joiner, so shows how wrong I am!

Ed

 

[gidon]

Chaps - at the risk of sounding selfish, I think the Domino\Festool\Over priced\can make the same with an aubergine has been done a fair bit, what I want to know is what are the essential bits one should get?

I'm also into cars and the strange thing is I've yet to get into (or hear of) such a Yes\No type conversation about spanners\ratchets, Facom vs Snap-on.

Getting my hat & coat...................

But Graeme who started the post asked about opinions on whether to get a Domino or not! I find the discussion quite helpful - even if it has been discussed before.


Cheers

Gidon

 

[Benchwayze]

I use a biscuit jointer. But I do see the benefits of the Domino's thicker, longer 'tenons', over the fragile looking BJ.

On the other hand, I made the bench for my Coronet lathe, (A heavy beast) using multiple BJs. I've rolled that around on soft castors for a good few years with no racking and only recently have the castors started to show signs of distress.

Yet, I would like a Domino!

Regards
John

 

[frugal]

I think its misleading that they always get compared to biscuit joiners because whilst there is some crossover they seem to me to be different tools.

Well, just been reading the Festool website and they refer to it as a biscuit joiner, so shows how wrong I am!

Ed

I guess that the domino is more of a custard cream than a digestive

 

[Henning]

I spent an hour and a half yesterday fiddling with beadlocks for a small project.
I could've done the same thing in 10 minutes with a Domino. I want one. Very badly. But, considering it would be approx. 1100 £ here, i think i better get up to speed with the beadlock stuff... :-(
I'm in the YES buy it- group, i have only seen it once, but i think it would be a great system for a lot of different jobs.