Thread: DIY Furniture: Dowelmax or Festool Domino?

Originally Posted by US-Oz

You have more confidence in these parts than I do. I've had to replace such parts on a Dewalt and a Bosch tool, but maybe Festool is the exception.


I'm still looking for where they say you need to use expensive high quality dowels with the Dowelmax. Do you have a page on their website where it says this? Thanks. And do you have a link to where it shows how to make these odd looking dowels for the Domino "easily"? Thanks again.

Quote from dowelmax...
The Dowelmax is designed for use with any high
quality standard 3/8 or 1/4 inch dowels. Expansible
Dowel Pins are available from major woodworking
stores in the US and from Dowelmax, and have the
additional advantage of being made .005" oversize
and then compressed. The expansible dowel pins go
in snug, and then expand in the joint, back to their
original size, to lock in solid for a superior connection
that will not shrink or loosen over time. In over 30
years of woodworking, and 5 years of visiting tradeshows and furniture manufacturers with Dowelmax,
we have not seen a better joint than can be made with the Dowelmax and the Expansible Dowel Pins."

Believe me there are dowels and there are dowels!

Comparing Bocsh and Dewalt to Festool is comparing a common falcodoor to a S class Mercedes... or in woodys terms Kunz to LV or LN

Originally Posted by US-Oz

Well, sometimes being provocative is the best way to get people to defend a product, and then you find out things about it.

Originally Posted by US-Oz

Considering that the Dowelmax and Domino do comparable jobs at vastly different prices, the enthusiasm here for the Domino is a tribute to the Festool marketing department.

Originally Posted by US-Oz

So anyway, I was searching for a thread here about making Domino tenons/dowels and instead turned up some offputting stuff, namely:

Inconsistent slot heights
http://woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=68993

Faulty springs (in such an expensive tool, kinda shocking, where's the famous Hun QA?):
http://woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=36288

The Domino: "I am absolutely sick of this tool":
http://woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=51705

2 domino joints failing on one table:
http://woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=52984

Ron,

Do you mean to say that you believe these were all made in the spirit of good fun? Of real comparison? There are 4,897 (give or take a thousand ) positive posts about the Domino on here but he links to 4 negative ones.

And implies we only bought a Domi because we were duped by the Festo marketing department.

Plus a gratuitous cross-post in another thread.

And admits he is deliberately being provocative.

And then you say we are taking it personally? Of course we are! As it was meant.

US-Oz,

The Dowelmax is a fine jig, I've nothing against it. Buy it by all means. Buy 2. Buy 10. But don't come round pretending you want to do a comparison when your mind is made up. If you are going to go trolling, you should expect a bite or two, and not always only on the bait.

Originally Posted by ian

I've gone back to the link in your original post. The front page shows a piece with 60 joints (though I count at least 90) at 5 minutes per joint, that's 5 hours of joint making ! or 7.5 hours (if there's really 90 joints)

We're not looking at the same China Cabinet, then. Don't forget, each Dowelmax joint involves up to 5 dowels. So 5min = 5 dowels. I can barely see 40 joints on that picture.

The sort of speed you are talking about is useful if you're doing this commercially, as I said in my first post.

Originally Posted by Honorary Bloke

So, you admit that you are not really comparing the two, you are just on a Festool whinge? You won't buy a Domino because they are too expensive in OZ. This is a bit different reasoning than your first post would indicate.

I don't need the psychoanalysis thanks. Is there a reason for resorting so quickly to ad hominems? Are you affronted that I impugned your favorite tool? There, there, steady on, fellow.

I mentioned that I thought the Festool was overpriced here. It is, that's a simple fact. It prejudices me against it. It's a negative, as I said in my very first post, where I mentioned the cost.

US-Oz, trolling really does not become your age

Originally Posted by Harry72

Quote from dowelmax...
The Dowelmax is designed for use with any high
quality standard 3/8 or 1/4 inch dowels.

Harry, the words "high quality" are used in relation to absolutely everything on the Dowelmax website. Didn't you notice? I actually called them after your post and they say it works with any reputable brand of dowel.

So there we have it, no need to buy overpriced proprietary dowel/tenons or try to make them yourself. Advantage Dowelmax.

Originally Posted by Honorary Bloke

But don't come round pretending you want to do a comparison when your mind is made up. If you are going to go trolling, you should expect a bite or two, and not always only on the bait.

I actually didn't get many comparisons at all, so I hung some bait out, and instead of getting slam dunks for the Dom. and against the DM, I got a few weak arguments that tend to reinforce my prejudices.

And I don't mind some sniping. That always happens when you make comments that imply someone may not have made the best purchase decision.

Originally Posted by US-Oz

This video would seem to suggest otherwise:
YouTube - Domino Edge Joining

Hardly an ideal sound track to judge it by. Camcorders have notoriously bad mic's that pic up on mid/high frequency's.

Have you ever heard a festool vac, they would be the quietest on the market, in that clip the domi is not very much louder...

Hurrah for your side!

Hmmm . . . I believe we may be approaching the Use By date on this thread.

Yup, if that's all there is, I'll go with the Dowelmax. In fact I'll buy a few of them, and if anyone in Perth wants one without the shipping wait/uncertainty, contact me by PM.

Originally Posted by US-Oz

Harry, the words "high quality" are used in relation to absolutely everything on the Dowelmax website. Didn't you notice? I actually called them after your post and they say it works with any reputable brand of dowel.

So there we have it, no need to buy overpriced proprietary dowel/tenons or try to make them yourself. Advantage Dowelmax.

I didnt say you needed to buy dowels from dowelmax!!!!
I said you need good quality dowels not cheap crap.


Just buy the dowelmax mate and be happy

Harry

have a look at US-Oz's other posts

I did Ian..... enough said
les

Back to some of the technical issues.

Dowels. There are a special dowel, available in US and Canada, which are said to be the absolute best. They are only available in imperial sizes, so I've never used them. I've been using hardware-store Haron dowels for years, possibly throw out 2-3 per pack, and never had a problem using them.

Shipping. I've placed two orders with Dowelmax - my original jig purchase, and later purchase of the 8mm guides I should have ordered in the first place - and both arrived on my doorstep within 5 days.

Time: I've got no doubt that a Dowelmax is slower than a Domino. Especially for me, because I drill my holes with a brace.