4 MM Dominoes - How many use them and for what

[peter halle]

Earlier this year Festool released a new smaller cutter (4 mm) for the Domino along with accessories.  I have had my Domino since the Xmas after they came out and have posted that I have not used it as much as I thought I would.  Nothing against the machine.  Just me and what I've been working and not working on.

After training class the gears in my head started turning and I bought the 4 mm cutter and accessories.  Of course I also bought some dominoes.  Yes I have used some.

My questions are:

1.  How many of you have taken this 4mm plunge? and

2.  What have you used the little guys for?

Creative people abound here.  I'm just curious and trying to get motivated for the next project.

Peter

 

[RONWEN]

I like them for joining drawer bottoms made out of 1/2" ply instead of cutting drawer grooves for the ply.  Also, when I make the entire drawer out of 1/2" material they work very nicely for joining the sides to ends.

 

[nclemmons]

I've used them for small picture frames. 

I'm about to make an low entertainment center and have been debating a mission style.  If I go that path, I was thinking of using the small dominos for the vertical slats (or spindles) on each end of the table. 

neil

 

[Brice Burrell]

Peter, I'm in a similar boat. My Domino can go extended periods of time sitting on the shelf then a project comes along that its perfect for. I bought the Domino to make closet units. I worked for a contractor that would sub out about 10 closet jobs a year. Shortly after I bought the Domino he starting using a large local company. I use enough that I couldn't be without it but certainly not everyday. I picked up the 4mm cutter and tenons but haven't tried them so I'm looking forward to what everyone thinks.

 

[peter halle]

Brice, the only thing that I have used it for so far is to re enforce miters in door trim,  Because of the relief cut in the majority of common door casings you need to play with getting the domino centered but when you reference off the outside corner of the trim it works like a charm.  Keeps the trim from rolling on you when you nail it up.  This is one of those times that a tight domino is nice.  I like it much better than biscuits for this application.  With Collins clamps - which I don't use you could assemble and install in one piece.

Peter

 

[Frank-Jan]

I used the 4 mm dominoes for mitred corners in boardmaterial (mdf or ply), I did it before with the 5mm dominoes, but then you have to cut them shorter because the 30mm dominoes are too long, and you have to be carefull during assembly because at the lowest plunge setting there is little material left.

For instance I used them to make outside corners for a bay window out of 15 mm wbp ply, the central window was at 45? with the sidewindows and it turned out very nice.

 

[RonMiller]

I just got mine last week but so far have used them to attach 1/2" wide maple as facing for plywood shelves. I know there are lots of ways to do this, including just gluing and clamps, but I like the registration I get from these. They are quick and easy with a tight tolerance. Then I used the MK700 to flush the other side, sanded it all with the 150/3...yep an enjoyable day working on some Craftsman style built-ins for the front room.  Besides giving me faster and better results than other tools, working with green is so much more pleasant...quieter and dust-free for this guy with 30 years of sinus problems. I'm new enough to the Festool experience that some days it's great to just tell somebody about it. What a difference superb tools make. It didn't hurt that it was 75, slight breeze, and clear out today with the shop doors wide open!

 

[peter halle]

Ron,

Thanks for the information.

At some point could you post pictures on your project?

Peter

 

[richard.selwyn]

I know it's not woodworking, but I am currently taking anything to keep the money coming in as my better half has no work at the moment.  So I was fitting a plywood floor to a van for a client two weeks ago and the panel wasn't wide enough to go into the corner.  Used the 4mm dominos to tack on a small piece of ply (8mm) to cover the floor right into the corner - a bit marginal but last time I saw his van it was still holding up.  (Bit like how I join offcuts of regular ply with biscuits I suppose when I'm building something cheap.)

 

[James Biddle]

I just used them for aligning beveled edges on kitchen island corner trim.  They worked really well in that you don't need to be concerned with Domino'ing right through the outside face.  I could fuss and set the 5 mm to do a 3/4" bevel, but the 4mm made it a no-brainer.

 

[johnbro]

Ron, I like your idea on edging. I just got the cutter in the mail today and the dominos are following from Uncle Bob.

How did you hold the 1/2" wide edging to use the domino? Seems like it would be tricky to support. I guess I'd be inclined to mortise a wider board then rip down to 1/2" on the TS.

 

[RonMiller]

Yes, the narrow board was tricky and I definitely recommend your approach. In my case I had a bunch of maple cutoffs which were 3/4" to 2" so I wanted to use those. But the better way is a wider board. For the narrow stuff, I just clamped them on the edge of the table and drilled.

 

[RDMuller]

Anything with 1/2 inch sheet goods, door frames (45's) and other odds and ends.  The 4mm addition is extremely significant for anything  dealing with thin materials (less than 3/4")

 

[sandy]

I just got the 4 mm cutter and a package of 4 mm dominos, but I have not tried them, yet.

How does one reference the Domino Joiner to 1/2" material to center them?

 

[Chuck Kiser]

I just got the 4 mm cutter and a package of 4 mm dominos, but I have not tried them, yet.

How does one reference the Domino Joiner to 1/2" material to center them?

One way is to use a scrap piece of material and 'creep up' on center using a accurate rule or micrometer (my preferred method). The other is to use the metric system to measure your workpiece and then adjust the Domino height gauge to match center. The Domino gauge could be a touch more accurate in my opinion.

Lastly, you could reference the workpiece off the bottom of the Domino (not usually recommended) and add spacers as needed to center the mortise.

 

[wrijkl]

All the previous information on the 4mm cutter is very helpful.  Has anyone had problems with using the 12mm plunge depth when the dominos are 20mm?

 

[Brice Burrell]

All the previous information on the 4mm cutter is very helpful.  Has anyone had problems with using the 12mm plunge depth when the dominos are 20mm?

I read on another forum you need to set the plunge depth to 20 mm because the 4 mm cutter is so short. Check it out here on the AU Woodwork forum.

 

[tbellemare]

The new 4 mm Dominos are short, as is the cutter. Set the machine for 20 mm, like Brice suggests.

Tom

 

[JEP]

So far I've used them in 1/2" prefinished drawer boxes, to join the corners using butt joints and staples.  It's quick and easy for a drawer box that doesn't have to be beautiful, just sturdy.  To help with locating the center of the 1/2" material, I measured very carefully using calipers, then filed an additional stop on the material thickness slide.  Works great, and is repeatable.

The other thing I've used them for is end joining crown molding and base molding on long runs.  I think the scarf joint is the hardest joint to make right when installing trim, so I try to avoid it unless it is a long wall.  The 4mm domino has been very helpful in these situations.  I cut the ends of the trim square, mark the back side for 2 dominos, plunge them, and glue the joint.  It works great, keeping the faces of both pieces of trim perfectly flush, which is the hard thing to accomplish with a scarf joint.  For crown molding I'll also superglue a 1/4" piece of ply on the back side to help assure the joint won't expand over time.

Joe

 

[johnbro]

So far I've used them in 1/2" prefinished drawer boxes, to join the corners using butt joints and staples.  It's quick and easy for a drawer box that doesn't have to be beautiful, just sturdy.  To help with locating the center of the 1/2" material, I measured very carefully using calipers, then filed an additional stop on the material thickness slide.  Works great, and is repeatable.

Joe

That

is a REALLY good idea!

thanks. I have make some short pieces of base longer (pre-cut by a moron carpenter who couldn't spell "cope"). this should work great.