festool domino

[jimmykx250]

Just looking for some opinoins on the domino. I have an older dewalt 18v cordless biscuit joiner that i love but the slots seem slightly oversized and that leaves a little to be desired on panel glue ups. Does this thing perform as well as I think the name leads you to believe? Are the joints stronger than biscuits?

[Rutabagared]

Just looking for some opinoins on the domino. I have an older dewalt 18v cordless biscuit joiner that i love but the slots seem slightly oversized and that leaves a little to be desired on panel glue ups. Does this thing perform as well as I think the name leads you to believe? Are the joints stronger than biscuits?

jimmykx250,

I had the same questions as you prior to my purchase, and I labored over the purchase due to the price. I've had the domino for a bit more than a year now and can say that it's lived up to the hype for me. It works exactly as advertised. It is very precise and, therefore, can be used for alignment purposes (unlike my biscuit joiner). You can assemble carcasses, doors, aprons to legs, etc. ridiculously quickly and easily compared to traditional m&t joints.

There is a very small learning curve mostly related to plunge speed. That said, I was making precise joints within minutes of using it. However, I recommend making a couple of practice cuts when you're working with a new species for the first time, as well as end grain vs. long grain cuts.

I used to make loose tenon joinery with a router, which brings me to the next point - dust collection. Dust collection with the domino is extremely effective when using a vacuum. Virtually no dust escapes, especially important given the ever-increasing evidence linking health issues to wood dust and the fact that my shop used to be in the basement - (I say "happy wife, happy life").

The bits also last a long time. I have hundreds of cuts on some bits with no appreciable signs of wear. I believe Festool claims that you can get several thousand cuts before resharpening/replacement (depending on end grain vs. long grain).

When you consider the tools it can replace (mortiser, tenoning jig, router/router bits) and factor in time saved, the cost isn't such a shocker. Be aware that you will need to budget for dominos and extra cutters if you want to make the various sizes of joints. I believe there is a package deal with all available cutters and many of the dominos for around $250.

Festool also has a forum, the Festool Owners Group. You can find a wealth of information there about the Domino. The members are friendly and helpful.

Festool has a 30-day money back guarantee. You can return a tool within 30 days for a full refund - no questions asked. Give it a go!

Good luck!

Joe

[jimmykx250]

jimmykx250,

I had the same questions as you prior to my purchase, and I labored over the purchase due to the price. I've had the domino for a bit more than a year now and can say that it's lived up to the hype for me. It works exactly as advertised. It is very precise and, therefore, can be used for alignment purposes (unlike my biscuit joiner). You can assemble carcasses, doors, aprons to legs, etc. ridiculously quickly and easily compared to traditional m&t joints.

There is a very small learning curve mostly related to plunge speed. That said, I was making precise joints within minutes of using it. However, I recommend making a couple of practice cuts when you're working with a new species for the first time, as well as end grain vs. long grain cuts.

I used to make loose tenon joinery with a router, which brings me to the next point - dust collection. Dust collection with the domino is extremely effective when using a vacuum. Virtually no dust escapes, especially important given the ever-increasing evidence linking health issues to wood dust and the fact that my shop used to be in the basement - (I say "happy wife, happy life").

The bits also last a long time. I have hundreds of cuts on some bits with no appreciable signs of wear. I believe Festool claims that you can get several thousand cuts before resharpening/replacement (depending on end grain vs. long grain).

When you consider the tools it can replace (mortiser, tenoning jig, router/router bits) and factor in time saved, the cost isn't such a shocker. Be aware that you will need to budget for dominos and extra cutters if you want to make the various sizes of joints. I believe there is a package deal with all available cutters and many of the dominos for around $250.

Festool also has a forum, the Festool Owners Group. You can find a wealth of information there about the Domino. The members are friendly and helpful.

Festool has a 30-day money back guarantee. You can return a tool within 30 days for a full refund - no questions asked. Give it a go!

Good luck!

Joe

Thanks for the opinoin Joe- Im looking into the festool forum.

[Ben H]

One day soon, I will purchase the Domino.

[PaulMarcel]

The price tag is a big speed bump before an autobahn. I don't know of anybody who finally bought it then regretted it one bit.

Joe's reply was fantastic.

