Domino

[wcndave]

So having read so many rave reviews and watching videos, i finally bit the bullet and bought a domino.

So far so good, barring one thing.

The tight fit setting is so tight, that i cannot get the biscuits out! I tried with a serious amount of brute force, and ended up having to drill it out

The adjustment for the larger hole is way to big for "close fit", so is there some other adjustment? can't see one, however this seems to make dry fitting a thing of the past...

Other than that I really like it so far.

 

[knappers]

Have never had that problem - yes, they are tight, but never anything that a little persuasion with some pliers couldn't solve. So long as you pull straight out, sometimes putting a little block or something next to the domino to lever / rock against.

Si.

 

[Mattty]

Was it a fresh packet of dom's? I wonder if they have taken on a little moisture and swollen up?

I just pull them out with a pair of mole grips if they are too tight.

 

[wcndave]

Have never had that problem - yes, they are tight, but never anything that a little persuasion with some pliers couldn't solve. So long as you pull straight out, sometimes putting a little block or something next to the domino to lever / rock against.

Si.

I tried with a serious amount of force, and also put in a vice, tightened until i heard cracking, and then tried to lever it out.... this did only happen for what I have tried so far, which was the 8mm x 40mm done to a depth of 24mm

 

[wcndave]

Very fresh, had just opened then 2 mins before. I used pliers as don't have any mole grips, however they just seemed a little too tight.

sounds like there is no adjusting that can be done, just want to make them 1mm wider, not 13mm like the next setting...

 

[Chems]

Wiggle them end to end rather than face to face and they will come. They are very tight like that always if you've held it steady whilst plunging. Its also worth keeping a few cut off doms around for a dry fit. Less likely to get stuck.

 

[wcndave]

Yer i wiggle them every which way - obviously there should be no face to face movement anyway...

keeping some trimmed ones for dry fitting sounds like a top idea :idea:

 

[feswood]

ive put some on a baking tray warm oven cook for ten minutes and its helped no end dont taste to good though

 

[Joe]

I find a mole wrench excellent for removing intransigent dominoes. To make test fitting easier I tend to take off a shaving or two from either face of the dominoes if they are very tight - you can line up quite a few against a slightly protruding bench dog.

Joel

 

[gidon]

I too find the fit very tight - a real pain for dry fits. I have to hammer them in and use a mole wrench levered over a block of wood to remove.

I did go to the trouble of modifying some for dry fits but promptly have lost most of them! And was quite time consuming to do. I'm using fresh dominoes.

Joel planing sounds quicker may try that (was sanding to reduce them).

Cheers

Gidon

 

[srp]

I used to have a few that I'd sanded down and marked with a big red X with a marker pen, but they soon disappeared. Now I don't usually bother doing a dry fit before glueing up, especially on simpler stuff like face frames and table tops etc.

 

[wcndave]

Glad it's not just me who has this... will try trimming a few and marking them, i think it's the sides not the faces that are the trouble...

shame that there isn't a setting that allows you to adjust the width more finely, just 1mm would probably do it...

I may try baking, cos it means if they're lost, i can just knock up another batch, however seems a bit awkward going from kitchen to workshop all the time, might bump in to the wife! :shock:

 

[Benchwayze]

I don't have a domino yet, but would it be a good idea to leave things as they are?

Then when you use a biscuit, give it a few passes over the flat face of a medium file before you fit it. Shouldn't take long, nor remove too much material.

HTH
John

PS I was just wondering why it's not possible to adjust the fence by 1mm. Surely you can do this? It would mean making two passes for a mortice, I know. But sooner that than wrestling with jammed biscuits; then having to cut the biscuit off and re-cut the mortice anyway!

John :?

 

[wcndave]

Yer, this has sort of become the practical way, although if you are using 40 to make a complex frame, it's a bit annoying.

I did find this occurred less with the smaller ones, I guess they just require less force as smaller, also as it's very cold at the moment (I am at about 1,500m altitude and it's below zero often in my workshop), I have a fan heater on. putting some in front of that for 10 mins before use seems to help quite a bit... perhaps in the summer they will shrink a bit more, although it will be more humid...

 

[Benchwayze]

I just had another thought! ( And that's going some for me.)

Maybe if the Domino is as good as Festool claim, then Festool consider that if you use it properly, you don't need a dry-fit!

Hat, coat ------- Door! (hammer)

John

 

[wcndave]

Let me help you on with that....

 

[Anonymous]

ive put some on a baking tray warm oven cook for ten minutes and its helped no end dont taste to good though

I uh think this the solution for you if the doms have taken on some moisture?

its very rare that i use the tight fit setting to be honest, as i use PU glue for most of my work.

 

[wcndave]

I don't think they've taken on moisture, however removing some prior to dry fitting sure helps ;-)

my oven is a few hundred metres away, so not really option.

I now tend to do one tight fighting and the rest loose (per plane of joint)

 

[Anonymous]

Dave

I think you put them in the oven to dry them out then store them as normal in your workshop not each time you use them.

Saying that do you have any form of heaters in your workshop? that may work?

 

[wcndave]

...also as it's very cold at the moment (I am at about 1,500m altitude and it's below zero often in my workshop), I have a fan heater on. putting some in front of that for 10 mins before use seems to help quite a bit...

erm... i think you missed some of the thread :wink: