Here is a never asked question…Domino 700

[Jack Frederick]

Actually that may be an exaggeration, but I just finished a project that would have been so much easier with a domino. I will get the 700, but never having used one I just do not know what to buy with it. Yes, I will get the Seneca kit for the smaller mortises, but for a complete kit what do I want to order. What should I avoid? I’ve looked around some but where are the best deals, if any? I hope to beat the upcoming price increase. Moving in to a new home and building out the new little shop it will be quite heavily used.

[Randy Heinemann]

My opinion on either Domino, after having used the 500 for awhile and the 700 much less, is that the Domino is intended to be a self-sufficient tool in the sense that you can do everything it is designed to do without buying any accessories other than those supplied by Festool in the somewhat higher priced set (the support, the trim stop, and the cross stop).

If, however, you are doing one type of operation often and/or repetitively for either a single project or because you make similar pieces a lot, then there are probably other accessories from 3rd-party vendors which may assist you and make life easier. So, maybe after using it for awhiile, you will find that there are certain jobs you do with it thath might benefit from an accessory. I bought other assistive jigs, etc. that I am sorry I spent the money on because I almost never use them and, when I do, I could have done the work just as well without them. However, I don't do any mass production or repetitive projects.

As for the Seneca adapter, I have never been a fan of using a tool for a task that it really wasn't made for. The Domino 700 is clearly made for very large projects, like entertainment centers, tables, beds, etc. I've use the 700 enough to realize that it can be much more difficult to position the larger tool on smaller projects, which the 500 is made for. I'm sure others will disagree, but using a tool for the type of projects it's designed for has always worked better for me. To me, using a 700 for a much smaller project is like using a small block plane to flatten a board (the reverse I acknowledge but an example of using a tool for something it isn't designed).

Have fun with the Domino. It is has always been my favorite of almost all tools I have ever purchased.

[John Suhreptz]

+1 What Randy said.

[andrew whicker]

I have the 700. I have the threaded adapter. I have used it a few times. I simply planed down a piece of poplar to the thickness I needed on the bottom of the guide (the 700 doesn't go low enough to center on thinner sheet goods) and double side taped that poplar to the bottom of the guide.

Yeah, the 700 is bulky, but spending another $700 (?) Or whatever the 500 costs for a few uses would be overkill for sure.

The little accessories that came with mine I've never used. Maybe once? I can't totally remember. But they look sort of cheesy and I'm sure you could make jigs much better.

[John Kananis]

I agree. Get the sets and get both the 500 and 700 (IF, you need both). If one or the other is better suited for the task, get that one. The one accessory I will say is beyond useful is the table that Carmonius (I hope I spelled that correctly) introduced on YouTube. Easy enough to build your own, I happen to have the Lee Valley version.

[Michael Burnside]

I’ve borrowed a 700, so not much of an opinion except to say it’s bulkier and not as easy to use as the 500. I’ve used my 500 so much I don’t know what I’d do without it. Between the 500 and the Castle USA 110 pocket router they are 90% of my joinery. TSO makes some great accessories and the Seneca adapter is nice. Personally I use the Domino as is most of the time.

Word of caution though you 100% need dust collection. I’m invested in Festool CT-36s so Festool is all I can vouch for.

A lot of haters but the Domino is amazing IMHO.

[Johnny Barr]

I also have the Lee valley version ( https://www.leevalley.com/en-gb/shop...e?item=05J1701 ) and love it. I make small boxes and small frames and this jig makes that so much easier. I originally made my own and then realized how much I use it so I bought the more professional unit. I also bought this ( https://bau-woodworks.com/produkt/domino-station/ ) which I also use a fair bit. In both cases the domino is mounted to the jig which is ideal for small parts. The Seneca Domiplate, while not necessary, I find useful for cabinets . Many will disagree so its all personal choice

[mreza Salav]

I started with 500, then bought 700 and used both for a while then sold 500 as i found the 700 does everything i want and i prefer the holding position of 700 more.
The only accessories i bought was the adapter for smaller bits.

[Jim Becker]

I have the D700 and have the Seneca kit to use the smaller Dominos which I also have including cutters. I've never yet used the smaller Dominos and cutters for the projects I've used the Domino for. I pretty much have stuck to 14mm, 12mm, 10mm and 8mm tenons for my projects, all of which are supported natively by the D700.

One tip...buying tenon stock in the boxed 750mm long sticks is a lot more economical than buying the pre-cut Dominos, although "initially", getting the assortment(s) that come with the cutters isn't a horrible idea.

