Dead Nuts Centered with a Domino

[Caravanken]

I just purchase the DF500 Domino in my hobby shop to help me get accurate results in building cabinets and especially, face frames. Yes I am a noob but catching on pretty quick for my age. Right now I need to center my 38.1mm (1 3/4") stiles on the 3/4" (sorry I am old) partition. I got my top and bottom rails on perfect using the Domino but I am struggling on how to go about the rails. I have watched Sege's great videos until I am picking up an accent (I am a FlatLander) but it seems that setting the Domino in with dead nuts accuracy on the centerline of the stiles and partition is not possible. If I can center the stiles on the partitions I will not have to shim any of the drawer slides. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[jeffinsgf]

It helps to stop thinking about centering and think about creating the desired offset from the outside face instead. Your setting for the 3/4" material should be roughly 3/8" down from the face. On your 1-3/4" material it should be the same setting + 1/2". What matters is that the 1/2" addition is correct, which you can zero in on with a couple test cuts. The mortises don't have to be perfectly centered for the narrow board to be perfectly centered (or nearly so) on the thicker piece.

Which brings me to a suggestion I have for all new Domino-ers. When you're milling stock, make extra. Those pieces that aren't quite good enough to make it into the project?? Mill them while you're doing the good stuff. And...maybe more than just a couple. Be prepared to do multiple test cuts for every joint you have to set up.

 

[Caravanken]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. You really helped me by giving me a different way to look at this. Thanks again and have a great day. Ken

 

[smorgasbord]

Just to expand on [member=7266]jeffinsgf[/member]'s good points is that there are actually some advantages to not being perfectly centered, the usual one being that it forces you to assemble the pieces properly.

Another is that anytime you use the stops for the fence height or the pins/paddles for the side distance, you not only get accuracy cutting both sides of the joint to match each other, you get repeatability in case you need to remake a piece.

 

[Caravanken]

Thanks for your input. After I got out there this AM it all started to make sense. I used a red sharpie to mark the cutter bit center pins and was able to get them aligned on center line. You are correct in that having them slightly off center will create a "one way only" situation and probably next time I will do it that way. The good news is they are all installed and fit perfectly. So glad for your help. This is a phenomenal tool. I can't wait for the next job.

 

[alltracman78]

Wait til you use the DF700...

 

[Packard]

I have a biscuit joiner and not a domino.  But the alignments seem much the same for either.

The one thing I remind myself of is to use the base of the machine as the reference rather than the adjustable fence.

This video by Fine Woodworking shows a biscuit joiner, but it would be easy to substitute a domino machine in each instance.

At about 8:15 minutes into the video, they show how to attach a finished face frame to the box (which is what I understand is the issue here). 

If you don’t feel like watching the full 11 minutes, then fast forward to 8:15 minutes. 

Using the base as the alignment surface solved a lot of the issues I had with the biscuit joiner.  I’m not sure why I stopped using the joiner and replace it with dowels.  Dowels are stronger, but not one of the cabinets I assembled with biscuits ever showed signs fo failure.  Maybe I should reconsider using my biscuit joiner.