Thread: Sharpening Domino Cutters

This thread is six months premature. I think we will find out the facts then.

As i posted earlier i have had estimated 3000 on the 10mm and today i joined an iron bark table top.. Bloody tuff stuff (the Jet Jointer hated it) but the 10mm Domi cutter on the widest setting breezed through it. These cutters are impressive.

That is impressive Lignum especially on Ironbark and considering the work that you put out.
I did not consider the thread premature knowing that some you folk are really putting the work in with the M/C.

More power to the DOMINATRIX

Cheers

John this is the first time i have used iron bark and i couldnt believe how tough it was. It was skipping over the buzzer blades, it was that hard. But i was very surprised at how easy it was plunged with Domi. Also with my cutters, i dont keep them in the plastic box they come in. I keep them in a small tub of turps. I dont know if it has any real possitive affect, but it dose keep the gum build up off and edge clean

Hi Lignum, did you find you had to plunge much slower than normal and try and keep a nice even feed rate?

I was plunging some mortice's in Tallowood and Spotted Gum and found that if I pushed to fast, the Domino would shudder and complain a bit. No ill effect on the mortice though.

No, probbably because i have plunged alot and i hear and feel Domi I was just feeding on instinct. When i first got her it used to chatter all the time and it was a bit of a worry, but after settling down and getting into the groove, all is chatter free and wonderfull

Right, off to the shed for some plunging. ....


On a side note, what do you use to lube the slides? In a rush I just used a tiny drop of light air tool oil on each. Would graphite powder or another dry lubricant be better ie: dry lubricants are less likely to attract dust.

If you have read other posts you will know i have taken the black plastic dovetail caps of the top of the fence. Apart from the extra depth of cut, it means i can seperate the Domi into 3. peices. Every night i do that and blow dust from the entire machine and the retractable pins and the back of the left one (when looking at it) and tubes for the main body slide and clean her all over with a rag and turps. Then i wd40 all over and into the retractable pins and tubes and dry. And once a week i oil in the plunge springs.

Originally Posted by Lignum

If you have read other posts you will know i have taken the black plastic dovetail caps of the top of the fence. Apart from the extra depth of cut, it means i can seperate the Domi into 3. peices. Every night i do that and blow dust from the entire machine and the retractable pins and the back of the left one (when looking at it) and tubes for the main body slide and clean her all over with a rag and turps. Then i wd40 all over and into the retractable pins and tubes and dry. And once a week i oil in the plunge springs.

It's truly love at first sight and like any respondant they like nothing better than a rub down with oil, as well as a whispering blow down the back.

Cheers

Its something non believers and non users will never understand. I do feel sorry for them (not)

Originally Posted by martrix

On a side note, what do you use to lube the slides? In a rush I just used a tiny drop of light air tool oil on each. Would graphite powder or another dry lubricant be better ie: dry lubricants are less likely to attract dust.

Your choice of light air tool oil was correct. This or sewing machine oil are what is specifically recommended by Festool. WD-40, and similar products are specifically mentioned as not recommended, as they do not have the lubricating properties and they can drive out the lubrication already present in the linear bearings.

Excerpt from Preventive Maintenance Instructions:
1.Do not remove the fence body from the motor housing when the joiner is coated with sawdust.
2.With the exterior of the joiner free from sawdust, remove the fence body from the motor housing and clean the linear slides:

a.With a soft cotton cloth, wipe down the linear rails.
b.With low-pressure compressed air, blow out any dust from inside the linear bores.
c.With a soft cotton cloth, wipe down the interior of the bronze linear bearings.

3.With a clean cotton cloth (not the same cloth used previously), apply a coating of light-weight machine oil to the linear rails.

• Use a lightweight machine oil such as “sewing machine” oil or pneumatic tool oil.
• Do not use a penetrating oil as these may contain solvents and detergents that can remove the impregnated lubricant from the bronze bearings.
• Do not use a rust inhibiting fluid/oil as these have limited lubrication properties, and can also remove the impregnated lubricant from the bronze bearings.

4.With the plunge depth set to maximum, plunge the joiner in and out several times to spread the lubricant into the internal bronze bearings.
5.Remove the fence body from the motor housing and wipe off the excess oil from the linear rails.
6.Replace the fence body onto the motor housing.
7.Never store the joiner with the fence body separated from the motor housing, as this can permit dust and debris to enter the linear slide.

PTM that all sounds fair enough, but this tool is a work horse built like a truck and i dongt see the point treating it with kid gloves in the cleaning like Festool have recomended. Mine is cleaned everynight (with turps and wd40) and after 9 months could be put back on the shelf and sold as new. I dont like oil as it attracts dust and wd40 or CRC dosnt.

I guess if WD40 is a lubricant, and it replaces Herr Doctor's impregnated lubricant, all is well. Or not .

I tried 3 in 1 and it made the sliding action very sticky. Cleaned it off with a clean rag, and used a very small amount of Duckham's white waterproof grease. All happy now.

These instructions are written to accomodate all users in all situations (i.e. those that never clean the tool until they have problems). This isn't intended to be a procedure for daily cleaning, but for the periodic lubrication of the rails and bearings, with the prerequisite that the tool be clean before lubricating.

Your daily cleaning is good, and goes above and beyond what should be expected, but I do suggest you reconsider the use of the WD40. This is the official factory recommendation, not just something off the top of my head.

Maybe you overlooked this part, but after getting oil into the bearings, you wipe the oil off the linear slides. There shouldn't be much there to collect dust. The bronze bearings are permiable and retain the oil inside.
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Tassie, I didn't see your posting until now. No, you do not want to have the WD40 replace the lubricant in the bearings. WD40 is not a very good lubricant, and contains other solvents. The factory service representative specifically named WD40 and 3-in-1 as products not to use. The only reason why those names are not used in my procedure is for legal reasons.

Originally Posted by TassieKiwi

I guess if WD40 is a lubricant, and it replaces Herr Doctor's impregnated lubricant, all is well. Or not .

I just got home and went down to the workshop to check the wording on a can of WD40. No where on the can will you see the word "Lubricant" or "Lubricate". Because it works so well on freeing up rusted bolts and stopping squeaks, people assume it is a lubricant (including myself), but it is not.

What surprised me is that there is no description of what it actually is. I was expecting there to be some type of descriptive name, such as "penetrating something or other spray," but there is nothing.