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

riri As 90% of the forum members will tell you, the glue bond even with PVA is stronger than the wood when long grain to long grain (edge to edge) is used. Buscuits, dowells and domino dowels will only add a minute amount to the overall strength. A part from being used mainly for alignment of the two joining boards its mainly a peice of mind thing. Helps you sleep at night better

If i were you and wanted to put them their so it feels safer, just use them coming in 20mm from each end and about 300mm apart. Im not sure about the domino dowels if they are designed to swell, but with biscuits or dowells (unless its end grain to long grain) i never put glue on them. Even all the table tops i make they are only but joined and never buscuited. And ive never had one come apart or had a complaint

Thanks Lignum. Dominos dowels are indeed made to swell. Funny thing Festool recommends using quite a lot of glue on the dominos. I think i can apreciate what you are saying with gluing long grain to long grain but as you say, for the sake of a peaceful mind i will still use 8x40 dominos. Always nice to have different views especially from down under.

Regards,

riri

Hi Lignum

The spacing you have suggested is just about what I have done joining two boards together for a long coffee table top. The Dominos add a modicum of strength but as you say the glue itself provides the greatest strength as it bonds the whole surface area of the two edges. It is crucial that the edges are square and straight to maximise strength. Obvious I know but that has been one of my many downfalls in the past! ( Military remember...the why use finesse when a bit of brute force on the clamps is all you need syndrome).

The Dominos are excellent for dry run assembly but again caution is needed here... I cut exact holes along both edges and had a bugger of a job to seperate the two boards to glue up. Mind you, using dominos to 'mortice and tenon' the rails saved oodles of time, are very strong even on the dry run and look as if a master craftsman had done them. Dominos Vobiscuitum for our Latin affectionados

Unlike normal biscuits, the Dominos are solid wood, fluted to hold the glue, and do not expand in the same way as compressed biscuits do when soaked with glue.

Hope you get your Domino soon and post some first impressions.

Regards from a very windy and wet Wales.

Pat


Simou! Pop round to the bank and sort out Lignums problem. Be gentle.

Pat Domino tomorrow arvo And i aready have a special spot for her beside my bed so she dosnt get to cold at night

And tell me? the domino biscuits here seem very expensive. Do you buy them or do you think its economical to dress, rout and cut your own?

And its good to see Simou`s gentle on bank managers

Pat,

May I take this opportunity to ask whether you, as an Irishman, albeit living in Wales, had considered popping over to Eire to attend the Parliament and listen to you old friend John Howard make his address? I believe there may have been some seats vacant.....

Originally Posted by patr

Regards from a very windy and wet Wales.

This sounds like a good example of the figure of speech known as pleonasm; if you had said 'from a dry and sunny Wales', on the other hand, it would be paradox.

Rocker

Hi Pat,

Would you go along with Lignum and omit Dominos altogether for the job i have to do or would you use Dominos. If so would you glue them or not?

Thanks,

riri

Hi Lignum

Simou is a most gentle and honest Rotty and doesnt mind Bank Managers too much. He draws the line at Estate Agents, car salesmen and Consultants on the basis that he knows they are lying the minute they open their mouths.

I too keep my Dominitrix by my bedside. Sad I know but who in their right mind would keep an expensive woman with a very elegant and perfectly formed body dressed from head to toe in black in the shed..........Ooh Matron!

TommyC

Now you tell me. If only I had known that rude man was visiting the Emerald Isle. I would have confronted him over our last conversation and demanded an apology. But as a politician speaking to politicians the address was probably full of self-congratulatory Bullus Excretia which would have incensed me. But I suppose I could have visited that most wonderful of establishments, the Jamesons Distillery where hard working Micks turn water and a bit of other stuff into a golden liquid which deadens pain and gives you the courage to tell the beloved how beautiful she is whilst at the same time extolling the virtues of the Rotex 150 which all the other boys in the gang have got...except you!

The sun has come out and the valley is as green as the shamrock in John Howards lapel.

Regards
Pat

Simou! A Bushmills Malt methinks to prove that there is no religious predjudice in this household.

Hi Riri

I would use them on the basis that they do add some strength, help align the boards and to justify spending all that money on a Domino!

I really like the ability to dry assemble and make any adjustments before gluing and clamping.

Lignum

Sorry I forgot your bit on the Dominos. The packs cost about £40 here in the UK with the sizes and quantities as shown on the Festool websites. I dont think I would have the patience to make them but cannot see why not. As the Domino allows you to adjust the length of the hole to allow movement before gluing you would only have to get the thickness correct and then cut to your desired length. As an amateur spending my kids inheritence I will probably buy them but for anyone in business I would suggest doing an accurate first cut using Festool dominos and then select the elongated hole position and use shop made dowels. Contact with the side of the hole is less relevant as it would be the top and bottom of the dowel that provides the glueing surface. I wouldnt bother with rounding off the shop made dowel but would make a simple scraper to flute the top of the dowel to hold the glue.

Kind regards
Pat

Originally Posted by patr

I would suggest doing an accurate first cut using Festool dominos and then select the elongated hole position and use shop made dowels.

Excelent idea. Once i get used to what the machine can and carnt do, it will all make more sence


I love making chairs and i reckon the "Dominitrix" will be a stunner for them

Rocker

I bow my head to your mastery of the English language but I have said on more than one occassion that I am a soldier. This means that words with more than one syllable often cause me grief. I will write out a hundred lines......

" You will not use superflous words on this forum and never use statements which may contradict themselves"

Kind regards from a windswept Principality which is currently devoid of sunshine and is suffering a high level of moisture dissipation travelling in a top to bottom direction.

Pat

I can't reject the other members assertions that glued, well planed and fitting board edges are proving the majority of the joint strength for a glued up panel. But for clamp up time a few dominos can help alignment, and even help transportation and repositioning of the dry fit panel. And to continue following that logic (glue is the main strength in this sort of joint) you could use the smallest size domino to achieve the same alignment effect.

On a different subject - gluing the domino's in - Festool suggest lots of glue, and personally I use lots. I am interested in how people apply the glue to the domino hole. With conventional biscuits you can buy one of those glue bottles with the biscuit shaped nozzle. I have never used one, but instead use the PVA bottles own nozzle, cut off a bit to give a wider spread, and 'lay' the glue down the biscuit hole which would pretty much coat the sides and bottom of the biscuit hole.

For the domino, I am tending to use a small paint brush to brush the domino hole with lots of glue and then continue to brush the mating faces of the joint with a film of glue. Then after a little while after the glue has been absorbed into the timber, repeat the painting of holes and joint surface. I find just using the glue bottle alone difficult to ensure I get good glue coverage on the top and bottom of the domino hole. It mostly falls to the bottom of the hole where I don't want the greatest concentration of glue. As others have suggested, I believe the strength is from the top and bottom larger surfaces of the domino and want good glue coverage there.

How are others doing the gluing?

Hi Anthony

I too wondered how to get an even spread of glue in the hole and have found that using a trimmed down baby's bottle cleaning brush to be the best as it does the sides and the bottom at the same time. Its wire core is robust enough for repeated use. Trim the nylon bristles down to the smallest domino hole and just dip it into your glue pot or bottle and apply. Wash up is dead easy. For edges I use a Sears glue applicator kit ( part no 967254) I bought in the States years ago with has a squeezy bottle and several interchangeable heads one of which is a small roller which spreads glue along the edge with very little waste. It also has a crescent shaped head applicator which fits biscuit holes beautifully.


regards
Pat

Is it an unhealthy obsession to sleep with the Domino on your bed side table:confused: