Festool DOMINO – a user’s perspective
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Picked up a DOMINO (along with the accessories) middle of
April and have been exploring and playing with it. I’ve done
mortises with chisel and mallet (Jim Wilson’s mortising chisels
are BEASTS), a dedicated chisel and bit (General Intl 75-075M –
the one with the tilting head and XY table), cut them on a router
table with the JoinTech Cabinet Maker System, made my own
router mortising jig which uses the MicroFence on the router for
VERY precise bit locating, had and used the TREND M&T JIG
(when I got the DOMINO I gave the TREND M&T JIG, with all the
“accessories”, to a woodworker with more passion for
woodworking than money for tools) and have and have used
the mortising function of my Robland X31 combi – with the XYZ
table. I also looked very carefully at the Leigh FMT.
With the exception of doing BIG, DEEP mortises – ie workbench
sized stuff – the DOMINO is what I’ve been searching for when
it comes to doing furniture scale loose tenon – mortise and
tenon joinery. It gives you the speed of a biscuit joiner with
the strength and aligning accuracy of a mortising jig – AND
it weighs only 7 pounds. Did I mention that it makes it EASY
to cut mortises in the end grain of LONG parts – without
having to get you – and a jig – and a router – and some clamps
– up on a ladder?
Dream come true? YUP! – except that it’s ALL metric. That
is taking some time to get to know. (25.4mm / Inch, 1mm is
darn close to 1/32″)
Anyway – I’ve put together a bunch of stuff about the DOMINO
on my WWing site – no pop ups, no adds, no cookies, no
java scripts – none of that. OH – and I have no connection
financial or otherwise with Festool or any of their dealers –
I paid the ‘introductory price” out of MY pocket . That came
to $1,000.50 with tax, license, dealer prep, undercoating
AND special floor mats)
http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/DOMINO/DOMINO_TableOfContent.html
Comments, questions, constructive critcism welcomed.
charlie b
Replies
Hey Charlie:
Just a few comments.
1. Thanks for the review on the domino. Mine is already ordered and, while I knew most of what you wrote about it already, it just solidified my opinion that it is a great machine to easy M and T joinery. I like speed, accuracy, and technology. The domino provides all of that.
2. My son is not far from you: Stanford getting a doctorate in chemistry. I am about as far from you as one can get in the US. Massachusetts.
3. I would never claim to have a clean shop but I cannot work in clutter. Makes me crazy when I can't find the tool I am looking for. So I pick up every couple of days.
4. We are about the same age but I am not retired. As much as I love woodworking, I love practicing law more. Will do both as long as possible. No rush like being in a courtroom arguing or trying a case. PMM
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