Dewalt Biscuit Joiner Died.....Replace or let my Domino do it all?

[RussellS]

My main use now for the biscuit joiner is making clean slots for attaching table tops to aprons using clips

I have done that too and it works great.

 

[davee]

I sold my Porter Cable biscuit joiner last month - put the money in the Domino XL purchase fund.  Didn't fill the fund very much as compared to the price of the XL!  Don't miss it a bit.

 

[Alan m]

iv never even seen my biscuit joiner since the domino came .
never had the need to look for it.

 

[Festoolian]

I think it is much easier to let a $150 machine (biscuit joiner) sit on the shelf than it is to let an $800 machine (domino joiner).

I have a domino and an ELU biscuit machine that I would use for some projects over dominos.  I like to have options for assembly methods.

 

[woodguy7]

I have the Domino + the XL but still took my Elu biscuit jointer out the other day.  Sometimes the thin longer biscuit is better for aligning thin panels.  Like they say, if the only tool you have is a hammer then everything else looks like a nail !

Carrolladams, out of curiosity which domino do you prefer ?  Pins or paddles ?  I have pins & really glad about it.  Don't want to start another debate about it though !

 

[ccarrolladams]

Carrolladams, out of curiosity which domino do you prefer ?  Pins or paddles ?  I have pins & really glad about it.  Don't want to start another debate about it though !

Before the Domino 500 was available in the USA I had used them several times during visits to Europe. Of course those all had the pins, as did my original Domino 500. I do not recall participating in any of the Festool on-line groups before buying my second Domino 500 a year or so later. So I had not read about the pins vs paddles debate. However, my dealer did tell me that Festool had made a design change, so all the Domino 500 he had in stock were the then new kind with paddles.

Since I had hardly ever used the pins to register from the edge of a part, and never from mortise to mortise, I did not feel the design change would bother me. During the years since I am productive with both machines. In my shop my frame/door maker uses the Domino more than the rest of us. He uses his personal Domino 500, which he had pre-ordered so it has pins. He has tried mine and others with the paddles, but really prefers the pin version.

During several Festool classes when we have used the Domino all have had paddles. My suggestion to those buying their first Domino is to not go to special effort to find a used pins Domino. Of course if you own a pins Domino and love it, then you might want to find another as a spare.

 

[Dixon Peer]

My Dewalt 682 Biscuit Loiner crapped out...The plastic trigger is broke... Do I just use my Domino for all tasks or buy a new B-Joiner?

No one has said it, but I've been known for having a big mouth, so I'll be the first to step up.

WHY are you even using a biscuit joiner if you have a Domino? I have yet to find *one* task that my biscuit joiner could do that my Domino can't do better, faster and more accurately. After two years of just sitting on the shelf collecting dust, I sold my biscuit joiner and a box of 2000 biscuits and used the $50 to buy a case of beer. It was worth it.

Just putting it out there.  [wink]

Well, for one thing, the Domino can't be used with a lot of casings to secure the miter joints the way my Lamello Top can.  The Dominos are too thick.

 

[upscale]

Well, for one thing, the Domino can't be used with a lot of casings to secure the miter joints the way my Lamello Top can.  The Dominos are too thick.

Hmmm, I think I read that the Lamello can use some specially designed smaller biscuits than your average  biscuit joiner, but I'm having a hard time believing they're all that much thinner than the Domino 4mm tenons.

 

[Dixon Peer]

Well, for one thing, the Domino can't be used with a lot of casings to secure the miter joints the way my Lamello Top can.  The Dominos are too thick.

Hmmm, I think I read that the Lamello can use some specially designed smaller biscuits than your average  biscuit joiner, but I'm having a hard time believing they're all that much thinner than the Domino 4mm tenons.

I checked.  The Lamellos are in fact 4 mm thick.  In any event, most casings we deal with are thinner at the inside profile, thicker toward the outside.  I find the fact that the Lamello cuts a segmental arch in the work to be the way to go in that case, rather than dealing with an oscillating router bit cutting to the same depth throughout.  I think most trim carpenters would agree that this is a very good use for the biscuit joiner.  I have been using these things on my jobs since the mid seventies, and rarely if ever do we have a problem with the miters opening up.  Anyway, to each his own.

 

[Rembo]

This is the first thing that came into the memory. I used to use a DeWalt

 

[peter halle]

I am going to agree with Dixon.  If you install colonial style casing that has a tapered profile the biscuit aligns more of the length of the miter and has worked well for me.

I have had a thought in the back of mind of something to try with the door casing using the domino and the 4 mm dominos for a couple of years but just haven't gotten to it.  [scared]

Maybe next week.

Peter