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26th March 2006, 05:53 PM #1
FESTOOL DOMINO Experience - by those who have used one.
Quite a few people have had demonstrations of Festool's new DOMINO jointing system. But few people who own one or have put one to practical use have commented.
So I have set up this thread to encourage anyone who has used or is using the Festool DOMINO to tell us all of their experiences with this new machine/system.
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26th March 2006 05:53 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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29th March 2006, 03:21 AM #2Senior Member
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Domino
Hi Tony,
My dealer gave me one for a demo a full we and i got ( immediately ) convinced that the Domino would help me make money. I work a lot on sites ( custom kitchens ) and i definitely think this tool will help me do the jobs better and certainly faster.
Sad thing, here in Belgium it is already out of stock. Not a single one to be found...
I keep you posted as soon as i get hold of one
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29th March 2006, 07:50 AM #3
Wow! Out of stock already.
If you don't mind me asking, how do you imagine it will help make you money? Obviously some form of increased productivity, but do you have something specific in mind?
It would then be interesting to compare your initial thoughts to you experiences once you get one into action.
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29th March 2006, 11:30 AM #4
Evil Conspiracy by Festool
Now fellas, what's really happened is that everyone has watched the demo's with great interest, handled the tool and thought, "Ooooohh yeah, I'll have me one of these babies!" or similar. Mentally pegged the price at say double a Makita biscuit jointer, mebbe $5-600.
When told "$1200+domino's+bits+outrageous sums for replacement gear" they think, "FFS, I can buy 12 GMc/holiday in NZ/10 old planes/table saw/scms with bells on", and walk away. Well, I did anyway.
Now the marketers at Festool, with 11,500 of these jiggers to sell (note, that's nealry $14m) sitting on the shelf, have told the dealers "let everyone know that theyve sold out", so that us dumb punters think 'The Jones' have one, so I need one too."
Well, it won't work.The only way to get rid of a [Domino] temptation is to yield to it. Oscar Wilde
.....so go4it people!
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29th March 2006, 12:56 PM #5.
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Originally Posted by TassieKiwi
Or a Dewalt biscuit Jointer and enough left over for 24 slabs of VB
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29th March 2006, 05:55 PM #6Senior Member
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Originally Posted by TassieKiwi
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29th March 2006, 06:32 PM #7There was a young boy called Wyatt
Who was awfully quiet
And then one day
He faded away
Because he overused White
Floorsanding in Canberra and Albury.....
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29th March 2006, 06:47 PM #8
Couldnt see the point of that!
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29th March 2006, 07:02 PM #9
In this compensation culture nation formely known as Great Britain Ambulance Chasing lawyers such as Grabbit and Run Ltd have been inundated with claims from Festool Dealers staff. These are actual claims and they make harrowing reading. Best get a hanky, sit down and if it is not too early, pour a stiff one.
" We were building a castle out of Systainers containing our Domino stock when a catch gave way and they all tumbled down. I was concussed and cannot remember the price or how many we have have in stock"
"I was going for a poo when I tripped over a Domino being used as a door stop. I fell on the large price tag and got a black eye"
" My arm was fractured as a customer brushed me aside shouting "...£550 for a wobbly angle grinder. You are taking the urine my man."
No stock, pas de stock, stock niet, keine stock........Bolleaux.
This is a true story by Festool YUK.
"Morning Sir. Come to buy a Domino our new super value tool?"
"I have. And not only is it good value but I fully expect to make loads of dosh as productivity levels will soar and I will churn out more than a thou antique fireplaces each day"
"Really Sir? That is amazing. Would you care for a demo?"
"No need. Wrap it up my good man"
"Ah. Sorry Sir but due to unprecedented demand throughout the civilised World, including Belgium where even Inspector Poirot has bought one, there are none in stock"
"Van Damme! Do you have the Samaritans phone number? Will I ever get a domino and will prices go up from the really good value launch price due to demand?"
"No Sir. You have our word that prices will remain unless World prices of RandD go up which you know forms much of the unit cost of the Domino"
" May God Bless Festool YUK!!!!"
Simou! .......silence when you sopeak to an Officer!
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29th March 2006, 07:14 PM #10.
