Domino & RO150...Priceless

[Flowboy]

Hi all,

I made a box with an inlayed lid. Burmese Padauk and Sydney Blue Gum
I used PTM's collar (suitable for Dominos, frogs and small furry mammals) to dig a 6mmx6mm trough for inlay in the lid. Pic 2 shows this. I know the inlay could be better, but the trough is true and very usable. I used no stops as the graduations on the plate show you exactly where you are.
The first pic shows the top after sanding with the RO150. I have used no Triple E or other aid. This is how it comes out after sanding to 600g, oiling and sanding through to 2000. In this case however, I used 600 and 800 grit then changed to a 1000 "grit" Rubin 2 pad followed by a 2000 Rubin 2. As far as I can tell I get a smoother sleaner finish with better shine than I have had before.

Just thought I'd let you all know.

Regards,

The Scarecrow (If I only had a brain)

[Auld Bassoon]

Looks good Rob.

I know that the tool's graduations are accurate, but it's my eyes that I don't trust - so methinks I would have used stops.

I note that you didn't mitre the inlay Tch Tch! :D

[Flowboy]

Hi Steve,

First, the fact that I didn't mitre the inlay causes me more upset than I can tell you. Really!! Definitely thenext one.

Using the Domino for inlays is a very easy process. I have learned that you need to overlap the cuts as you go to ensure no missed spots and to ensure a flat base to the trough. Because you can be so certain of the cut, you can remove the domino and see where you are, then cut further accordingly. Use the widest cut for the bulk of the work, but go back to the narrow cut for the ends. When I had finished, I had only minimal chisel work to square the corners, a matter of mg's of material. I still wish I had mitred the inlays though, it causes me grief. (Just so as you know, my credo has been "Excellence is expected, perfection the aim", maybe thats why I've had 6 nervous breakdowns!)

In angst,

Rob (or one of the others living here)

[Auld Bassoon]

:D :D Rob,

It WAS an experiment eh?

Cheers!

[Powertoolman]

Hi Rob,
You really DO sleep with die Frau Domino, don't you? :eek: This is a pretty innovative use of the Domino. :cool:

I noticed that you said to use the largest sweep setting for most of the cut, and drop down to the narrow setting toward the ends. As long as you are overlapping your cuts it shouldn't be that important, but because the mortising bit sweeps in an arc pattern, you may get better results with the smallest sweep pattern for the whole cut. This will minimize the "scallops" in the bottom of the dado.

By the way, thanks for the PM. As I already told you, I find your uses of the Domino to be of great interest to me. Keep it up, this is great stuff!

PTM

[Flowboy]

Hi PTM,

Thanks.
You are correct about using the narrow cut for the entire job, but I am thinking in terms of maybe longer cuts. Overlapping does seem to help with the scalloping, but I think I'll go back to single width for the whole job. The anount of clean up at the corners is so small and by being careful, its very hard to go too far with the cut. It's still quicker and cleaner than setting up a router. You can see now why 3 and 4mm cutters would be such an asset.

Regards,

Rob

[Flowboy]

Hi all,
A couple more things about inlay cutting. PTM is definitely right about using the narrowest cut. The pedulum swing on the wider cuts, I think, can increase the risk of tearout in brittle or swirly grain timbers. The low speed of the domino seems to help, but its still a problem. The other thing is, it may be worth (if everyone isn't already doing this and I'm the last to know) scribing a line at the top (since this seems to be where the damage occurs) of the proposed trough prior to dominating.

Regards,

Rob