Appropriate Festool for Cabinet making???

[J.ScottCon]

First time poster. 
I am currently in the process of designing a new kitchen for my home. I want to build my own cabinets. I own a TS55, RO125, and CT33 w/ boom arm. I am debating purchasing a Domino or a Festool Router for joining on the cabinets. I only have the money to purchase 1 of the 2 tools. I would appreciate any thoughts on which one of the tools I should buy and why.

 

[Woodenfish]

None of the cabinets in my home were built using a Festool Domino or Festool Router or any other handheld router for that matter and they are holding up well.

I would let the design dictate what equipment might make the construction simpler, easier, more fun, etc., not that those tools aren't useful or anything.

Maybe then an MFT/3 or new longer guide rails for the sheet goods might be a better choice if you don't have these already?

 

[J.ScottCon]

Thanks for replying.

I have 2 55" saw tracks. I do not have a MFT table. I have a PC router. Hitachi table saw. I was thinking about setting up a Dado or using PC router for rabbets and dados. I think the Domino would be good for face frame to cabinet joining.
Would the Domino be good for joining side panels to top and bottom panels?

 

[honeydoman]

i would buy the domonio and the kreg pocket hole jig.  I use these 2 tools all the time to make cabinets.  it makes them strong and the pocket screws holds so no clamping is necessary.  however,l you can do dados etc..  I think the domonos are quicker but some might disagree.

 

[J.ScottCon]

thanks honeydo

I also have a Kreg jig. I too use it all the time.

 

[Chris Hughes]

  Scott,  like woodenfish said, the choice of tools are dictated by your design.  I use dadoes, pocket holes and glue for carcass assembly and pocket holes for faceframe.  I use the snot out of routers and guides for carcass work and I have a kreg jig to do both carcass and faceframe construction.  I don't have a domino yet but I plan to have one before summer to do furniture joinery.  For the money I'd buy the of 1400 and a kreg jig, you should have a little money left over compared to the 1000.00 you will need for the domino

 

[J.ScottCon]

Thanks Chris,

I do own a Kreg jig. Do you think the OF1400 is a good enough router to create dados in plywood and hardwood? How do you join your face frames to the cabinet box?

 

[Chris Hughes]

  Yes the 1400 is a great router and is better than the routers that I have used in the past.  I lock the bottom panel to the side panels with a very shallow 1/8" dado to locate the bottom.  I recently switched my technique to apply the faceframe to the carcass.  Before assembly I cut a rabbit on the side and bottom panels which will be mated into dadoes cut in the faceframe.  I was shown this technique and it seemed like the best way to hide my joinery.  A little glue, a couple 18ga.. nails to hold the joint and your "cookin with gas".  Chris

 

[semenza]

Thanks Chris,

I do own a Kreg jig. Do you think the OF1400 is a good enough router to create dados in plywood and hardwood?

Hi,

Welcome to the forum

        The OF1400 is not just good enough, it is extremely good.

                  The Domino might be the way to go, since you have the Kreg , and also have a router already. The Domino would be a tool that would be great for the kitchen job, but also expand your present capabilities.  The OF1400 would also be good to get but it would be replacing/ upgrading rather than adding to what you can already do. 

Seth

 

[J.ScottCon]

Seth,

Thanks for the reply.

Would you use the domino to join the face frames to the cabinet boxes?
Also could or would you use it in leiu of dados.

Im leaning towards the domino.

 

[semenza]

Seth,

Thanks for the reply.

Would you use the domino to join the face frames to the cabinet boxes?
Also could or would you use it in leiu of dados.

Im leaning towards the domino.

Hi,

  Others on the forum here who do kitchen cabinets regularly will be able to speak on the details of that better than I. But The Domino in general can certainly do both of those tasks.

        BTW , I almost forgot the obvious answer to your thread topic question.....      All Of Them! 