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Originally Posted by patr
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30th March 2006, 12:51 PM #11Novice
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Anthony from Ideal Tools kindly loaned me a Festool Domino DF500Q Jointer to use for a week. Here are my impressions.
Firstly, I have to say that this is a beautifully engineered tool, typical of Festool products. It is easy to operate and simple to adjust. It has very good dust extraction. The dominos (like loose tenons) come in thicknesses of 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm and there is a separate bit available for each thickness. These bits are easy to change with a small spanner after unlocking the motor body from the frame of the machine. The motor/gearbox assembly slides on 2 finely machined rods and its action is very smooth. The dominos appear to be made of a light coloured hardwood with a pattern embossed onto the flat surface and splines on the rounded edges.
The machine plunges like a biscuit jointer but the bit rotates and oscillates from side to side unlike any other tool I’ve seen. The side to side oscillations look vaguely like a jig saw up-down action and would be about as fast. This oscillation means that you need to hold the tool firmly, especially when making holes in hardwood, or else it will vibrate sufficiently to make a larger hole than required.
The fit of the dominos is quite precise and they can be easily pushed into the holes with your fingers. They are not a press fit like dowels, which typically need to be hammered into their holes. They have a slight slop side to side (about 0.3 mm) which tended to be greater in the hardwood samples I made. This made alignment easier when multiple dominos were used in one joint. However, you may need to be careful aligning the joint while clamping during glue-up as a slight movement is possible due to the dominos not being a press fit. The machine has 2 settings to make wider slots, one 6mm wider and one 10 mm wider than the domino. I felt these were too wide for most applications. I would have liked to see this setting calibrated for +1, +2, +3 mm, etc, instead of the 2 wide settings but it is easy to make a slightly wider hole by simply repositioning the machine to the right or left and re-plunging.
The depth of cut is set in steps from 12 to 28 mm on the side of the machine. As the dominos come in lengths up to 50 mm, this would appear to cover a reasonable range but I wanted to try some joints in 12 mm material and the 12 mm minimum was too deep for those panels. I suppose you could put a shim in front of the machine to reduce the depth, but I would have liked either a variable adjuster or a smaller minimum.
There is a handy plastic slide on the side for setting the jointing height which is marked in thickness of timber from 16 to 40 mm while making the joint in the centre. Alternatively, you can use the infinitely variable scale. There is a fine scale and centre mark on a clear plastic insert just over the cutter which enables the tool to be accurately lined up on a pencil mark where the hole is to go. There are also retractable pins on either side of the cutter for quick registration for cutting a fixed distance away from the side of the material.
I made a number of joints in hardwood, softwood and MDF and they were all easy to make and precise in their fit. It’s certainly easier than dowelling (using jigs which are clamped to the work-pieces) and due to the length of the dominos, the joined pieces are held in position better than biscuits. While these types of joints can be made just as well by a horizontal mortiser, as well as other M & T machines, the Domino is faster and portable. There is also nothing to stop you from making your own loose tenons if you can mill stock to the correct thickness and round over the edges with a router.
Martin.
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30th March 2006, 05:53 PM #12.
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Now Martin you have left out the answer we all want to know.
Are you willing to part with $1200 for it? I have no doubts on the quality and uniqueness of the product, but it is after all just a power tool. If you answer yes id like to see a copy of the recipt
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30th March 2006, 10:16 PM #13Novice
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The project I had in mind for it would not immediately justify the cost, and I already have a horizontal mortiser attached to my combi machine. However, if I didn't have the mortiser, I could see myself buying one. I think price is a more personal decision and one that we get used to by comparison with other available products. For instance, most quality cordless screwdriver/drills cost about $250, but the Panasonic costs closer to $500 and I bought one of those (actually my second - my last Pansonic lasted over 12 years of heavy usage) and I have not regretted it. After buying many tools over my life, I now realise that you have to pay for quality and you might as well pay once instead of buying Ryobis and GMCs etc and not getting the precision and endurance you want.
Martin.
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30th March 2006, 11:30 PM #14.
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Geez id love one so much and i know it would be sensational for what i do. But im strugling with the idea one tool for 1200 or two others for 600 each:confused:
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31st March 2006, 08:25 AM #15Novice
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The real question is would those 2 other tools for $600 give you as much benefit as the Domino for $1200?
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