Thread: FESTOOL DOMINO Experience - by those who have used one.

Yacki Da Anthony
Thank you for your reply on " before you ask!"

I Refer my Honorable Friend to the point made in my dispatch of 21 hours ago:

"Lets hope Anthony can shed some light on this. The clock is ticking Anthony and at the mo the Northern Hemisphere is two up on photos. The honour of Australia is resting on your posting!"

But seriously, lets put all this frivolous nonsense to one side and get to the bottom of wether there is a systamic design or manufacturing flaw in Riri's machine or I have won the lottery and have the only working one.

Kind regards and the best of luck in your tests.

Pat

Simou! Time for an aperatif. A small Remy Martin is in order.

Hi Patr,

Some guy on a french forum tells me he also has a good one! Although he says he does have some discrepancies when he uses the manual scale. I have asked him to do the test you initiated which i then copied!

Symetrical yours,

riri

Hello,

I just had a word with my favourite dealer. Apparently they had a talk with Festool Germany and they have decided to give me another machine (without telling me what is wrong). Only problem, the Dominos are again out of stock here and i'll have to wait 2 months to get a new one.

As i really need it for a bathroom job i have set for the next weeks ( my old Lamello is dead ) i shall keep this one until they have a replacement/or mine can be swiftly fixed. As usual good service from Festool.

End of this story!

riri

"And before you ask Pat, I am yet to do the DOMINO center accuracy test with my machine. I promise I will do on the weekend. I can't have the Northerners in front of the Southerners can I."

Anthony which weekend was that old bean? Riri and me have spent the last week glued to our screens in anticipation of the Antipodian results. Even Simou has started wailing as he hasn't had his usual 5 mile walk each day.

So, remembering that many years ago I did a United Nations tour in Cyprus with the Australian Police Contingent (fine lads, never drank a drop, kindness personified to drunken British soldiers and happy to walk away from fights - not!) I called in a favour from a fellow frequenter of the late night bar in the Mess and got your PMs number. Spoke to Mr Howard on the red phone hoping he would chivvy up a certain Festool Purveyor and he said, and I quote,

" You got me out of bed for this? Poke of you Welsh pratt. Anthony said on the weekend, he didn't say which weekend. Oh by the way Taffy, do you still call sheep Falklands War Brides? "

Thats the last time I call that rude man at 3 in the morning.

Regards
Pat


Simou! A rather large Talisker, jaldi jaldi!

My test shows the DOMINO being pretty accurate in putting the hole in the centre of the thickness of the timber.

Using both 5mm and 8mm cutters to make two runs of holes, and have marked where the centre of the hole should be as measured from the surface the fence rested on. A few marks are a bit off, as I forget how to correctly divide by two on occasion :confused:. The longer of any two lines next to a hole is the correct one.

It is not 100% sub-millimetre perfect on a couple of holes, but as with biscuits, you should be always placing the fence of the DOMINO on the face of your work to ensure a perfect match. Following this approach, I get a good result of course. I am not sure any machine would put the hole/slot/whatever exactly in the centre of the board every time, due inconsistent features of the timber, slight angle here, bow there, etc.

There you go Pat - you can stop bothering our PM now I have done the test 'this weekend' .

Anthony

Thank you for the results of your test which show that Riri did indeed get a duffer. The key to the successful use of the Domino is, as you say, to use the top fence as the reference point and to ensure that when plunging you rest the top fence on the materiel.

I have used the Domino extensively over the last two weeks and have yet to find fault with the accuracy of the fence or the pre-selected heights. So with the speed and accuracy of cut I have really cracked on with the list of projects that my beloved has so kindly written for me and pinned at strategic points around the house. Mind you the mantra, " you will make that and justify the cost of that tool!" is becoming a tad boring.

Sorry I had to phone the PM but it clearly did the trick and whilst I am still rather hurt over his comments (I am Irish not Welsh) I forgive him in the interests of proving that the Domino is a magnificent tool and does exactly as it says on all the sales blurb!

Kind regards
Pat

Simou! An orange juice with just a tinkle of Smirnoff.

Many thanks to you both, Pat and Anthony,

I take that Anthony's Domino is sometimes a little bit off ( although this may due to calculation errors ). The Festool rep who came tp my place called me up and said that after recalibrating his manual scale, his Domino was now perfect. I am still wondering whether to do the same with mine and going against the dealer's advice ( which is wait until i have another Domino and swap it then ). Apart from this height question mine is running perfect.

Thanks again,

riri

Riri
Thank you. Were I you I would re-calibrate and try again. You have nothing to lose. The scale has elongated holes to allow for adjustment. The easiest way is to slacken off the scale, measure with a metal ruler exactly 30mm from the bottom of the base to the top of the resting plate , lock the top plate and then move the scale to 20mm and align to the arrow head and secure. Your Domino should then give exact results.If she doesnt then there must be a machining fault and the top plate is not square (90 degrees) to the main plunging face.
Hope this helps, give it a go!

regards
Pat

Simou is too tired today, the weather is very depressing.

Hi domino's specialists,

I am about to start a bathrom job for which i shall put the domino to ( good ) use. It will be hardwood ( teak like ). I have to assemble 4 planks( or is it sheets?) of 25mm thick and 140mm wide to make a surface. Would you also use the 8x50 domino? For a lenght of 1500mm i was planning to have 5 domino. Is that a good idea?

Thanks

riri

Interesting question Riri.

As we collectively learn more about the application of the DOMINO system, we will begin to work out the best spacing and size domino to use for different joints and applications.

I started in overkill mode, using 10x50mm domino closer together than I now think I needed to. I was also in the habit of routing medium to larger width holes giving me plenty of room to align boards. Since then I am using smaller and smaller dominos for non-load bearing applications, and more likely to follow the Festool instructed method of the first hole being an exact fit, and the remainder using the medium width holes. Yet again, preferring to use smaller dominos in terms of depth and thickness, but retaining the similar width if possible. For example, instead of using a 10x24x50, using the 8x22x50, or instead of using the 8x22x40, using the 6x20x40. This is also a bit more economical relying on smaller domino's and more accurately fitting holes.

I might try a test to see what length of boards I could edge join using small dominos and the tightest fit holes. Using the LA-DF500 stop to set the distance each domino is apart from the preceding one.

If I were to hazard an opinion (given my limited experience so far), I would suggest Riri you have got it about right for your situation. If your boards were 19mm thick and you were trying to pull the surfaces perfect flat (relative to each other) using the DOMINOs, then a closer domino spacing may be of value. Since you material is 25mm, I doubt more dominos is of any advantage. You could even go down to the 8x22x40 for this application. I assume we are talking this construction is for the benchtop, probably sitting on a carcass. Is that correct?

Anyone else venture an opinion?

the size and spacing would be irelavent for edge joining. Just wood on wood with no dominos would be just as strong. The dominos would be for alignment only

(one day to go before i get my Domino )

Hi Anthony,

Yes it is indeed for a benchtop and there will be some load as 2 heavy sinks will be suspended to it ( cut out ). That is the reason why i felt 8x50 would be appropriate. With this new system we must all develop a feel for it.

Thanks for yr input,

riri

Originally Posted by Lignum

the size and spacing would be irelavent for edge joining. Just wood on wood with no dominos would be just as strong. The dominos would be for alignment only

(one day to go before i get my Domino )

Glad that you went for it. Please give us 'The Report' once the honeymoon is over.

delay at the bloody bank Have to wait till tomorrow (wed) to pick it up. One more sleep ---- im sooooo excited