DF 700 Cutter Height for 3/4" Stock? How?

[JaxTeller]

Recently purchased the Domino 700 to use for joinery in lieu of my Lamello biscuit joiner.  Starting to question that choice.  Using any stock less than 1" thick results in cutter offset to one side which is very thin material and can lead to blowout.  I have purchased Seneca shim plates and DF 500 cutter adapters but so far no joy.  Only way I see to "shim" the 700 is to raise the stock workpiece by however many mm necessary for the cut.  Short of cutting wood shims big enough on my table saw I really do not see that as a viable solution.  Anyone else in this pickle?  I'm beginning to think the Lamello biscuit cutter is a better choice for 3/4" and thinner stock when making cabinets than the 700.

 

[mcooley]

The DF 500 is suitable for what you need. I do not own the 700 but I imagine it is not designed for such thin stock. My two cents. Sorry.

 

[elfick]

I'm confused, you purchased the Seneca domi-shims but they aren't working? Are you sure you set your fence to the depth required for the domi-shims?

 

[Crox G]

Install the shim, set the height to 15mm.  Works great--I do it often.

 

[Carl Prentiss]

It sounds like you're registering off the shoe rather than the fence if I'm reading you correctly.

 

[amt]

Something sounds off.  I have seneca shims on a 700 and used it today to join 3/4 material.  You have the shim on the fence, right? 

 

[Knight Woodworks]

Jax

The setup you have should work fine with 3/4" stock. Make sure the fence or the shim is on the work piece and that the base of the Domino is not resting on the bench. You may have to raise the the material or let it overhang your bench.

John

 

[Sparktrician]

One thing I've noted with the DF 500 is that it does the same thing.  The reasons is that the centerline axis of the DF 500 bit is exactly 10mm above the sole plate.  If I have the 3/4" / 18mm material AND the DF 500 on the same surface, the mortise will be off-center as you're experiencing with the DF 700.  The simplest answer is to clamp the material being mortised over the edge of your MFT and let the sole plate of the DF 700 drop below the level of the MFT.  Just be sure to set the fence height to 1/2 the thickness of the material and you'll be OK.  Since I don't yet own the DF 700, I can't tell you the bit height over the sole plate. 

 

[Stone Message]

I fear that the OP has something wrong with his setup. I too sold my Lamello to buy into Dominos and have never regretted it at all.

The DF700, in standard fit, has a smallest cutter size of 8 mm and that is perfectly okay for 24 mm stock but not that unreasonable in 3/4 inch stock. Centring the cut in the stock is important and is easily achieved using the sight gauge.

Note what was posted above that the base of the machine does not ground on the bench when cutting into stock thinner than 20 mm.

Peter

 

[Ivanhoe]

I just finished installing a face frame on a cabinet last night using the Domino 700, the 500 adapter with 5mm bit / 30mm domino, and the 1/2" Seneca plate. (I was using 5/8" Melamine on the carcass sides and 3/4" poplar for the face frame) In my case I set the height to 17mm to accommodate the 5/8" melamine. It worked perfectly. I smile every time something like this comes together. One important thing I use is the support bracket which really seems to help. Also, to achieve the 12mm cut into the face frame and the 18mm cut into the carcass, I use 1/2" pvc depth sleeves cut to the appropriate length.