The Domino set plus the Domino tenon+cutters Systainer assortment runs something like $1,000 new now. You will seriously love it though. Worse case? return it after 30 days. If you change your mind 2 years from now, you could eBay it for 10% off new... if a couple price increases happen along the way, "10% off new" might be just what you paid

I made a bench with a top that pivots for a miter saw back in May. I blogged about it here if you're curious. I added a comment afterward, though, that's relevant here:

While it doesn't belong in the posting per-se, I thought it interesting to mention how I built the stand. I ripped and crosscut all the pieces to the point where they just needed Domino mortises and glue-up. I was streaming that day and someone asked how much faster the Domino was to, say, using a router.

I'm really good with a Domino (and there is a learning curve to get the most out of it) and even better with those narrow-stock spacers I blogged about long ago.

I mortised, glued and fully assembled this stand in 27 minutes. I timed it. Not a single pencil mark to denote alignment ; all done with the spacers.

Naturally, I was working the clock cuz that was part of the challenge and it was just shop furniture. That said, it would have taken 5 seconds less had I not made 1 extra oops mortise

[montec24]

The Domino is awesome! It's overkill if all your going to use it for is panel glue ups, although it works way better than a biscuit joiner. If you have other uses for loose tenons then it's the way to go, much quicker than any other way I can think of. I have built quite a few radiator covers that have slats in them, usually around 1/4" thick by 1 1/2 wide. It used to be a pain doing the mortises for the slats, not any more! I use the domino and then make the slats to fit the slots. I can make the slots as wide as I need and am not limited to the width of the domino. Just like all Festtool tools it's well engineered, easy to use, easy to change bits etc. My only issue with it is that its all in metric. I know the metric system is probably easier but Ive been doing without it for 46 years and am to stubborn to learn it!

Dana

[BillN]

As a hobbyist, the Domino seemed awfully pricey, but I have ideas of what I want to create and making M&T joints by hand would simply absorb all my time and frustrate me. The problem is that sometimes there is no subsitute for an M&T joint. I picked up the Domino about 2 years ago and have never looked back. I have thought up and made cabinets, desks, planters, bookcases, and big and small tables with the Domino. The dining room table I made for my daughter would have cost over $2,000 if I had bought it. The wood, QSWO, was a little north of $500.00 and now she and her husband have a table that should last for generations. I am now working on dining room chairs (very vexing). The two pieces of advice I can give are to slow down when doing the plunge. It should be slow and deliberate. I always make sure that nothing but the plunge mechanism can move. The other piece of advice is to never try to put a Domino anywhere near a screw - did it - kissed that bit goodbye!

As to metric, I'm a believer. I bought a Kreg marker that has metric on one side and English on the other - makes it easy to translate. I also picked up a tape with metric on one side, English on the other. If there's any math involved I use the metric. I hate dividing 47&7/8s by 5! Knowing that the center of the Domino mortise (no matter which bit) is exactly 10mm up from the base plate makes it easy to hit the center everytime.

So anyway, take the plunge if you can swing it. You won't regret it.

[Domer]

I also bought the Domono around two years ago. It is a great tool and reduces the time to make things by a huge amount. Because you take the tool to the wood, it is easy to use on large or long pieces of wood where it would be hard to use any other tool.

I have made a buffet, morris chair, kitchen island, bar stools, china cabinet, dining room chairs, plus several children's furniture in the past several years. I doubt I would have made half this stuff without the Domino. It is that much faster and easier to use plus it is plenty strong.

The savings over buying all of this furniture is way more than the cost of the Domino. Would I have bought all of this furniture, probably not but I have had hours and hours of pleasant time in the shop making things that I love to do. It is way cheaper than golf or many other hobbies.

My wife loves the dust control. So since then I have also bought the Random Orbit Sander and Track Saw. All great tools.

Like most of the other posters, the initial price shock was a little difficult to overcome but I have never wished I had not bought it nor have I ever read anyone else being disappointed that they bought one.

Domer

[CraftyLady]

I saw the domino used for the first time on a vid on The Wood Whisperer site where he was making a trestle table. I hate cutting mortise and tenons so this looked way better. Seeing it in action on Marc's vid sold me. I've added that to my wish list