Festool Domino advice Please

[Aled Dafis]

As I mentioned in another thread I'm seriously considering buying a Festool Domino before the prices rise at the end of the month.

The reason I intend to buy the Domino, is to speed up making furniture projects for the house, and for friends - my list of jobs to do is gowing at an alarming rate!!

I understand that many of you will advocate the use of traditional mortice and tenon joinery, but unfortunately, I have limited workshop time, due to family and work comitments. So my view is that the Domino would increase my output fairly significantly, without comprimising the build quality too much - I notice that many quite decent projects in magazines are put together using the Domino.

Most of my work is in solid wood, and the nature of the beast means that I use stock at around 20mm thick, so if I go for the Domino, should I go for 6mm dominos as a standard size, or even 8mm - before anybody mentions it, my budget wont stretch to the whole set of cutters and dominoes (yet :roll: )

I'm teetering on the edge at the moment, so comments either way would be welcome.

Cheers

Aled

P.S. this will (or possibly wont be) my first Festool purchase, so please be kind. I here that the Festool slope is just as slippery as the Handplane slope :wink: :roll:

 

[Mr Ed]

and here was me thinking you were a handtool man... :roll:

Actually I'm sure they're very good, but just think was you could spend £500 on if you were buying handtools...

Cheers, Ed

 

[Aled Dafis]

Very true Ed. Hand tools are by first love, but to justify more, I need to keep my financial controller/eye roller/nagging wife, happy, hence the need to increase my output. :wink:

Aled

 

[dellpitch]

Purchased mine approx. 4 weeks ago primarily to make kitchen carcasses.

I use 18mm blockboard with 8mm domino's & so far am very pleased with the results.

Speed/accuracy compared to a biscuit jointer have to be seen to be believed.

Go for it, I just think that you will use it more & more as I know I will.

Dellpitch

 

[JonnyD]

I have had the domino for a couple of years now. I use the 5mm dominos mostly for carcase work in MDF and MFC. For solid timber i tend to use the 8mm Dominos. The 5mm will be too small for some applications but you get the cutter with the machine so it makes sense to use it. So 5 and 8mm cutters should be a good comprimise.

jon

 

[Aled Dafis]

Thanks for your comments guys.

Also, is milling your own dominoes a viable option, or just not worth the bother?


Aled

 

[dellpitch]

I would say not worth the bother!


Dellpitch [/i]

 

[JonnyD]

In my opinion its not worthwhile milling your own dominos unless you have loads of spare time. The ones you buy are very accurate and have the grooves for the glue.

 

[Aled Dafis]

Yeh! That's what I thougt.

 

[wizer]

I have seriously hovered over the button a few times. The price always puts me off. For the full kit, including a set of dominos, costs more than my TS. That said, the typical response from those who took the plunge is that they were very happy with it and it 'paid for itself'.

If you have the spare cash in this climate and this close to xmas... go for it, and post lots of pics to make us jealous!

 

[Waka]

My wife bought me the Domino a few weeks ago, I've not had the opportunity to use it yet.

While I think that it has a place in the workshop as does the biscuit jointer, it is not always the case that it replaces the M&T.

With my tool cabinet project I consulted with Steve Maskery who I think is the Festool guru, as to whether I could use domino's in place of M&T's for the main carcus. Although we both thought that they would be adequate, in the end we both felt that M&T's (because of the size) would be the better option.

My advice would be get it if you can.

 

[Aled Dafis]

Waka

You really do have too many droolworthy tools; a few weeks without trying it out!! are you mad man? If you feel the need of getting rid of some of your lovely planes, so you have more time on your hands, just let me know.

As you say, the Domino will never totally replace M+T's, but for small items such as smaller tables, cabinets and other items of furniture, I can really see a place for it in my workshop. On the other hand I'd never use it for something more substantial like a dining table.

What are your views on using the Domino for assembling cabinet doors as Kevin Lee has done in this month's F+C magazine?

Cheers

Aled

 

[Paul Chapman]

What are your views on using the Domino for assembling cabinet doors as Kevin Lee has done in this month's F+C magazine?

