domino and biscuit joiner

[Derek Voigt]

I have plans to build some dinning room chairs and maybe some kitchen cabinets, and being I'm looking around for a mortiser too, I figured a domino would fit the bill and help me in all 3 areas! Not to mention I like toys...

But now that I have a domino does it make sense to hold on to my porter cable biscuit joiner? Or can the festool do everything that my joiner can do and maybe I can sell it and put the cash it toward some more festool stuff? Or does the joiner still have a useful role?

Thanks!

[Jeff Monson]

I sold my biscuit cutter a year after the domino landed in my shop. I think it kind of felt like the mop in the swifter commercials. Sold it to a friend who could put it to use.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a Domino and a biscuit joiner. The biscuit joiner doesn't get a lot of use but every now and then there's a job where a biscuit just works better.

And just a comment on the Domino. I use it it for making mortises, even when I'm going to use a traditional tenon. The Domino is sort of like a portable horizontal slot mortiser.

Mike

[Hans Braul]

I use it it for making mortises, even when I'm going to use a traditional tenon. The Domino is sort of like a portable horizontal slot mortiser.

Mike

I do the same. On my chairs I used the Domino to cut a longer mortice by cutting twice, about 3/4" apart. I then made my own floating tenons to fit. I felt the extra size was needed to provide the strength required for chairs.
Hans

[Jerome Hanby]

I don't have a domino (yet, but I'm starting to get Festool fever), but I use my biscuit joiner for edging and face frames. Basically applications where I'm not really looking for strength but can use the help lining things up. Also it's light enough and the biscuits are flat enough that you can use them in some joints where it would be hard to use anything else. As example, I'm building a doll house looking bookcase based on one that Pottery Barn used to sell and it has a roof. I don't really want metal brackets that show holding the peak together, but I was able to work out the angles to cut biscuit slots. I'm not very confident about glue alone holding that joint, but the biscuits will help me get it all lined up, provide a little extra strength, and I can counter sink and cover a few screws to help hold things.

[Chris Rosenberger]

I have a Domino, but there is no way I would get rid of my biscuit jointer.

[Thomas S Stockton]

Derek
I have both and find that for plywood cabinet boxes the biscuits are much faster and easier. If you are putting together cabinet boxes with the domino you need to change the depth or you end up with through mortises on the side piece which look tacky. The only reason I mention this is if your building a bunch of boxes it is real easy to forget to switch the depth and make this mistake while your mind is thinking production.
I would save the biscuit joiner and see whether you use it or not after a year or so if you never even think of using it get rid of it if you want. after all it is paid for and won't cost anything to hold on to.
Tom