I haven't had Domino joiner very long, but,I can't seem to make a simple box for a drawer.Sometimes the sides are not flush at the corner and sometimes there is a difference vertically. Do you know of any place that demonstrates in clear terms which faces of two boards are used to get an accurate joint? In other words, which face do you use to set the machine on?Also, holding the tool vertically to bore a hole in the board face is kind of hard to do, even with supplied rest. I respectfully seek your help.
90 Degree butt joints with Dominoes
- Thread starter Moses45
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ear3
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Always register from the outside face on the drawer side. As far as plunging vertically this is where the Seneca Domiplate really excels, because it allows you to use the full surface of the base to plunge. One thing to keep in mind about the base stabilizer accessory, is that it's important to set it up on a truly flat surface otherwise you might be setting it to rock when you Plunge.
In terms of vertical alignment, you could always use the wider mortise setting and align by touch.
If you are using the edge stops, have you tested whether they are truly aligned and equidistant? , you also might want to go through the cursor calibration procedure outlined by half-inch shy, who is otherwise also a good source for Domino basics:http://www.halfinchshy.com/?m=1
In terms of vertical alignment, you could always use the wider mortise setting and align by touch.
If you are using the edge stops, have you tested whether they are truly aligned and equidistant? , you also might want to go through the cursor calibration procedure outlined by half-inch shy, who is otherwise also a good source for Domino basics:http://www.halfinchshy.com/?m=1
And, just in case, verify that the two faces on the machine that are used to reference off of (what most of us call the "fences" but which Festool calls "plates") are dead flat and at a perfect right angle to each other (when set at 90 degrees). My machine (a DF700 that I purchased used - eight months old) arrived and the first thing I noticed was that the main plate (the fence that pivots) was terribly warped (out an ~1/8" across its face). I sent the machine back and Festool replaced the plate with one that is dead flat. Problem solved, although that was quite a head scratcher.
Have you tried doing a search on YouTube for either "Domino butt joints" or "Domino joints"? I would think that there must be many videos out there on Domino techniques as it's been out 10 years or more. Don't know for sure though. One thing that helps me is to pick some mark or letter of combination of them that you mark the side or edge you must reference the Domino against with the drawer or box parts put in position without the Dominos. It gives some perspective.
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Moses45 said:
I made a couple of videos showing how to make drawers using the DF500. The actual Domino work starts towards the end of the first video after I show how to put some edging on the MDF fronts.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Good luck.
Peter
Birdhunter
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I probable won’t do well describing how I build drawers with my Domino, but I’ll try.
The sides have the mortises cut using the outside surface as the reference side with pencil marks where I want the mortises. I set the Domino fence to cut the mortises at 1/2 the depth of the wood. I use the middle setting.
The fronts and backs are trickier. I transfer the pencil marks from the sides I just cut to the pieces I’m about to cut. The marks on the sides are made on the flat outside of the boards. The marks for the front and back are made on the end grain of the boards. I make theses marks to look like an arrow indicating how the mortise cuts into the board. I use blue tape to mark how the pieces go together. I set the cutter depth to not go through the wood, but stop short of blowing out the back of the board. I clamp the board to be cut to a large block of wood being careful to have the top of the drawer board perfectly flush with the top of the block. This gives my a large surface for the Domino fence to rest on for cutting the mortise. If I don’t have room for clamps, I use double sided tape. I use the tight setting on the Domino for these cuts. The depth of the mortises on the front and back pieces has to be less than the thickness of the wood. This means the mortises on the sides will probably be longer than the front and back mortises. Using a wide setting for one set of mortises and a narrow setting for the mating pieces provides adjustment slop for the glue up.
Note, I don’t change the fence on the Domino . The same setting is used for all mortises. I don’t have to use the Domino vertically. The support block has to be square and large enough to support the Domino fence.
The sides have the mortises cut using the outside surface as the reference side with pencil marks where I want the mortises. I set the Domino fence to cut the mortises at 1/2 the depth of the wood. I use the middle setting.
The fronts and backs are trickier. I transfer the pencil marks from the sides I just cut to the pieces I’m about to cut. The marks on the sides are made on the flat outside of the boards. The marks for the front and back are made on the end grain of the boards. I make theses marks to look like an arrow indicating how the mortise cuts into the board. I use blue tape to mark how the pieces go together. I set the cutter depth to not go through the wood, but stop short of blowing out the back of the board. I clamp the board to be cut to a large block of wood being careful to have the top of the drawer board perfectly flush with the top of the block. This gives my a large surface for the Domino fence to rest on for cutting the mortise. If I don’t have room for clamps, I use double sided tape. I use the tight setting on the Domino for these cuts. The depth of the mortises on the front and back pieces has to be less than the thickness of the wood. This means the mortises on the sides will probably be longer than the front and back mortises. Using a wide setting for one set of mortises and a narrow setting for the mating pieces provides adjustment slop for the glue up.
Note, I don’t change the fence on the Domino . The same setting is used for all mortises. I don’t have to use the Domino vertically. The support block has to be square and large enough to support the Domino fence.
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One of the key things to remember is that the distance from the bottom (sole plate?) of the Domino to the middle of the cutter is 10 mm. You sometimes need to know this when working out the location of dominos on a flat (like a drawer front) piece of material.
Peter
Peter
Stephen B
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This may help with no MTF, in any case worth a look.
So might this FOG Thread from the past?http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-how-to/demo-on-how-i-use-the-domino-for-casework-joinery/30/
Thanks again - [member=761]Steve Rowe[/member]
So might this FOG Thread from the past?http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-how-to/demo-on-how-i-use-the-domino-for-casework-joinery/30/
Thanks again - [member=761]Steve Rowe[/member]
Mario Turcot
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[member=10147]jobsworth[/member]
Indeed, pretty useful jig. Don`t forget to make one for each thickness of material you work with [wink]. Thank you Untidy Shop.
Mario
jobsworth said:
Indeed, pretty useful jig. Don`t forget to make one for each thickness of material you work with [wink]. Thank you Untidy Shop.
Mario
