Domino users ... Seneca Domiplate or TSO Big Foot or both

[Johnny Barr]

I've had my Domino 500 about a month now and looking for a few accessories to make life easier. I've seen videos and read reviews on both of these. The Big Foot looks like a more solid support compared to the supplied Festool one without the stops but finding reviews is difficult whereas the Domiplate has great reviews and plenty of videos. They both seem to do a good job on vertical cuts and being solid you can use clamps. I mainly make boxes so vertical cuts are common but I do use it for cabinets, tables etc. Peter Millard swears by his Domiplate and says it stays on his Domino all the time. It seems TSO haven't promoted the big foot as well as Seneca. They both have their pluses and minuses and I do like the idea of using the base as the reference
I know it depends on how you use the Domino but does anyone own both or see a need for both? If you had to buy one, which one?

[Paul F Franklin]

Perhaps I am misunderstanding your question, but the bigfoot and domiplate are two different animals. The bigfoot is intended to provide extra support for vertical cuts. As you note, festool makes a smaller, plastic support bracket for the same jobs.

The domiplate is intended to provide centered edge cuts on 1/2 or 3/4 stock without using the fence on the domino. Some folks have issues with the fence adjustment on the domino slipping and causing the placement of the mortise to be inconsistent (this can usually be addressed by tightening the fence lock screw). The domiplate avoids any chance of this by essentially providing a solidly fixed, two position fence. The way it attaches requires that the domino be used upside down, which I personally find awkward, but it does take the fence adjustment out of the equation.

I don't have the bigfoot, but I do have the festool support bracket. I don't use it often because usually when I am doing vertical cuts, I clamp a board to the workpiece to help position and square the mortises, and that board provides all the support needed.

[Bob Hinden]

I have the TSO Big Foot, and Seneca Dock Plate XL & Small Mortise Kit for my Festool Domino XL DF700. They all work well for me. I also use the Big Foot and Dock Plate XL together with the Domino 700 in a Ramon Domino Dock.

[Jim Dwight]

I do not have or want either device. I do not do a lot of vertical cuts into boards but I also clamp a guide across the workpiece when I do. I don't think the domino needs any jigs to plunge straight down reliably. The guide board is also a good place to note the center lines for the mortises so you can just move it from position to position.

The plate thing seems like an even bigger waste of money to me. Since when is it too hard to use the scale to position the fence, assuming the supplied notches do not work for your project? I have had an issue with my XL when I wanted the center line of the mortise less than 10 mm from the fence. So I made a simple 5mm thick shim for the fence from scrap plywood. One is made from a cherry scrap. Took only a few minutes.

If you don't have a trim stop, I think those may be handy sometimes. I have one but the first time I went to use it it didn't work for me. I think the issue was I need the center to be less than 10mm from the outside and it was a narrow piece. Both jigs attach in the same place. So I had to just mark center lines and make my cuts. I need to quit goofing off and go to my shop and try it on my current project.

To me the most time consuming step with the domino is marking the center lines. Jigs that reduce or eliminate that step seem like they could speed things up and add accuracy.

[Johnny Barr]

Thanks Paul for your comprehensive reply. I will buy the Domiplate as referencing off the base suits me better than off the fence even though I know it works well with the fence. This stems from the usage of my old biscuit joiner where I found working from the base seemed more solid. Seneca also have some shims that work with the Domiplate when used with unusual timber sizes. The only disadvantage is having to remove it for internal panels in a cabinet but then again you have to remove it if you want it back in your systainer at the end of the day.

[Charlie Jones]

I am waiting on my new Domino to arrive. From watching You Tube videos and reading what others have written, I get the impression that it works pretty much like my Dewalt biscuit joiner. I have been using one of those for 25 years. I understand that the Domino uses the metric system. Seems to me adjusting the fence for different materials could be eyeballed most of the time and converted the rest. A simple chart could be posted for that. What am I missing.

[Johnny Barr]

Seems to me adjusting the fence for different materials could be eyeballed most of the time and converted the rest. A simple chart could be posted for that. What am I missing.


