Price of dominoes

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Good day all:

Why would larger dominoes be so much cheaper than the smaller ones? Large are available in bulk and not small, and the price per domino is way cheaper. This is except the largest one, which suddenly becomes way more expensive. (Same price for 500 as for 1800 of one slightly smaller.)

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[Jim Becker]

I buy the 750mm long "cut to your own length" stock for the 10mm, 12mm and 14mm Dominos I use most of the time and will soon do the same for the 8mm when my "assortments" run lower. Not sure on the price thing you ask about...I never looked at it, honestly.

[Andrew Hughes]

I only buy the little ones. The other sizes I make up for a perfect fit. Tight or loose what ever I need

[Jim Dwight]

I haven't purchased any although I got some 12mm with my domino (it was gently used). I often use wider loose tenons and find it easy to make tenons out of scrap. I also don't have space to store multiple sustainers full of tenons.

[John TenEyck]

Yes, make them from scrap from your project wood. In addition to costing nothing but a few minutes of your time the tenons will have the same seasonal expansion/contraction as the parts they are glued into.

John

[glenn bradley]

Yes, make them from scrap from your project wood. In addition to costing nothing but a few minutes of your time the tenons will have the same seasonal expansion/contraction as the parts they are glued into.

John

This is what I do. I have so much scrap around, a couple minutes setup and I can make more dominoes than I will use all year. I put them in sandwich bags and toss them in a drawer. At some point I finally get low and run another batch. As to the original question, look at many of our supplies. You will find the more common sizes priced lower than larger sizes. Why are 1/4" spiral bits cheap and 5/16" spiral bits expensive?

[Dan Cameron]

Yes, make them from scrap from your project wood. In addition to costing nothing but a few minutes of your time the tenons will have the same seasonal expansion/contraction as the parts they are glued into.

John

Since most domino joints involve one side which is cross grain, the best choice of material is one with the lowest available expansion/contraction, not the project wood. Thus the choice of beech for dominos.

[Dave Sabo]

Thank heavens Festool invented the Domino.

I don’t know whaT some of you would do without it.

Fast, strong, easy and cheap joints can be made with a variety of tools. I guess some have never considered a plunge router and a jig? Leigh has one if you love buying tools. Prob. a lot of stationary mortise machines sitting idle and collecting rust too. Several drill jigs out there to use with your hand held drill and dowels. Your drill press, forstner bit, and a good sharp chisel is pretty darn fast if you’re even reasonable talented. No rizontal mortisers have been around for like 50 years too.

Lots of ways to enjoy this hobby. Like I said, I just find it curious that some will spend big money on a tool, the be a skinflint on consumables. If fiscal sensibility is priority, why not buy an regular priced tool and consumables and have time and money left over. Man is a funny animal though.

[Jim Becker]

Not sure why any of us who have chosen the Domino method for joinery should be chided for that choice/preference but I'll agree that one should always consider consumables when making that choice. That goes for the hobbyist as well as folks doing work for money as well as for any kind of tool or method.

[John TenEyck]

Since most domino joints involve one side which is cross grain, the best choice of material is one with the lowest available expansion/contraction, not the project wood. Thus the choice of beech for dominos.

And the other side is long grain to long grain, where mis-matched expansion/contraction will occur with any species other than the wood used for the project. Traditional M&T joints have always had cross grain wood, yet somehow they survive. Using a more stable wood for loose tenons may improve the cross grain side situation to the detriment of the long grain side. I think if you stay within the generally accepted size limits for M&T joints it matters little which wood is used.

John

[mreza Salav]

I am surprised I am in the minority (buying them instead of making) even though I'm not a pro. I mostly use the 5 and 6mm ones and I buy them in large quantities (still have a lot left from the 1800 package I bought a few years ago for my cabinet project). The rest of the sizes I rarely use (rare enough that the amount came in the package of assorted domino sizes is still there).

[Jim Becker]

mreza, I don't believe you are actually in the minority on this one...other than, perhaps, responders to a particular thread.

[Dan Cameron]

And the other side is long grain to long grain, where mis-matched expansion/contraction will occur with any species other than the wood used for the project. Traditional M&T joints have always had cross grain wood, yet somehow they survive. Using a more stable wood for loose tenons may improve the cross grain side situation to the detriment of the long grain side. I think if you stay within the generally accepted size limits for M&T joints it matters little which wood is used.

John

But the two sides of the joint are,in a sense, in series. So to strengthen the weaker side at the expense of the stronger is in the right direction to satisfy the "weakest link" consideration. Orienting the grain of a loose (floating) tenon at 45 degrees to its length would be optimum from an expansion/contraction standpoint.

[Prashun Patel]

I can't help but think this is an academic discussion. I've never had a domino joint fail. Always figured they're so small in the end - even on the DF700 that it just doesn't matter. When doing large, traditional M&T, some recommend splitting the tenon and doing 2 both to strengthen the mortise and to split the expansion of the tenon.

I've used softer wood tenons on harder wood projects and vise versa. Never had an issue.

[Brian Holcombe]

Personally I despise dominos but if things are sized properly I can’t see where there would be much issue, the cross grain side will likely fail before the long grain side and if that is going to be an issue then set aside some if the job material to make floating tenons.