Festool Dominio learning curve

[kevin nee]

I should have named this, Americas Funniest Videos. I have had he Festool Domino 500 for a couple of months. I am ready to glue up my third project. The first project I had to sand the Dominios into submission to get the parts to fit. Still came out very nice. Second project I used a sharp pencil and a square to make lay out marks. TODAY, using a different thicknesses wood the test mortise was a little close to the edge. (Actually would have been OK.) I adjusted it by eye and cut another practice mortise. Perfect height, moved on to my project and cut a mortise put a Dominio in an it was angled. I should have put a spacer under my work piece. Cut another project piece and did a test cut on scrap. PERFECT! On to my project, making sure everything is going to line up. Clamped the pieces down grabbed the Domino and ready to go. The pieces were clamped upside down, no lines to go by. This isn't going to happen again so I marked every piece inside, outside, back, front, top, and bottom. Sixteen mortises with eight Dominios, pretty close to perfect. My make shift clamping system needs to be more thought out. The Festool clamping station on the videos looks like it is pretty slick. I also Thin good light is important. Glad no one was watching me.
if anyone has a versatile homemade clamping setup l would like to see it.

[Chris Padilla]

I'm not overly fond of using the fence on the Domino to register against anything if I can help it.

Lately, I like using the bottom of the Domino. It is exactly 10.5 mm to the center of the bit. In my book, that is close enough to the center of a 3/4" NOMINAL piece of plywood.

There is also the Domiplate by Seneco that is a nice addition to the Domino. It automagically centers on 1/2" and 3/4" plywood.

And, yes, you do need to mark out your frames, face up, left, right. Once you get yourself a system to do it, it starts going much more smoothly.

I'll see if I can remember to post what I like to use to clamp stock to. It is pretty simple but seems to work quite well for me.

[Bill McNiel]

Plus 1 on the Domiplate.

[David T gray]

domiplate is nice but i could be so much better if they added a magnified scale so you could see where the line was easier seems like it would be a no brainier for it to have one but ??? who knows

[Keith Hankins]

I had the domino when it first came out till I sold it to fund a floor model mortising machine. I started being very precise and careful to doing it without clamping or anything.

1) Layout your pieces as they would be joined and I clamp together. I make a single mark on one face (crossing both pieces) and reference same face. On one piece I select the slot that is same size as domino no gap. On the mating face I select the next size up so the slot is wider that gives you wiggle room. It will not impact your joint glue-up

2) this was the biggest learning. Put the plate on the board to be bored. Apply pressure with your hand on the plate sufficient to keep it in place and loosly hold the motor end at the rear. Apply enough pressure to move the motor/bit side of the equation into the wood. In the beginning I did it reversed and sometimes placed some subtle downward/upward presure and it would throw off the joint a hair laterally into the wood. Once I changed to the above all my joints went together flawlessly.

Liked that little bugger for simplicity, but for small pieces the set up was a pain to do i.e. thin strips I'd have to have backers behind the thin strip to give the plate enough support to be stable. One of the reasons I upgraded to a big floor model.

Funny part was even after using it for 2 years I sold it for almost what I paid and it covered 2/3rds of the cost of the PM700.

Good luck. It is a cool tool

[Jim Tobias]

+1 on Keith's #1 about using different slot size on one of the surfaces. I usually use the "tight fit" slot size on the end of the pieces that will be at the front of project. That guarantees a flush fit there and the rest falls into place.
Also, on the tight fit dominoes.......awhile back I had that same issue(dominoes were too tight), I started putting a batch of them in the microwave for a couple of minutes and it takes out enough humidity to shrink them. Then you still get a tight, but workable fit.

Jim

[Chris Padilla]

Run tight Dominos along a handplane to take of their corners and they will go in with less effort.