Domino...worth it or nae?

[woodbloke]

Having just had a look at Tony's (Escudo) thread on his pear clock, I've started to re-examine the merits or not of owning a Domino. I've always maintained that it's a fabulous bit of kit, but difficult to justify in a hobbyist 'shop where it'll only get occasional use (essential though in a pro 'shop)
But then you could argue that all the kit in my 'shop (and possibly many others as well) is only used occasionally. So now I'm a bit torn...is it really worth getting (even though it's a hideous price for a single power tool) or is the money better invested elsewhere?
Thoughts? - Rob

 

[Paul Chapman]

I think the main points about the Domino are, if you want to do small, loose tenons, it's fast, easy, accurate and a joy to use. You could do the cuts with a router but, by comparison, that's slow, not always easy and a bit of a faff. It's expensive buy, hey, it's only money

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[jedmc571]

C'mon Rob, just get it bought :lol:

I saw this demo'd recently, it's fantastic! in terms of how it carries out it's role it's faultless, as a Festool lover my initial thought was I'm having it.

Then on the way home I considered it's price, and also the fact that I don't even have a Planer/Thicknesser, it then dawned on me that my priorities lay elsewhere.

If you have the essential tools, I can't see it being a bad investment, just an expensive one.

I had just bought a Rotex sander though by that stage though

Cheers

Jed

 

[woodbloke]

It's expensive buy, hey, it's only money

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Hi Paul - caveat: sometimes :wink: they're expensive to buy :lol: - Rob

 

[Oryxdesign]

If you want one and you've got the money what are you waiting for?
I would say though that I wouldn't bother buying the systainer variety pack, work out the size you need for the next few projects and just buy those. I do have the whole kit but I mostly just use the 6mm ones as most of my work is 19mm.
Don't bother with the side pin extension bar things either they're a pain to use.
The face frame jig is good though, see if you can get them to throw it in.
I've been using mine pretty much since they came out and now I have much more uses for it than I first envisaged.

Si

 

[woodbloke]

I've been using mine pretty much since they came out and now I have much more uses for it than I first envisaged.

Si

Interesting and much as I thought. I wonder though if it will do everything that a biscuit jointer does?
Leading on from that then, if you have a Domino in the 'shop, does the biscuiter become redundant...or is there a place for both? - Rob

 

[Oryxdesign]

I replaced a cheapo biscuit jointer and have never felt the need to go and buy another as the domino does everything I wanted it to do and more. I guess there will be someone along later telling you that you need a biscuit for this that and the other but I doubt they'll be a domino owner.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Leading on from that then, if you have a Domino in the 'shop, does the biscuiter become redundant...or is there a place for both?

I still use my biscuit jointer, but that's probably more through habit than anything else. The Domino can replace the biscuit jointer but not the other way round.

If you traded in the Lamello, that would help with the cost.......

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

If you traded in the Lamello, that would help with the cost.......

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Paul - that same thought's going through my mind at the moments as well...and if I traded in the Norris A2 (as I don't use it any more) I'd have more than enough - Rob...pondering :-k

 

[wizer]

As Si know's, I've been saving for a Domino. I've shelved that idea for a bit because of the operation. As soon as I'm fit enough to get back in the workshop, it'll be MINE! I've never heard an owner of one put it down. There's a toss up between taking the time to muck about making a mortise AND a tenon or just using a domino and getting on with it. I just want to get on with it, thanks.

 

[Karl]

Rob - I had the same thought process a couple of weeks ago, and have decided to go for it. That was one of the reasons for selling my Veritas skew rebate plane - I reckon that by shifting a few planes which I use infrequently (and aren't strictly necessary - like having 3 decent block planes) I can free up enough cash for the Domino.

As an aside issue, I asked Brad recently what freebies he got with his Domino, seeing as they won't reduce the price. Anybody else got freebies with theirs when they bought?

Cheers

Karl

 

[jedmc571]

Karl

PM sent.

 

[Calpol]

I think the last place I worked got the thousand-odd dominoes and 4 cutters for free when they bought it (Saw Centre in Paisley I believe), probably now is the time to haggle as well...

On the topic of biscuits I would much rather have both, I tried laminating walnut with dominoes before and it was very tight, not width ways but thickness... Just a thought :wink:

 

[chippy1970]

http://www.festool.co.uk/images/gb_down ... tumn09.pdf

You can even fit decking with one now.

 

[Escudo]

Hello Rob,

I purchased my Domino when I was lucky to receive an ebay 20% discount voucher. This somehow helped to justify the purchase as a hobby woodworker.