You're missing nothing Charlie. Some like using the fence and you're right it is easy to adjust but I do a lot of vertical cuts (hence my original question) when box making as I find drilling into the face near the edge of a board unstable when holding the Domino horizontally with the fence despite the use of their supporting bracket. The beauty of the Domino is its flexibility. It can be used in a way that suits the individual.

[Jay Rasmussen]

I am waiting on my new Domino to arrive. From watching You Tube videos and reading what others have written, I get the impression that it works pretty much like my Dewalt biscuit joiner. I have been using one of those for 25 years. I understand that the Domino uses the metric system. Seems to me adjusting the fence for different materials could be eyeballed most of the time and converted the rest. A simple chart could be posted for that. What am I missing.
Charlie,
Like you I've had my trusty biscuit joiner for a long time, mine is Porter Cable. I got my Domino XL 6 months ago. It's like the old biscuit times about 100. Enjoy! Wish I had bought mine long ago.
Jay

[Charlie Jones]

I am looking forward to it. I have a project waiting that it will save a bunch of time on.

[Charlie Jones]

Thanks Johnny. I will see how mine works out.

[Jim Dwight]

I haven't used my old biscuit jointer much after getting my Domino XL but I agree, cutting slots is lot like cutting mortises. The resulting joints are significantly different, of course. Even for aligning boards in a glueup, the domino works better by enough I use it instead of digging out the biscuit jointer. My one attempt to use biscuits for leg to apron attachment convinced me that doesn't work. No domino made mortise and tenon has disappointed me. It's just a much quicker easier way to make mortise and tenon joints.

I am decidedly not a fan of metric dimensions - I don't think there are any advantages, just complications when your plans are in inches. But the complications are not really that hard to deal with. I can convert in seconds with the calculator on my phone (remembering there are 25.4 mm to the inch). I'd prefer to make 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 etc. mortise widths but it really is not at all a big deal. In my current chair project, the woodsmith plans call for 1/4 inch mortises, for instance. I used 6mm for the ones I think are less significant structurally and used 8mm for the ones I think need to be stronger (which are in bigger pieces of wood). The curved back rails got integral tenons because I think it would be weaker to try and put straight dominos into these curved pieces. I already had a jig to cut the mortises for the curved back rails with a plunge router so I did that. Most of the mortise and tenon joints will be domino joints but not all will be. Nice to have the ability to use what I think is best for each joint. I made 7/8 deep mortises like I wanted but that required a custom cut piece of pvc water pipe slid over the smaller guide rod (good trick whenever you want a depth of mortise that isn't exactly an increment of 5mm).

[Ryan Griffey]

I use the Bigfoot to mortise in space. It helps hold and reference the machine. I’ve mostly used it for fixed plywood shelving.

[Randy Heinemann]

After using the Domino for about 4-5 years, I would encourage any new owner of a Domino to use it for awhile before investing in any third-party accessories. I have one accessory I bought. While I use it periodically, I feel that I could easily have gotten along without it. The Domino is a very self-contained tool. The user can do anything the tool is designed to do without purchasing additional accessories. If it is being used for production work, there may be some accessories which will speed up the tasks it is used for. Once it is used for a short time, I think it would be obvious whether set up could be made more efficient with the purchase of another jig or accessory. For woodworkers who aren't making furniture, cabinets, boxes, etc. for a living, it's completely possible no additional setup accessories or jigs would be needed.

[Paul F Franklin]

One accessory I wish someone would make would be an adjustable stop that would allow placing the mortise closer to the edge of, say, a cabinet door rail than the built in stops on either model of the domino allow. There are a few I've seen that allow for stops farther from the center, but I haven't seen one that allows setting a stop so the mortise is closer to the edge. When working with narrow rails and stiles I often want to place the mortise closer to the edge than the built-in stops allow.

[Matthew Hills]

One accessory I wish someone would make would be an adjustable stop that would allow placing the mortise closer to the edge of, say, a cabinet door rail than the built in stops on either model of the domino allow. There are a few I've seen that allow for stops farther from the center, but I haven't seen one that allows setting a stop so the mortise is closer to the edge. When working with narrow rails and stiles I often want to place the mortise closer to the edge than the built-in stops allow.

