Domino 500 - Woodpecker "One-time" Tool?


wouldwurker

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It sort of reminds me of Disney movie marketing when they say on the commercials they're limited run only and eventually gone forever (only to be offered again somewhere down the line). I saw emails for this and "maybe" I could see it for some sort of niche production line of sorts where time is absolutely money, but still, that price is nearly half of the Domino and honestly it seems like a Domiplate would get you most of the way there anyway.

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Domiplate by Seneca is cheaper, simpler and works well. You use 2 thumbscrews to attach it to the bottom of the Domino. It will center a mortice on either 1/2" or 3/4" ply. I use a lot of 5/8 Baltic making drawers and I just added 2 shims made of laminate under the 1/2" side.

The fence on the Domino can shift ever so slightly because it is only clamped on one side in the vertical adjustment.

With the Domiplate you use the machine upside down and it it much easier to line up on a mark. And when you have to plunge into the face of a board you have the face of the (folded up) fence to keep you from tipping out of square.

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I think if they want to come up with a good seller a rail to edge bore panels similar to the LR32 would be useful. I think Festoon would be surprised at just how much they inspired folks to open up small custom cabinet shops that are festoon only over the past few years. I can think of a dozen off the top of my head and all are making a living in garages. The problem is all of them have more money invested in a line boring construction machine than they have invested in their entire shop. All that I know of are die hard 32mm system builders that do mostly frameless and buy their doors and drawer faces along with face frames if used. The domino is not cost effective, has to short of a life span and is not accurate enough to do loads of 32mm cases. I know of one guy that built a cool panel clamping table to use the LR32 but it is to bulky. Im sure festoon could easily come up with something but it would hurt domino sales. Would be nice to see someone like woodpecker come out with something.

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The One-Time Tool concept is baffling to me too. I understand generated scarcity as a marketing ploy but if a tool is good enough and sells well, why in the world would you want to promote the fact that you'll never make it again? Just seems like a really unusual business model.

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My issue with the one-time tools is that they tend to be a bit expensive.  The one or two items I have wanted, by the time I had enough set aside to buy it, it was no longer available.  I usually end up buying something else that meets my needs instead.

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Most of the "one time tools" are possibly going to appeal to a limited audience, so they set up a small batch production run based on the pre ordered number of tools. They usually have a waiting list after it sells out and will make another batch. Sometimes demand is high enough that several sizes are made or it goes into open stock. They usually run a few extras so it doesn't hurt to ask even when it's listed as sold out. I got a second "Paolini pocket rule" in metric after I received my inch one , which was on order for months.

I waited a year and a half to get my 18 x 26" framing square before they ran another batch. It was expensive but it has saved me time and materials by getting my set ups at a perfect 90. Squares the track saw to large panels too.

Some of the things seem extravagant unless you have a specific need. Some seem totally bizarre to me.

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Most of the "one time tools" are possibly going to appeal to a limited audience, so they set up a small batch production run based on the pre ordered number of tools. They usually have a waiting list after it sells out and will make another batch. Sometimes demand is high enough that several sizes are made or it goes into open stock.

 

 

Exactly...   Since they're usually doing CNC runs, the one time concept leaves very little waste.  If it's a door buster, it goes in the catalog.    I think lots of the tools are a little silly, like the $250 corner rounding templates, but it's an interesting marketing concept.  I think the American-made by a small business also adds another angle to the marketing.

 

"Custom for the masses" will probably become bigger and bigger as CNC and 3D printing equipment gets easier and easier to buy.

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  • 5 months later...

The One-Time Tool concept is baffling to me too. I understand generated scarcity as a marketing ploy but if a tool is good enough and sells well, why in the world would you want to promote the fact that you'll never make it again? Just seems like a really unusual business model.

 

It may have as much to do with things internally at Woodpecker as it does marketing. When you're planning to continually produce something, you go about making it differently than something you're simply going to run one time. There's less investment on their end, in terms of tooling, training, and setup. Likewise, they are producing the items in a less efficient way that's going to lead to higher costs. Generally speaking, that's a tough selling the world of manufacturing.

 

The ability of Woodpecker to offer specialized small production tools is probably somewhat dependent on them only running them once.

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Speaking of One Time Tools...anyone going for this little gadget?

 

OneTIME Tool® - Gap Gauge and Mini Gap Gauge

 

It looks nice for setting odd size dado stacks, but I think it'd get such limited use. I did buy the 26" framing square back in January. One day it will arrive and I'll be like what is this package?

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It looks nice for setting odd size dado stacks, but I think it'd get such limited use. I did buy the 26" framing square back in January. One day it will arrive and I'll be like what is this package?

Me too. I always forget about it, except when I need a nice big square and then I wish it would get here tomorrow.

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Me too. I always forget about it, except when I need a nice big square and then I wish it would get here tomorrow.

LOL... when I call WoodPeckers regarding the DF500 thingamajig... I checked and they reminded me I had bought that framing square too... lol

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've bought a Woodpecker Drillpress Table, which i like.  It was the only one i found that was the right size for me.  I've also bought a couple of their one-time tools in the past -- the 26" framing square, and the 12" and 18" carpenters triangles.  I like them and am glad i bought them.  But so far i've resisted the temptation to buy any other one-time tools.

 

Not sure why the 26" framing square is a one-time tool though.  They do a new batch of it every year, so they might just as well keep it in stock.

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