The Domino has saved time, and produced excellent full proof results on the few occasions to date that I have used the machine. These are important considerations when workshop time is limited.

An example is the clock project door (refer WIP section) having the Domino avoided the need to cut M & T joints, which just made this job that bit easier.

Provided funds allow having the best tools and equipment (machines or hand tools) can only help us to produce a higher standard of work (given limited skills, in my case) and be more productive.

I still have my biscuit jointer and although they cross perform certain tasks, there are occasions when only the BJ will work.

If you go for the Domino Rob you will not be disappointed. I also have the new 4mm cutter which is very handy for small pieces.

All the best, Tony.

 

[crazylilting]

I think the simplest way to answer this is what does the domino replace?

A mortiser?

What can £600 buy for a morticer? I payed £200 for an old dominion that will do pretty much all i need to do. If your replacing a biscuit joiner, i'm sure you can get a pretty good one for £200 as well.

I simply can't see the value in a propitiatory machine. You are slave to buy the fittings from festool which to my mind makes the machine worth far less then they are selling it. Biscuits can be bought cheaply from different sources and mortise and tenons made only using your time, which as a hobbyist shouldn't matter in my opinion.

If you were going down the production route perhaps the cost could be absorbed.

 

[wizer]

You could make the dominos if you wanted to and I probably would considering I have more timber than Finland. But they are cheap enough not to bother if you were actually buying wood to turn into dominos. Biscuits really are not worth making as it's be much more man hours to produce something that costs pennies.

It's true that you could buy 2 of my tablesaws for the price of a domino and I can't provide a worthy enough excuse to justify that cost. I do think they are over priced. But I just don't care. I'm 'avin one

 

[Doug B]

The Domino is a fantastic piece of kit, i got to try it at Jonnys bash.
Though the way he spoke the dominos where quite dear as he had to buy a certain amount, the numbers he quote, i remember thinking, would last me a life time. Though as i`ve not looked into this it may well be possible to buy smaller quantities.

This all got me thinking that as i have quite a few routers, that it wouldn`t be impossible to adapt one with the right type of fence to do at least straight domino type cuts. I would make my own "dominos" from off cuts of beech.

So at the moment i`ve left drawings with my tame engineer friend for a fence that will fit on my old Bosch router. Very much early doors yet, but i will post piccys as & when he gets his pineapple into gear

 

[woodbloke]

I think the simplest way to answer this is what does the domino replace?

A mortiser?

What can £600 buy for a morticer? I payed £200 for an old dominion that will do pretty much all i need to do. If your replacing a biscuit joiner, i'm sure you can get a pretty good one for £200 as well.

I simply can't see the value in a propitiatory machine. You are slave to buy the fittings from festool which to my mind makes the machine worth far less then they are selling it. Biscuits can be bought cheaply from different sources and mortise and tenons made only using your time, which as a hobbyist shouldn't matter in my opinion.

If you were going down the production route perhaps the cost could be absorbed.

I think the Domino would probably replace all, or very nearly all the functions of a biscuiter and a mortiser as well. Just going back to Tony's pear clock project for a moment, the jointing used on the door was very small. I'd have probably done it by using tiny m/t's, which would have been a real pain in the arris, and it's certainly too big for biscuits. I can see though that those joints could have been done in about 30 seconds with a Domino. Also I've been trying to think where a biscuiter would have an advantage over the Dom, but one doesn't really come to mind. The only thing that might possibly be an advantage is that biscuits are 3mm thick and the smallest Dom cutter is 4mm...but I can't really see that as an important factor. Where the Dom scores is that the beech tenons are far smaller than a biscuit so that it's possible to use it on narrower pieces of wood (like Tony's clock)
I agree though that in a pro 'shop a Dom has to be indispensable - Rob

 

[Mattty]

Hi Rob.

I've had mine for about 4 months now and it is the business.

It really comes into it's own for cabinet making, and the time savings are massive. With the domino you could mortice and assemble a small door frame in 2 min flat with no marking out. I have found the time savings to be especially great though on angled mortice and tenons.

It can handle any work that a biscuit jointer can so that becomes obsolete and i don't think the dominos are expensive, certainly not the smaller ones.

I personally would go for the systainer with the full selection as i have used every size, though most commonly 5x30mm.

I am 100% confident that if you had use of one for a couple of weeks you would never let it go. You may even be able to sell another shoulder plane.. No shoulders to trim with a domino

gl