Domino 500: Digital Readout?

[Derek Cohen]

Jay, I also have the Domniplate, but it has not been used ever since I made the modification in the video below. And using the Woodpeckers Offset Base is missing the point I made earlier.



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Michael Burnside]

There is an issue which is being missed here. In furniture making, one learns - especially when using hand tools - to make careful note of reference sides. Always work with a reference side. That way it does not matter whether a mortice (for example) is centred or not. When everything is measured off a reference side, it will line up.

Regards from Perth

Derek

This pretty much sums up the domino. If you don't understand this fundamental, good luck! I still prefer the domiplate for most of my work, but I've made the modification from Sedge as well.

[James Jayko]

If you want exact centering at standard wood thicknesses, like 3/4", 1", 1 1/2", as well as corresponding mm thicknesses, try the Woodpeckers Domino Offset Base.

I've got one of these that I never use. If you're interested, message me.

[Dave Sabo]

I suppose I’m thick , but I just don’t see how adding ratcheting levers takes the place of dominiplate .

[Derek Cohen]

I suppose I’m thick , but I just don’t see how adding ratcheting levers takes the place of dominiplate .

Dave, the Domniplate was designed to make accurate joints in 3/4" and 1/2" material. It was helped along by those who feared or experienced the Dominos' fence to be unreliable. The modification to the levers add extra tightness, and this has now created a reliable positioning. So, set the depth on the Domino, and the Domiplate is now superfluous.

But what of the instant positioning of the Domniplate to the mid point of 3/4" and 1/2" boards (and metric equivalents)? Well the same criticism applies to the Woodpecker jig: manufactured boards (in MDF or Plywood) do not come at a reliable thickness - the chances of any of these centering devices being accurate is pretty slim. Get used to, instead, using a reference side.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Michael Burnside]

I suppose I’m thick , but I just don’t see how adding ratcheting levers takes the place of dominiplate .

IMHO it doesn't. That's why I still use the domiplate 95% of the time. It's fast, super accurate and I generally prefer the large knob on the domiplate. That said, the lever replacements deal with the other 5% of the time where the fence can drift or shift during operation. For mid-piece mortises or 45-degree miters these levers are great and let you really tighten down without the lever getting caught up on the domino housing. I had my fence drift a couple of times and these basically solved the problem.

[Michael Burnside]

Dave, the Domniplate was designed to make accurate joints in 3/4" and 1/2" material. It was helped along by those who feared or experienced the Dominos' fence to be unreliable. The modification to the levers add extra tightness, and this has now created a reliable positioning. So, set the depth on the Domino, and the Domiplate is now superfluous.

But what of the instant positioning of the Domniplate to the mid point of 3/4" and 1/2" boards (and metric equivalents)? Well the same criticism applies to the Woodpecker jig: manufactured boards (in MDF or Plywood) do not come at a reliable thickness - the chances of any of these centering devices being accurate is pretty slim. Get used to, instead, using a reference side.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek, respectfully I disagree. The domiplate is a far more positive "stop" and is more stable, IMHO, on thin stock mortises. I have the mod as well and at least this is my personal opinion. I think we both agree that being perfectly dead center is missing the point of the domino in general. I grab the domiplate that is "closest" to nominal thickness and I just stick to the same reference edge, never thinking about dead center ever again during the build.

[Derek Cohen]

Michael, I don’t think we disagree. I never said that the Domniplate was unreliable, just that I find the lever modification was an important improvement for setting the fence. I prefer to use the Domino the “right way up”. For this reason, the Domniplate is no longer necessary for a reliable mortice. Nevertheless, the Domniplate does offer a fast way to use the Domino.

I should also explain that I rarely use dominos as joinery, but use the Domino as a morticing machine. Since the modification to the levers, this has evolved, and now I do use the fence to position the mortices …






Regards from Perth

Derek

[Randy Heinemann]

Sure the Woodpeckers Offset Base is a great accurate accessory. It just isn’t something you truly need to make the Domino work as designed. I do use mine but am not sure I have used it enough to justify the cost. I get great results without it and faster setup.

[Izzy Charo]

Good discussion...I had missed that mod for the fence lever..Thanks Derek! My "solution" was to mill up some wood to a thickness of 19.5mm (10mm center height of bit + half the thickness of a 3/4 inch, or 19.05mm board) and use this as a gauge to set the fence height. My goal is to get close to center on the 3/4 stock... and it works well enough. (and the price was right!).. Even though we all agree that referencing off the same face is critical, it's nice to be able to quickly get the mortise close to center. Thanks much for all the advice!

[Michael Burnside]

Derek, what color of levers did you use? I figured I would go non-standard Festool and used blue levers

[Derek Cohen]

Michael, I could only find one colour in the size needed, and this was black. It would have been fun to use green. At least black looks original. It certainly works very well.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Dave Sabo]

Dave, the Domniplate was designed to make accurate joints in 3/4" and 1/2" material. It was helped along by those who feared or experienced the Dominos' fence to be unreliable. The modification to the levers add extra tightness, and this has now created a reliable positioning. So, set the depth on the Domino, and the Domiplate is now superfluous.

But what of the instant positioning of the Domniplate to the mid point of 3/4" and 1/2" boards (and metric equivalents)? Well the same criticism applies to the Woodpecker jig: manufactured boards (in MDF or Plywood) do not come at a reliable thickness - the chances of any of these centering devices being accurate is pretty slim. Get used to, instead, using a reference side.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek - hate to beat a dead horse but .................. I know about dominiplate and its (theoretical) advantages but I still don't see how those levers allow a d'plate user to shelve them ?

I'm sure those ratchet levers can exert more torque than the std. ones but my std. ones are plenty tight - even for settings that in between the std. festool metric setting on the stepped gauge. I guess i just don't experience the issues some guys do with domino because all these products are head scratchers to me.

[Michael Burnside]

I had the fence drift a couple of times. That's what the STD levers failed to do...hold tight. Maybe you're lucky but there is a reason Sedge, a Festool spokes person, provided the hack vid. It does happen and it sucks when it does, trust me.

That said, I still use the domiplate most of the time. It makes the domino better and it's ok if you don't agree!

[Dave Sabo]

Guess I am just that lucky, and x2 as neither of my machines have that issue.

I don’t see a need for the plates either.

And didn’t you wonder why Brian’s video isn’t on the official festool site, or why he isn’t wearing any festool identifiers, nor does he identify as being part of the organization. Furthermore the first thing he shows you in that vid is how to adjust the std. levers if yours don’t get tight enough.

But hey, if you need the 3rd party accoutrements more power to y’all.