Seth

 

[Frans]

     Before assembly I cut a rabbit on the side and bottom

I suggest you wait until your kitchen is finished before cutting any rabbits.  ;D

 

[robtonya]

Welcome J.ScottCon, I have been wanting to do my kitchen too. I thought I would start small and do a bathroom vanity first. You know, to see if it falls apart when the kids are brushing their teeth.

I think the domino would be fine to use on face frames, or a regular biscuit joiner would too, the Domino could also help with the rail and stile of your doors too, if you chose that style. Otherwise you could buy a set of router bits to make your doors, and then you said you had a router, but what about a router table? So if you don't have a table, or rail and stile bits, you are getting close to the cost of a Domino there. Also there was a thread where somebody was making drawers with a Domino, they was calling them domidrawers, or something like that. You could probably do a search and find it or somebody might help me out.

Lastly, I was intending on doing all my dadoes with a CMT plywood size router bit, and of coarse pocket hole screws. I hope this helps with your decision.

 

[clintholeman]

You can easily use Domino for face frames, carcases and joining frames to the carcase.  It is fast, accurate and very strong - much stronger than pocket screws.

It is how I make my cabinets.

The tools you will need are:  a TS 55 with a couple of guide rails to cut sheet goods [a cutting table or large floor space is very good here],  a Domino, some sanders and maybe a router - the OF 1400 is perfect for this sort of thing and say a CT 22.  A MFT is very handy as well. 

You now, have a system that will have the capability to build just about anything you want to build.

 

[Cannuck]

I would highly recommend you buy the Domino first!  You will find you will use it for building the face frames, for joining them to the cabinet face, and for joining the cabinet end panels to the top and bottom panels.  It is a very versatile tool, and combined with the Kreg pocket hole jig it is an incredible combination.  You'll start looking for new ways to use it once you have it.

I have found my Domino invaluable, especially when working alone.  It works to such tight tolerances, I can dry-fit the whole assembly before "committing" to glue or screws.  Also, the dominos have such holding power, they make final assembly easier, as they keep all the pieces in place while you're clamping or "putting the screws to it".

I would invest in the Domino (get the complete set if you're building face frames, as the small parts jig is useful for the stiles).  Also, get yourself a nice rail-stile bit set or tongue-groove bit set for your existing router to build the doors. 

 

[sw1211]

You can always just use glue to join the face frames to the cabinet, alignment won't be as easy if you also use dominos, but glue is plenty strong for this.

 

[John Langevin]

Have you considered sliding dovetail construction as detailed in posts by Jerry Work and Brice Burrell(among others)? I would strongly consider the MFT or a homemade cutting table with guide rails to enable the precise cutting of your sheet stock, the accuracy of this method enables the successful assembly by whatever means you choose.

Also as others have indicated it forms the basis of your "Festool System" which will allow you to accurately and easily build almost anything. if you go the MFT route then one of the several methods described in posts by others to accurately position the rail can be a tremendous help.

As I am sure you are beginning to realize the slope is long, green and slippery. One of the challenges of selecting Festool are the myriad of optional ways to do the work using different methods and tools. Good luck and let us know what you decide and how it works out for you.

 

[Kyle]

For kitchen cabinets, I'd stick with pocket holes. The Kreg system is really all you need. If you are just getting started, you might also checkout a cabinet building software package called CabinetCruncher.  They also have a very nice 3D cabinet design program that is based on Google SketchUp. I've been very happy with it. 

 

[semenza]

Hi,

Kyle, welcome to the forum. 

J.ScottCon  Did you end up making a tool purchase yet?

Seth

 

[J.ScottCon]

Not yet, Seth

I think I am going with the Domino. I already own a Kreg Jig. I will use that to build my face frames. Do you think it is ok to use a domino to join the sides of the boxes to the tops and bottoms using 1/2" ply??? Or is the thickness not enough ?

Thank you for all of your advice.
I love Festool, and this site makes the system even better.