Thread: Domino Stop Pins

The jury is out for me on this one. I do notice though that reviews such as this make special mention and include a photo / diagram of the pins with the accompanying text:

The photo on the left is looking at the business end of the Domino. Notice two spring loaded guide pins (left pic, red arrows). These pins can be used to index the Domino off a mortise or the edge of the work. Apparently there can be some slight variation where the distance between one pin and the center of the mortise is slightly different from the other, probably caused by tolerances in the swivel mechanism for the bit. If you notice that this is the case the left hand pin (on the right as you look at the front of the Domino) can be adjusted slightly. There is an eccentricity adjustment on that pin (see photo at right) which can be adjusted to achieve equal distance of the two pins to center.

Ref: Online Tool Reviews

I suppose the question is can the tabs be micro adjusted as described above for the pins? It's probably only fair to list the limitations that the tabs cause and let buyers decide.


As I see it (and I don't own one so can't really comment):

• tabs pose a problem with small mortises
• prevent multiple mortises by registering off the previous mortise (rather than measuring)
• may not be able to be micro adjusted (someone please correct if this is wrong).

Originally Posted by mat

Rodney

Is it too late to take back. Maybe you can find a stockist with "old stock"

If you are really keen to have the original system another possibility is to buy a "spare part" base with the old system.

I sent an e-mail to Ideal Tools and Anthony offered to replace the machine with one that he has that does have the pins. This offer was made based on just asking about the difference, good to deal with a company that understands customer service, I certainly will be dealing with them in the future.

Have been using the domino to make a large box for my sisters day care and other than the demo I mentioned earlier I don't think it will make any difference. However would like to hear from Festool as to why?

In relation to comparing this machine to a biscuit, once you put in a few loose tenons you start to appreciate this is a completely different system and being German it is extremely precise.

Rodney, Dumb yank question, but can you remove these plastic pins and leave them off. I have the unit with the steel pins and to tell you the truth, for the work I do, I rarely use them and they just get in the way.

I was hoping the pins could be removed so maybe when/if that new unit hits the states, I can pick one up.

It would be like having the best of both worlds, with pins and without...

Originally Posted by Tooljunkieyank

Rodney, Dumb yank question, but can you remove these plastic pins and leave them off. I have the unit with the steel pins and to tell you the truth, for the work I do, I rarely use them and they just get in the way.

I was hoping the pins could be removed so maybe when/if that new unit hits the states, I can pick one up.

It would be like having the best of both worlds, with pins and without...

The Domino tabs can easily be easily removed with a 2mm allen key, a "spare set" comes with the kit. I say spare because in the manual these are mentioned as having a finer clearance than the two that come fitted.

How come you want to remove them, they tuck away into the base when you push against the surface of the wood?

Rodney, Most of the work I do with the Domino I use pencil marks and the horizontal gauge. Its rare I use the guide pins...

If anyones interested F&K Tools in Sydney still have Dominoes with the original pins in stock

PS My only association with F&K is that I've spent a lot of Money there including buying My Domino.

Yes, the new Guide Stop Dogs can be disabled without needing to remove them, which risks losing the parts. Instead of removing the position limiting setscrew for removing the dog, you tighten the setscrew, and there is a detent in the aluminum body where the setscrew will lock the dog in the retracted position.

Originally Posted by Tooljunkieyank

Rodney, Dumb yank question, but can you remove these plastic pins and leave them off. I have the unit with the steel pins and to tell you the truth, for the work I do, I rarely use them and they just get in the way.

I was hoping the pins could be removed so maybe when/if that new unit hits the states, I can pick one up.

It would be like having the best of both worlds, with pins and without...

Originally Posted by Powertoolman

Yes, the new Guide Stop Dogs can be disabled without needing to remove them, which risks losing the parts. Instead of removing the position limiting setscrew for removing the dog, you tighten the setscrew, and there is a detent in the aluminum body where the setscrew will lock the dog in the retracted position.

Thank you for the info...

Just checked my new Domino - happy dance, its got the pins. I bought it from Carbatec in June, just haven't managed to set up a vacuum hose that fits yet.

Well,
I'm not sure that Festo have removed the pins due to patent rights. Freud have release a doweller in a biscuiter style (almost a domino but with 2 drill bits). This machine has stop pins just like the original Domino machine. Just wonder why Festo made the change???
I do like my Domino with the pins though (even if they are not always used).
Les

There are several reasons why Festool made the change, but a potential patent issue is only a minor part. Now that I have both the new fence with stop dogs and the old fence with pins, I am beginning to like the dogs more than the pins.

My biggest complaint with the pins is that they would push the Domino fence away from the workpiece, and this is one of the official reasons for the change. The dogs were specifically designed to retract permanently, and this is something that you cannot do with the pins.

When I first heard of this design change (here on this forum) my first reaction was that you couldn't use them to register from an adjacent mortise slot. Well, not only have I learned that this was one of the official reasons for the change, but after further thought, I realized that I would never register to another mortise slot this close in the first place.

The new dogs could have been designed to catch on an adjacent mortise, but that is actually what Festool was changing the design to avoid. Woodworkers were complaining that as they moved down a series of mortises, the Domino was inadvertently catching on previous slots. Think about it. How often have you wanted to put mortises just a few mm apart?

Unlike most people, I have the luxury of being able to choose which fence I use with my Domino, but after giving this some more thought, my preference is starting to side with the newer dogs.

The information I received from Festool put the new 'flipper' stops in terms of an upgrade, to overcome the inadvertent dropping into mortices as well as avoiding issues where users have glued their pins in and cannot free them again.

I don't know if anyone has noticed, the new sight glass on the fence is now deeper and comes much closer to the edge of the workpiece, eliminating the previous need for long scribe lines. This was also part of the fence upgrade.

Also, the 'spare' stops are not really spares in case the fitted ones wear out, but 0.15mm narrower and you substitute them (L or R) for the fitted ones to centre the bit to the stops. What the eccentric pin adjustment did on the earlier version.

PTM and Anthony,
thanks for clearing this up for me. Although I have not yet experienced the inadvertent dropping into mortices, HOW can I remove the pins to prevent this in future?
Regards
Les

Originally Posted by lesmeyer

PTM and Anthony,
thanks for clearing this up for me. Although I have not yet experienced the inadvertent dropping into mortices, HOW can I remove the pins to prevent this in future?
Regards
Les

Hi Les.

I think that is the problem. If I recall correctly there is a hole at the back of the pins to help push out a sticky pin, but total removal is not possible. Which is probably fine for most sticky or glued in pin issues - pushing a sticky pin out from behind and wiping of the glue before it dries. But the new hinged stops can be completely locked in or removed.