I've recently bought one (second-hand - couldn't afford a new one) and think they are great. I've previously used loose tenons a lot and had made the mortices with a router but the Domino is far less of a faff.

I reckon Kevin Ley's stuff is a good example of Domino use. The only limiting factor is size - you wouldn't use a Domino if you were making a back door but for much cabinet work it's perfect. For the sort of doors Kevin Ley was using it on, I reckon it's probably more accurate than a mortice and tenon because you could plane the door rails on the shooting board and get a better fit. They do an accessory for holding the wood when making the slot in the end of the rail which is excellent and well worth getting.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Aled Dafis]

I reckon Kevin Ley's stuff is a good example of Domino use. The only limiting factor is size - you wouldn't use a Domino if you were making a back door but for much cabinet work it's perfect. For the sort of doors Kevin Ley was using it on, I reckon it's probably more accurate than a mortice and tenon because you could plane the door rails on the shooting board and get a better fit.

One of my reasons for considering this kit is the accuracy it offers.

It looks more and more likely that a purchase is imminent. :roll:

Back to the point of Domino sizing, does anybody have any more advice?

(how do I get it to say "Paul Capman wrote:" when i quote members replies?)

 

[Paul Chapman]

Back to the point of Domino sizing, does anybody have any more advice?

(how do I get it to say "Paul Capman wrote:" when i quote members replies?)

Like that :lol:

I think Steve Maskery wrote a piece about making your own Dominos - maybe he'll post a link because I dunno when it was. If it's a choice between getting more cutters or more Dominos, I think I would go for more cutters and have a go a making the Dominos. I used to make my own loose tenons - it's not difficult, only time-consuming. The trouble with having an incomplete range of cutters is that you'll always need the one you haven't got.

I have a complete set of Dominos and cutters. When my Dominos run out, I'll probably make them as I doubt I'll be able to afford to buy them.

To get the "Paul Chapman wrote" leave that bit in from the original post.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Aled Dafis]

To get the "Paul Chapman wrote" leave that bit in from the original post

Got it, thanks.

By the way, how on earth did you manage to get your hands on a second hand Domino? I thought they were as rare as rocking horse droppings.

 

[Paul Chapman]

By the way, how on earth did you manage to get your hands on a second hand Domino? I thought they were as rare as rocking horse droppings.

Just a bit of good luck. I happened to know the bloke who was selling it so I knew it was good - I wouldn't normally touch second-hand power tools.

I'm mainly a hand-tool person (don't have any machinery) and the Domino is the only power tool I've got excited about in recent years. The loose tenon is one of the most useful of woodworking joints in my view and the Domino is the perfect tool for cutting the slots - the dogs whatsits 8)

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Escudo]

Forgive me fellas but I got mine via the ebay and utilized a 20% discount voucher I was kindly awarded.

My middle name is "lucky" you know.

T

 

[Aled Dafis]

Jammy git!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[Steve Maskery]

Festool Domio. Fantastic bit of kit, within its limits.

Great for a wide range of furniture-making applications, not so suitable for architectural woodwork (although I have very successfully made a set of replacement window sashes with them).

You only need to ask yourself one question:
"Would I make this piece with trad tenons that are just 28mm long?"
For many pieces, the answer is "Yes", in which case the Domino is the tool to use. If the answer is "No" the either use loose tenons cut with a router that that will give you a greater depth of cut or use trad M&T.

As to making your own, I'd recommend making stock up in stick form and cutting it off as you need it. It's not quite as good as the manufactured ones (no glue grooves) but it's fine for many applications and is easier and tidier to store than bags of loose Doms. I have to say I don't remember writing about doing that though! Must be getting old...

Of course if you are looking for the world's best trad tenon jig then I finished filming this evening.....

I fail to see how anyone could be disappointed with the Domino, provided they educated themselves about exactly for what it was and was not suitable.

Finally I should point out that mine is an ex-Festool pre-production model for which I've never had to pay. It was in exchange for loads of Festool prominence in my Workshop Essentials DVDs. I think it's called "Product Placement". One of the privileges of being Steve Maskery, International Woodworking Superstar, I guess. I'm not complaining, but you need to judge the level of my impartiality, that's all. It's well recorded here.

Cheers
Steve