I think there are options for this.
I seem to recall someone made spacers that fit over the old (round) pins.
And there are also aftermarket alignment plates that allow registration with narrower pieces:
- http://www.dominoguide.com/MGS-20%20Manual%20R1.pdf
- https://www.senecawoodworking.com/collections/featured/products/dock-plate-xl

I haven't used any of these; but you're right that this is an area that feels awkward. I have made jigs to help with registration of small parts.

Matt

[Paul F Franklin]

I think there are options for this.
I seem to recall someone made spacers that fit over the old (round) pins.
And there are also aftermarket alignment plates that allow registration with narrower pieces:
- http://www.dominoguide.com/MGS-20%20Manual%20R1.pdf
- https://www.senecawoodworking.com/collections/featured/products/dock-plate-xl

I haven't used any of these; but you're right that this is an area that feels awkward. I have made jigs to help with registration of small parts.

Matt

Thanks for these Matt.

That first link looks interesting. I wish it didn't require using the domino upside down (or supporting the stock up in the air), but otherwise that's what I have in mind.

I have the dock plate and it works ok but requires great care in setup to get the stops on both sides set exactly the same, as you need to do to mortise both ends of a rail, for example. It also requires removing one of the stops to make the corresponding mortises in one end of the stiles, and then removing the other stop and replacing (precisely) the first stop to do the mortises in the other ends of the stiles. It's doable certainly, just more fussing than one might like. At least the stops in the jig in your first link are flip stops (plus there are two on each side) so they can be flipped out of the way when needed. I may take the plunge (pun intended) on that one.

Thanks again!

[eta:] of course, all their stuff is out of stock....

[Jim Dwight]

The trim stop would work for this but you would have to use one of the stops on one end and the other stop on the other end. They do not take long to reposition.

I used this festool accessory this morning to rapidly cut the mortises in the ends of a bunch of 13/16 rails for chairs I am making. I put a 6mm mortise in the center of 1 inch wide small rails without marking by using the trim stop. Then I made mortises 1 5/8 wide in 2 inch wide pieces by registering of one of the stops on one edge of the workpiece and the other stop for the other edge. Two plunges of the 8mm bit in the wide setting cut the mortises. I am making 9 chairs so there were a bunch but they went quickly. I'm glad I bought this but I am still not regretting avoiding the other Festool and aftermarket domino accessories. I'll buy them if I identify a significant need but so far I am happy without them.

I found the minimum 10mm setting of the fence to be just right to put the mortises in the center of the 13/16 work pieces. Worked out nicely. (it's actually a tenth of a millimeter or so off but I don't work to those kind of tolerances)

[Paul F Franklin]

The trim stop would work for this but you would have to use one of the stops on one end and the other stop on the other end. They do not take long to reposition.

I used this festool accessory this morning to rapidly cut the mortises in the ends of a bunch of 13/16 rails for chairs I am making. I put a 6mm mortise in the center of 1 inch wide small rails without marking by using the trim stop. Then I made mortises 1 5/8 wide in 2 inch wide pieces by registering of one of the stops on one edge of the workpiece and the other stop for the other edge. Two plunges of the 8mm bit in the wide setting cut the mortises. I am making 9 chairs so there were a bunch but they went quickly. I'm glad I bought this but I am still not regretting avoiding the other Festool and aftermarket domino accessories. I'll buy them if I identify a significant need but so far I am happy without them.

I found the minimum 10mm setting of the fence to be just right to put the mortises in the center of the 13/16 work pieces. Worked out nicely. (it's actually a tenth of a millimeter or so off but I don't work to those kind of tolerances)

I do have the trim stop and it works fine for narrow rails. I suppose, now that I think about it, it could be used for the stiles by removing one stop to do one end of the stiles, and the other stop for the other ends (as described above for the seneca dock plate. So, doable, just not as efficient as one might like.