Domino - PLEASE STAY ON TOPIC

[Rob Bodenschatz]

These Domino threads seem to always go south. I'm going to ask some pretty specific questions so please stay on topic. This is not a loaded question and I have no agenda here. Just looking for information. I don't want this to turn ugly.

I am thinking about selling my Kreg pocket hole jig and PC biscuit joiner to help finance a Domino. I know selling them won't come close to providing the funds to buy it but it would soften the blow a little. My question is:

Would there be any reason why I would regret getting rid of either of these two tools? In other words, is there any functionality that the biscuit joiner or pocket hole jig provides that the Domino would not?

Just to qualify a little bit, my upcoming projects include a lot of built-in cabinetry using both hardwood and sheet goods. Tables and bookshelves also. I also have a lot of shop projects on my plate.

Do not factor cost into this discussion. Let's keep it to functionality only.

[Rob Wright]

Rob,

I am looking at the same thing you are. I do not think that I would part with my Kreg. It is just too easy, fast, and simple to use for some things. I love the fact that I can quickly assemble case work without clamps when using the glue and pocket hole. I think that even with the Domino - clamps are still going to be required for assembly.

I could easily loose my PC biscuit joiner and do most everything with the Domino from what I have seen. Also, I don't know how I could do simple craftsman furniture with the PC - it can't make mortises!

My $.02 for nuthin' - as always. - Rob W

[Andrew Williams]

I think a biscuit joiner is the only way to spline the attachment of front feet on a case that has full-length sides. You need to slide the splines in on two perpendicular planes. Not possible to do that with loose tenons or a dowel.

Also, I dont know if it is possible to spline an edge miter with a domino either, but an FF size biscuit will do it.

Third, a biscuit joiner is also good at cutting slots for attaching tabletop buttons.

Cannot say about the pocket hole jig since I have never used one.

[Tim Sproul]

I'd keep the pocket hole jig and sell the biscuit joiner....which is what I've done.

Sometimes you want a decent butt joint that you don't have to wait for. Nice to be able to knock-out jigs and quick items that don't require hour(s) of clamp and dry time before they can be used.

[Ted Miller]

Rob, I have had the Domino for a few weeks and its doing most of my cabinet work. Carcass, drawers, shelving and furniture. On frame and carcass work I use the Kreg along with the Dominos and no clamps are needed when gluing, using the Dominos for alignment is great, everything stays very square.

Everytime I use the Domino I find new ways to use it, trough tenons look great on some drawers I have done.

As I have said in the past, I own many Festool items and they only enhance the other tools in my shop but they do not replace any tools. Yes I still have my biscuit jointer, in fact two of them. But I am not getting rid of them. I have both TS55/75 and I will still keep my other CS and my TS, RAS, SCMS. I have a few sanders as well FEQ and the Linear EQ but I still use my Dewalt palm sander as well as my Bosch corner sander. The most major thing about Festool is the DC at a home I am doing work at, its nice when you are done in a kitchen or closet that there is almost no mess to clean up. Some clients almost care more about you being clean then just how your work is.

I use these new tools depending on the job I am doing and I have to admit that the Domino has made a huge change in the way I assemble cabinets and frames. Not just the quickness but how exact things are coming out, now I have to admit I had to make adjustments and fine tune this tool with some trial and error. But thats with most tools.

I am tired of the argueing over these new tools as well. I used a few Festool items on a job site a while back and I was sold only using them for two days. I purchase tools that I need for that job or to make my work better no matter what brand it is...

[James Carmichael]

I don't own a domino and don't anticipate owning one any time soon, but it seems to me that you may want to hold onto the kreg and/or biscuit joiner for joining man-made materials and use the domino for solid wood applications, or at least plywood.

[Randal Stevenson]

My father uses the Kreg all the time for jigs and such, it pays for itself. However, I have never seen one sell used. You might find it's not worth the hassle of posting it. The other does better used.

[Rob Blaustein]

I will probably get rid of my seldom used biscuit joiner--but then again I find selling items takes time and energy so who knows. My guess is that apart from some rare things, the Domino will do for me what the biscuit joiner would (when I figure out how to use it...) But I think I'll keep the Kreg. After using it on a bunch of projects I've finally gotten to the point where I feel I've worked out some kinks and I can now join things up pretty quickly and accurately. And with pocket holes you don't need to tie up clamps.

I was also curious about how Domino owners would do things differently--and was particularly interested in the tools you mentioned. I posted this question in the Festool Users Group but no one seemed interested in responding. I hope you get some good responses from the seasoned ww'ers like Per and others who have used these other tools a lot and who now have a Domino.

Rob

[Jim Becker]

Letting the biscuit jointer go would make sense to me. But not the pocket screw jig...way too useful and in places, less work and still good benefit.

[Aaron Beaver]

I would keep the Kreg and loose the biscuit.

[Paul Johnstone]

I wouldn't give up the Kreg jig.

I use it a lot in places where pocket holes won't show.. For example, in a project like this:

http://woodstore.net/coence1.html

I would use pocket screws to attach the curved bottom piece to the base of the plywood box. No one is going to stick their head under the piece and see it.

[Rick Lizek]

What is your primary use, in shop or field work? For in shop I'd go with
a stationary slot mortiser. Tight on space? Then I'd consider a Domino. With my slot mortiser I have the option of bigger tenons or I can buy the Domino tenons. I can also do dowel and horizontal boring.

There's still times the no clamp time pocket screws are handy. I still use the biscuits for putting certain things together. Wouldn't get enough to justify selling my biscuit jointer so I'd just as soon keep it if it was me.

[Steve Roxberg]

Letting the biscuit jointer go would make sense to me. But not the pocket screw jig...way too useful and in places, less work and still good benefit.

Jim and I agree,

Sell the biscuit jointer and keep the Kreg.

I have already done one project where I used Domino's for strength and alignment and Pocket screws to hold it together while the glue dried.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I've read some good reasons to keep the pocket hole jig. The biggest is the "no clamps or waiting for the glue to dry" function of it. I do agree with that and for that reason, I am leaning toward keeping it.

The biscuit joiner? Haven't read a good enough reason to keep it.

[John Stevens]

...and now for something completely different. I always hated the inevitable shifting of the pieces when I joined things with my Kreg pocket screw kit. When I ordered the Domino, I posted the Kreg jig for sale, and it sold for about 2/3 of its original price in fifteen minutes--no exaggeration.

Now I have the Domino, but I also own a Lamello biscuit joiner that has worked flawlessly since the day I bought it and greatly increased my productivity. I think far too many woodworkers underestimate the strength of accurate biscuit joinery, and don't understand how to adapt furniture design to compensate for its (overestimated) weaknesses. As a consequence, too many woodworkers don't realize the full value of an accurate biscuit joiner.

There are some situations in which a biscuit joiner will be faster than the Domino, and some in which a biscuit joint will be stronger than a joint made with Dominos. I'm glad to have the Domino, but I think that some owners have posted comments on the internet that overstate the advantages of the Domino in comparison to a good-quality biscuit joiner in terms of speed, joint strength and joint alignment. Besides, the Domino can't install hinges or knock-down hardware...yet.

Bottom line--I'm glad to have a Domino and a Lamello. If your PC biscuit joiner is accurate, you might miss it.