Replies

1. 
   esch5995 | Jul 19, 2022 11:23pm | #1

   Although biscuit jointers have their place for alignment and other light duty tasks and I still occasionally breakout my Porter Cable if you want a truly easy way to get the strength of a mortise and tenon joint there is only one answer but it comes at a cost and that's a Domino.

2. 
   rob_ss | Jul 20, 2022 03:43am | #2

   I have a biscuit jointer and use it often for alignment.
   If I could have only one, it would be the Domino.
   If I bought a Domino, I would probably still use my biscuit jointer. Biscuits are cheap.

3. 
   eddo234 | Jul 20, 2022 09:19am | #3

   I think I paid $600-700 for my Lamello Top back in the 80s. It definitely was the most expensive non-stationary tool I owned, and it did a great job, it was very precise. Sometime in the late 80s a contractor I did work for came into my shop with his brand new Porter Cable model. He bragged about how it cost half of mine. We compared them and the PC made very loose slots and the fence wouldn’t stay locked. You get what you pay for. Later models, like the Dewalt, are better, and are less expensive than the $1,300+ Lamello Top 21. Which brings me to the Domino; the DF500 is $1,000, the DF700 is $1,500+, much pricier than a Dewalt biscuit joiner (the Dewalt is $170-300, depending on model), but cheaper than a high quality Lamello. I have the DF700 with the adapter for small cutters for the most versatility, at a cost, but I would never go back to a biscuit jointer, for anything, even simple panel alignment. As for the price of the tenons, I, like many people, make my own. I plane the wood to match the cutter, and depending on what kind of joint I’m using them for I either leave the 90° edges or run them through the shaper with a corner round cutter. I do a big batch at once from scrap, and store them in long lengths until needed. Cheap and easy, you can’t do that with biscuits. One last thing, read all the tests of the strength of biscuits, unlike a Domino’s tenons, they don’t add any.

4. 
   user-3395150 | Jul 20, 2022 10:01am | #4

   There are a number of jigs you can make to do mortises with a router. As a home hobbyist, I can't justify the cost of a domino.

   I do have a biscuit joiner and it's handy. It doesn't get a ton of use, but it's nice to have for medium to light duty jointery.

5. 
   _mj_ | Jul 20, 2022 12:24pm | #5

   Domino. Better, faster, stronger. Easier glueups with no slop. A fave move is to carefully align one domino with the slots cut for zero clearance and dry fit. If the side to side alignment is perfect I can put in the others with one side cut wider, if it's not I try again until I have one perfect and just widen the other attempts. No more worry about side-to-side alignment.

6. 
   galturner | Jul 21, 2022 07:04am | #6

   I love my domino. But if $$ is your concern, look at Rockler's jig for M&T. 1/10th the price and makes great M&Ts. Just takes a few minutes more to produce.

7. 
   stantheman | Jul 21, 2022 08:14am | #7

   Well if you find a Domino at an estate sale cheap, then by all means buy it. But you probably wont. Thats a high-end tool (for me) that wouldn't be worth buying new for the low-end hobby woodworking I do. They have a different purpose than a biscuit joiner. I use biscuits for panel glue-ups (alignment as was mentioned above) and maybe reinforcing small joints. But they're not a substitute for the mortise-tenon joints used in larger furniture, for which a domino can be. Now, if money is not a problem, go for it.

8. 
   ysu65 | Jul 21, 2022 09:09am | #8

   First of all, I use M & T joints for things like table legs to apron joints. I use biscuits for things like miter joints on things like chess board frames and small table table tops. The miter joints could be damaged by impact loads by dropping so that is why I use them there, no data to support this.

   Looking at a lot of the videos testing joint strength several observations:

   Single point data. Multiple samples should be tested at each condition.

   Different joint configurations. I used biscuits to attach a support to a apron for a floating top, that is end grain to side grain,. Failure here would be shear at the interface.

   Accurate measurements should include deformation as well as ultimate strength.

   This may exist, I just did not spend a lot of time looking for it. So far the only joint failure I have had is insufficient glue in a M & T joint, my error.