Morticer or Domino

[dogbower]

Hi
I have a number of projects coming up that means that I was considering buying a bench morticer, however I have heard good things about the Festool Domino but am unsure if it will cope with what I want to do.
All the projects are for me and are DIY, I am aware of my limitations and a good tool helps me produce acceptable results.
First job is to make some garage doors, top rail hung folding doors, each door 200cm high by 60cm wide, 5 doors in total.
Next couple of jobs are wardrobe doors, and the last job will be some gates.
My workshop is not huge so not having the floor space used up by a morticer appeals and I have used Festool before and found them to be a joy to use, but am unsure as to if it will produce joints strong enough.
I would welcome your thoughts.
Thanks Stuart.

 

[Woodmonkey]

For gates & doors you will want the domino XL, I would suggest it will be better than a mortiser, as with the domino you don't need to worry about making tenons

 

[marcros]

As much as I like my domino, I think that I would rearrange the order of your projects, but a morticer for the doors and gates and sell it afterwards. Then get the smaller domino for the wardrobes. It depends a bit on what your "normal" projects are- if they are furniture based the XL will be (IMHO) too large, even though you can get the adaptors to take the smaller cutters.

 

[Guggs]

Morticer all the way .
A through wedged mortice and tenon or a blind wedged mortice and tenon will give you a far better joint than a Domino will ever do . Just because it has Festool on it , it doesn't make it the best option .
Morticer is the best !

 

[deema]

+1 for morticer

 

[RobinBHM]

I dont have any experience with a domino so Im sure others will better advise on that. My gut feeling is that it wont provide the long term strength that a traditional mortice and tenon can offer. However a morticer is only half the story and you will need a way to cut the tenon.

Gates have a large change in moisture content which causes significant timber movement and likely to cause glue failure long term. They rely on mechanical connections at the joints so through tenons wedged or draw dowelled are definitely beneficial.

As mentioned in a previous post, the best joint is a through mortice (mark all the way round the stiles and mortice from both sides, possibly mortice over the line on the outside edge, 2 saw cuts and fit wedges).

Wardrobe doors dont necessarily need a joint at the corner other than a scribe / profile formed with a router or spindle cutter set. Even with a shaker style door, the corner joint can be the tongue/tenon fitting into the panel groove.

 

[heimlaga]

It is pretty easy to make tennons by hand once the mortise is cut. For one off jobs I sometimes hand cut tennons to fit in machine made mortises.
My mortiser is a huge cast iron monster from the 1940-ies.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Through tenons & draw doweled tenons are both possible with the XL, sipo dominos available for external use

 

[Andy RV]

For the garage doors the morticer will be more suitable. Make sure you get a good one, depending on budget you might be looking at a used or new Sedgwick or Wadkin.

 

[mailee]

I have a floor standing morticer and just recently I have started cutting tennons with the bandsaw. For long lengths I use the router with a jig to cut tennons. HTH. :wink:

 

[heimlaga]

I think we got a wee bit carried away by the old cast iron...... the original poster states that he does not have room enough for a proper floor standing mortiser.......

In that case I would probably cut the mortises by hand the way our ancestors did it. Chisels and mallet.

 

[rdesign]

get a good plunge router as it can do your tendons and mortises as quick as a morticer! round the tendons or square the mortise with a chisel. or else buy a pillar drill and then just square the hole with a chisel.

I own a morticer a cheap draper one was 150 euro used once. so wouldn't recommend it at all. a domino is awesome and is plenty strong not as strong as a through mortise and tennon but will hold up for years! but it is a big investment because once u buy it u'll need a vacuum ts55, sander.... not because u do but adding to the system is a good excuse.

 

[SurreyHills]

If you don't have much space then probably a Domino is better. Remember it's not just the space for the Morticer but the ability to get the long stiles in position.
Andy


Cheers
Andy

 

[dogbower]

Ok morticer it is then.
Would love a big heavy floor standing one but in reality a bench top one would suit me better.
Any recommendations, budget up to £500, looked at Axminster who have a bit of a sale on at the moment.
Thanks for the advice.
Stuart.

 

[Guggs]

Get intouch with Calderbrook woodworking machines . These guys are great and very helpful . I bought a Sedgwick morticer from them and it is a cracking machine !

 

[Andy RV]

If you're seriously restricted to a bench top morticer then actually you're probably better with a domino!

 

[Guggs]

Morticer all the way .
Far more practicle and quicker not only that it's easier to move a morticer handle than keep lifting a heavy power tool around . The Domino are heavy and offer little compition to a morticer . Don't be lured in by the Festool love in .
Search around for a good quality Sedgwick or the smaller Wadkin ones , they are out there at a good price . My Sedgwick is bomb proof , easy to use , very accurate and doubles up as a great pillar drill for bolt holes or for draw boring .
A well built floor morticer will serve you well , not only now but in years to come !

 

[adidat]

I think andy rv has a point, Guggs have you ever used a domino?

I have used both, A morticer is a faff to set up, messing around with 2p pieces and squares and even then its usually not right, they fire out shavings all over the plaice, im not saying there rubbish they do have there uses, but if you are limited to space then the domino with a midi vac is the way to go. Theres a reason the items are pricey, because they are fantastic!

I use the domino daily and it can be used for lots of jobs makes a doddle of laminating timber i joined 4 strips of 3m pine in about 4 minutes, and just a few spots of sawdust, my colleague was amazed when i made him a coffee table frame in about 5 minutes with just one small power tool (which isn't that heavy) With modern glues these joints are as strong as an ox!

Festool are pretty confident, they give you a 14 day cooling off period! try it you have nothing to lose!

Adidat

 

[Guggs]

Guggs has tried a Domino and quite frankly I wasn't impressed !
As regards to a morticer being a faff to set up , 2p's and squares ? Really ?
Who said you need a square to set the chisel up with ? I can think of several ways without a square and a 2p , save that for the seaside .
Dominos have their place albeit very limited .
Morticers have stood the test of time and will continue to do so .

 

[ColeyS1]

Can't say I've ever used a square to set up a morticer :|