[Paul F Franklin]

I have both machines and I also haven't had much use for accessories beyond what came with the kits. If you work in imperial units and struggle with metric, then getting the imperial depth stops from seneca might be useful to you. If you work with large quantities of small parts, then the dock plate and domino dock from seneca is worth a look too, but none of these things really extend the capability of the machines, they just speed up and simplify certain operations.

A joinery fixture, like the lee valley or the woodpeckers, or a homemade version like mine is really helpful for positioning and holding smaller parts. Once you start using the machine, you'll figure out if one of the add-ons will speed up your common operations.

[Greg Quenneville]

Since the machine was introduced I have bought and sold two 500 dominos and solely use a 700 now. I like the larger fence on the -700, and find it more stable. My projects are however on the larger side. I too have the adapter but have not used it on the smaller bits.

Greg

[Jim Dwight]

I have a DF700, the seneca small bit adapter, and bits from CMT or Amana from 5mm to 14mm. I used the 10mm bit it came with for awhile but dulled it plunging into a drywall screw (made a stupid mistake). I broke a 14mm CMT bit or two, cutting wood, and the replacement from Amana works great. I think the festool cutters are very good but I don't think they're worth twice as much. I did not initially have the trim stop but later bought it. It is handy occasionally and works well but it only helps with putting a mortise into the end of a narrow piece. I would wait to get it until you know you have a project that will require it. Just as I have yet to buy a Festool cutter I have yet to buy a Festool tenon. I got some 10mm ones with the domino, I bought it used and they worked great. But I often want a wider tenon than is available from Festool. The machine will cut a mortise any width you want if you make multiple plunges. I think the viewpoint that some have saying the domino joints are somewhat weak is because people limit themselves to the stock tenon sizes. There is no reason a correctly made domino M&T joint is any weaker than a traditional. But if you undersize it....

I bought some extra roundover bits to use in my router table when making up tenon stock. I cut up scraps from my project, usually. I use my planner to get the thickness exactly right and rip to width and rough thickness on my table saw. Then round over the edges on the router table. You don't have to round them over but I like them to fit as well as the Festool tenons. I make up sticks of tenon stock that I then cut to final length on my bandsaw. I made a simple little cutting sled with the lengths marked out just for this. So under my work table are sticks in various sizes so I do not always have to stop and make tenons. But if I am out or want a different wood species, I just take a few minutes and make some up.

So long way of saying I would get the DF700, Seneca adapter, CMT or Amana cutters and maybe some roundover bits depending on what you have and start making joints. I am not trying to criticize anybody for buying only Festool items including tenons. They definitely make nice "stuff". But they also want to be paid relatively well for it. I am having mostly good luck with other brands, however. If I did this for a living or somewhere I did not have my shop to make the tenons, I am sure I would buy at least some.

[richard poitras]

I wonder if they make a Veritas Domino Joinery Table or adapt a Carmonius jig for the 700? If so there would be your small parts problem solved for the most part…

[Randy Heinemann]

Really not a lot to add to my previous post but...I think the Lee Valley table, based on the description on the Lee Valley site, would most likely be useful for frame and panel work on cabinets and for very small pieces. However, I have used the 500 on a variety of sizes, all the way from small to large, and found that it works extremely well on its own. Again, if you are doing repetitive work that requires the same cuts then, just like for any repetitive task, it makes sense to find a quick, easy way to complete a larger volume of work which is identical. That would, of course, be true for cabinet makers, mass producers of a specific product. For someone like me who makes furniture and cabinets, drawers, and miscellaneous pieces, there really isn't any need to invest in something like this table. The Domino 500 is one of those tools that does it all. Most of the problems I've encountered are because I have marked the cuts on the wrong face or made a mistake on depth of cut or location in the thickness; my mistakes, not the tool.

As far as size, the 500 will suffice for all but the largest projects, including large tables, entertainment centers, large built-ins, beds, etc. For those projects, the main advantage to the 700 is the length of the tenon possible. Strength equates, to some degree, on the length of the tenon, which increases the gluing surface and allows more weight to be held by the tenon. If I had it to over again, I would never buy the 700. I've only used it 3 times as I generally don't make the large furniture or cabinets for which the 700 is designed. The 500 is a much more versatile machine, but the 700 is clearly built for large projects, weightwise, stabilitywise, and just overall power and capacity.