Domino size and placement

[tren]

Hi Guys,

I need to connect 2 pieces of oak timber together using 14mm dominos and am not sure of their placement/arrangement as it's the first time I use dominos.

Am making a corner with the end grain to be attached to the face of another piece of timber but I don't have a lot of space to play with due to the design of the timber.

See diagram attached (not to scale)

Option 1: which is easier as my domino will be all in the same orientation but am only left with 5 to 6mm of oak timber around domino 1 and 2, is that enough?
Option 2: much more room for my dominos however it slightly complicate the design as I would have to fit them in different directions.

What would be best?

 

[MikeK]

I took the liberty of making a quick drawing in SketchUp using your drawing and annotation as a reference. Since you mentioned the 14mm tenons, I assume you are using the DF 700. If so, I recommend using two of the 10mm (24mm wide) tenons and use the DF 700's built-in stops to ensure repeatability and accuracy for the mortises.

The 10mm tenon is available in 50mm, 80mm, and 100mm lengths, and you can adjust the cutting depth of the DF 700 on each board to ensure you don't cut through the mating board. However, if the other side of the mating board will be hidden, there is nothing wrong with making a through hole and trimming any exposed tenon.

If the mating board is not flat, and has the same profile you provided, then you will have to make a decision on how to join the two boards at 90 degrees. You can make a miter cut on only the 18mm projection at the bottom of each board and trim off the rest of the projection on the mating board. You can also trim all of the projection on the mating board to match the board that will be joined.

The DF 700 has three locating tabs on each side of the cutter. They are spaced at 20, 32, and 50mm from the center line of the cutter. If you push in the tabs you don't want to use, they will latch in place and you can press the green buttons on the side of the plate to release them.

Using the DF 700's locating tabs will allow you to use the tight setting for each board. I have never used, or needed, the loose setting on any project with the DF 700. However the DF 500 is my most frequently used Domino machine because it is lighter and less fatiguing when making hundreds of mortises.

If this is your first time using the DF 700, I recommend watching as many "how to" videos as you can endure and making lots of practice holes in similar timber. Everyone I know starts from a zero experience point with the Domino, and I certainly made lots of practice holes before I was confident enough to use it on expensive timber.

Here is a YouTube playlist from Brian Sedgeley (sedgetool) that covers basic and advanced instruction on the Domino. Brian is a Festool employee and hosts hundreds of Festool "how to" videos.

 

[tren]

I took the liberty of making a quick drawing in SketchUp using your drawing and annotation as a reference. Since you mentioned the 14mm tenons, I assume you are using the DF 700. If so, I recommend using two of the 10mm (24mm wide) tenons and use the DF 700's built-in stops to ensure repeatability and accuracy for the mortises.

The 10mm tenon is available in 50mm, 80mm, and 100mm lengths, and you can adjust the cutting depth of the DF 700 on each board to ensure you don't cut through the mating board. However, if the other side of the mating board will be hidden, there is nothing wrong with making a through hole and trimming any exposed tenon.

If the mating board is not flat, and has the same profile you provided, then you will have to make a decision on how to join the two boards at 90 degrees. You can make a miter cut on only the 18mm projection at the bottom of each board and trim off the rest of the projection on the mating board. You can also trim all of the projection on the mating board to match the board that will be joined.

View attachment 178378

The DF 700 has three locating tabs on each side of the cutter. They are spaced at 20, 32, and 50mm from the center line of the cutter. If you push in the tabs you don't want to use, they will latch in place and you can press the green buttons on the side of the plate to release them.

Using the DF 700's locating tabs will allow you to use the tight setting for each board. I have never used, or needed, the loose setting on any project with the DF 700. However the DF 500 is my most frequently used Domino machine because it is lighter and less fatiguing when making hundreds of mortises.

If this is your first time using the DF 700, I recommend watching as many "how to" videos as you can endure and making lots of practice holes in similar timber. Everyone I know starts from a zero experience point with the Domino, and I certainly made lots of practice holes before I was confident enough to use it on expensive timber.

Here is a YouTube playlist from Brian Sedgeley (sedgetool) that covers basic and advanced instruction on the Domino. Brian is a Festool employee and hosts hundreds of Festool "how to" videos.

Hi Mikek, thanks so much for that, it makes sense 2 dominos might just be enough here.

I like the suggestions of doing the holes through both timber at the same time as they will indeed be hidden. My only concern is that this is a window frame am building which will be screwed/fixed into granite stone wall. Even though am using mahogany dominos not entirely sure it might be a good idea to have them exposed.