Droopy dominoes!

[johnnyb]

I've had a xl700 domino for a while and noticed that when I set the fence angle on the detent(at90) it's drooping. So say I'm joining a door the end grain mortice and the long grain mortice are pointing in different directions! The fence angle isn't adjustable on the detent. I've made a strip of wood that I use by loosening the angle lock putting the base on a parallel surface then using the parallel piece of wood to make the fence level then lock the fence ignoring the detente. This then works fine.
Should this be happening, has it happened to anyone else? It's a pain on what should be a turnkey solution.
Send it back?

 

[Doug71]

I have both dominos.

My smaller df 500 is slightly out as you describe but there is a little play on the detent so as long as I push the fence up slightly as I lock it it is fine. I have had it since they first came out and used it lots so maybe it has just got worn somehow because never noticed it at first.

My XL 700 is spot on. Make sure you keep pressure on the front when plunging, it is a hefty tool and can drop a bit at the back if you are not careful. It is an expensive tool so should be right, speak to Festool, they should sort you out.

 

[johnnyb]

Thanks Doug I'll give them a try. It's very obvious just looking at it tbh. It seems odd there's no adjustment as well. The quadrant is riveted at the front. I'll try and return if I can what a pain.

 

[Nelsun]

There was something (it's so long ago I can't remember what it was meant to work around) about slackening off the vertical depth thingy, raising it and then lowering it then tightening it off again. May be worth a shot but sounds like a return to Festool may be on the cards. Never noticed it being off on mine so never really looked at it.

 

[custard]

I use both the 500 and 700 dominoes, they're both spot on. If it's not right then return it, why pay Festool money if you're not getting Festool quality?

To put things in perspective though, there's a 500 at the Barnsley workshops that regularly gets used on £50,000 plus pieces of furniture. The fence was broken off many years ago and ever since it's only used with the sole flat on a reference surface or in a jig, shimming up being the only adjustment!

 

[Eric The Viking]

Please report back, too.

Peter Millard published a YouTube video over Christmas, looking back over ten years of ownership of a DF500, and he mentioned issues with the fence. He didn't include a diagram or explain exactly, and I couldn't quite follow what it was, but he said they modified the design somehow.

I bought a DF 700, and haven't yet used it in anger, although I have made test cuts and it seemed to be spot on. The one thing I didn't check was the squareness of the fence (or its parallelism to the baseplate) - it looked OK, the dry-fitted joint looked perfect, it's Festool - so you assume...

So assuming (again) that you got yours fairly recently, you're making me slightly worried, and thus I'd be very keen to know how this works out! ;-).

E.

PS: I bought a Seneca adapter for it last Autumn (whilst I had the opportunity in the USA). Alignment will be more critical with smaller dominoes too, so again it's a concern.

 

[johnnyb]

I reckon alignment is a bit less critical on shorter dominoes. (As far as drooppiness goes)
It's off to the point that when I realigned the fence using my piece of wood and recut you could feel the domino waggle a bit.
I'll contact festool next week see how it goes. And pass on the results!
I'll try loosening the up down whilst setting the fence first.

 

[petermillard]

Peter Millard published a YouTube video over Christmas, looking back over ten years of ownership of a DF500, and he mentioned issues with the fence. He didn't include a diagram or explain exactly, and I couldn't quite follow what it was, but he said they modified the design somehow...

Well, I published a video yesterday, with Part 2 out today, and I explained *exactly* what the issue (singular) was with the fence, lol! Here ya go:-

In some very early Domino DF 500s (i.e. 2006-era - mine is one) the fence could ‘drift’ off it’s locked position making it inaccurate over a longer run; this begat the Domi-Plate, thence Seneca Woodworking, and the rest is history.

That’s it. Purely an early Domino issue, nothing to do with the DF700 - this was years and years before the 700.

If the OP’s Domino is inaccurate, chuck it back to Festool and let them sort it out.

Cheers, P

 

[Eric The Viking]

Peter Millard published a YouTube video over Christmas, looking back over ten years of ownership of a DF500, and he mentioned issues with the fence. He didn't include a diagram or explain exactly, and I couldn't quite follow what it was, but he said they modified the design somehow...

Well, I published a video yesterday, with Part 2 out today, and I explained *exactly* what the issue (singular) was with the fence, lol! Here ya go:-

In some very early Domino DF 500s (i.e. 2006-era - mine is one) the fence could ‘drift’ off it’s locked position making it inaccurate over a longer run; this begat the Domi-Plate, thence Seneca Woodworking, and the rest is history.

That’s it. Purely an early Domino issue, nothing to do with the DF700 - this was years and years before the 700.

If the OP’s Domino is inaccurate, chuck it back to Festool and let them sort it out.

Cheers, P

My sincere apologies, at many levels!

Have to say that so far I'm really impressed with my own DF 700, although I'm very much at the learning stage. It was bang-on accurate out of the box.

 

[johnnyb]

Doug71 gave me the solution. Lift the fence up to the detent. Then lock the fence.on mine it's not a small amount either. But it does square the fence up nicely. I'll still try to return to festool though but if there's a chance there a.gonna do nothing or b. Strip it down and charge me for return then I won't bother.

 

[LBCarpentry]

When adjusting the height I always have the rest flipped up (as it comes out of the box) and try to raise and lower equally.

But what is of the most paramount importance is that you have sharp cutters! Blunt cutters will send everything skew!!