Blind Festool user has a few questions

[Chinski]

I have very limited remaining sight - about 2% - but am a keen woodworker.

Short story: got a great priced second hand Domino 700 because couldn't see to cut accurate mortice and tenons on my router table / table saw and wife was getting frustratingly anxious. The DF700 has changed everything - I can join by touch now and don't have to get so close to any blade that it tickles my nose hairs lol. 

Anyway, a couple questions if I may:
1) Pieces I join don't always feel that flat on top - almost as if I'm not quite achieving a consistent depth from the top on both pieces when plunging the bit - and this is in various situations.  Is it me or should I get the 700 serviced - the guy had had it for quite a few years...
2) the df700 didn't come with a sustainer and I am wondering whether to buy a sys 5 or will it fit in one smaller? You can apparently get the insert (ref 709977), but no idea whether this is top, bottom, both - or even worth it.  Any thoughts?
3) I got an after-market 10mm plate and bit adapter to use df500 bits and smaller dominos when required.  I know its not officially recommended (and I haven't use it yet) - any views?

Also got a second-hand beaten up old Ctl 26 and just wondering, does everybody seriously spend so much money on dust bags or am I missing something?

Thanks - its great to have found this place. 

Chinski

 

[jarbroen]

Really glad to hear the Domino is making woodworking more possible for you!
Mortise and tennon kicks my but, no matter how good my sight is.  I think I lack the patience to properly gauge/setup the tools I use.

I can't answer the Domino questions but I do have a CT26.
I thought the same thing about the bags when I first got it.  Wow, lots to spend on throwaway vacuum bags.
After using it for a couple years I have zero problems spending $8 or per unit.
They last me quite a bit, even when using the CT hooked up to a router.  The filter stays super clean and it's so easy to toss a bag when it's full.
I remember how much of a pain in the butt my old shop vac was when it needed to be dumped.  The filter was ALWAYS clogged and full of crap.  Plus, it would blow stinky, dirty exhaust out. 
The CT is always so clean, inside and out.  Appeals to my inner neatnick.

 

[sancho57]

I bought the reusable  bag for my 26 got tired of buying bags and emptying out the used ones . What some guys have done is get the long life bags (NOT THE RESUSABLE ONES) and cut the bottom of them and sew in a zipper or cut a piece of 1" PVC cut a slot in it and use it like a reusable bag.

As far a the domino it depends on the thickness of the wood. By that the domino is preset say for 20mm thickness. Now if your wood is close to that dimension say 22 mm 19mm etc the domino will be off a bit.

 

[Sanderxpander]

AFAIK the "long life" bag is the "reusable" bag. The trick you refer to was people cutting regular bags open and using something to close them up again.

 

[Paul G]

Regarding your first domino question, I am assuming you are edge joining two boards and the final product is not as flush as you would like. I have experienced the same with a brand new unit and had to improve my technique. One early screw up I did was not allowing enough clearance under the workpiece for the tool, such that the tool was resting on the workbench instead of the workpiece. My material was just slightly too thin and I wasn’t paying close attention. Elevating the material or hanging it off the edge of the bench solved that problem. Another problem was not keeping the tool and workpiece super clean between cuts, a minor bit of waste between the tool and wood will result in a misalignment. Lastly, any slight rocking motion of the tool can mess things up slightly as well.

I can’t imagine doing this while visually impaired and respect your efforts to keep going. Your tickling nose hairs comment made me laugh. I have mental images of my uncle whose declining vision resulted in watching TV from about one foot away. A lifelong auto mechanic he still worked on cars, took longer but still managed.

As for the vacuum bags, I just grin and bear it. Yes they seem pricey but can be filled almost entirely full when woodworking and disposal and replacement are easy. Stuff like sanding drywall joint compound will clog things up, for that I use a cyclone dust seperator. The only time I prematurely replaced a partially full bag was an instance I managed to suck up a bunch of sparks. The paranoid thought of a smoldering spark nested in a bag full of wood waste prompted me to toss that bag outside.

 

[Cheese]

In the past I tried to place the Domino in the exact middle of the board. Well, we all know that few things in life are exact and Domino placement is one of them. That led me to at times accidentally flipping a board over and there would be a slight height mismatch between the boards I was joining. I now purposely do NOT CENTER the Domino in the board. This give me a much more visible indication that I have inadvertently flipped a board over. I now place the Domino about 1 mm off of the centerline.

Maybe that's your case also because it's easy to lose track on which side is up?
Even with the 1 mm offset, I still mark the up side with a small piece of blue painters tape.

It's been my experience that both the 500 & 700 allow joined boards to be flush.

I really like the foam insert in the 700 package. It holds the Domino like a holster so it's very easy to withdraw and to replace. The foam cover insert that holds the 4 different sized cutters is also easy to access. A lot easier than the 500 insert.  [sad]  The standard Sys 5 also allows for storage of all the DF 700 accessories and the owners manual fits in a pocket along with space to house 2 stacking plastic trays that hold around 50 to 100 Dominos each. It's a well thought out package.

 

[Gregor]

Regarding using too much bags I suggest you get a pre-separator, these massively increase the time a bag needs to fill (especially in case you have tools that produce huge amounts of chips, like routers).

 

[Chinski]

Thanks for the helpful feedback. 

I think my alignment problem is probably due to not holding the df700 completely horizontal resulting in slightly mis-aligned cuts. I guess its possible that my fence is potentially slightly out of square from over-use by the previous owner? Maybe I should pop it into a local service agent just in case...

Guess I'll just have to scan eBay for a Rotex or EHL 65 planer to take care of any variance 

Thanks again,
Chinski

 

[PeterK]

I recently purchased the Woodpecker Domino accessory for the alignment issue. It appears to double the reference surface area when held down and has reduced my alignment problems. It is very rigid and has no flexing versus the fence of the Domino. Just wish it had a quick release attachment versus the 2 screws that hold it to the Domino as I need to remove it frequently for various uses. Also the mounting screws provided (2) are soft metal so I need to find better screws sometime. I did not get all he extensions and am happy with the base unit.

 

[Chinski]

Scanning through the forum, I found this comment

I talked to Festool service yesterday. I was told that less than 1mm out 8” from the Domino was within expectations [snip]

The tech said a dull bit could result in some amount of “climb” and a slanted mortise.

So I guess maybe with an old second hand well used machine, I should try a new bit too ...

Chinski

 

[Cheese]

So I guess maybe with an old second hand well used machine, I should try a new bit too ...

Absolutely. There was a previous thread that actually stated the bit life of a Festool Domino bit. It was shorter than I anticipated.