Domino 500Q cutting hole size.

[retfr8flyr]

I have a new Domino 500 and have the same problem that others have reported, in that it cuts the hole too small for the domino's. I sent it back to Festool and got a call today from their service department. They report it cuts the holes the correct size and they didn't have any trouble fitting their domino's into the holes cut. They said either my domino's must have expanded due to moisture absorption and I should replace them, or the drill bits are incorrectly sized. I am talking abut the complete Systainer setup Product number 498899 Beech DOMINO Tenons Assortment DS 4/5/6/8/10 1060x BU. I am not happy with spending that kind of money and then being told to replace them. These arrived in the Systainer, in a plastic bag and have been stored in my temp controlled garage for a couple months. Not what I would call an environment for them to have picked up enough moisture to cause swelling in the tennon pieces.

Not very happy right now. I will have to wait until my Domino gets back and see what I can discover.

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[Trevin]

When you say "too small", what is too small?  Does the domino enter the hole but does not go in deep enough or does it not even fit into the hole?

 

[retfr8flyr]

The domino does not fit in the hole. I have to sand the ends and sometimes the sides to get them to fit. If I use the larger hole settings I don't have any problem with them fitting, just on the small size setting.

 

[Svar]

The dimensions are thickness, width, and length.
I understand your domino are two wide to go into a hole cut on the narrow setting (or rather the hole is too narrow).
There are threads on FOG on the same problem, where people sent their machines in and had them successfully repaired.

A hack you could do (not approved by Festool I'm sure) is to place a washer between the cutter and the threaded shaft. This will effectively increase the length of the cutter giving it a wider swing and increasing hole width a tiny bit.

 

[Birdhunter]

I have a small hammer I use to tap the tenons into the small mortises. If I’m doing dry fit ups. I sand off the edges of the tenons. I mark these tenons with a Magic Marker so I don’t get them into a glue up.

 

[Svar]

Ideally I would want hole width setting to be infinitely variable down to a round hole. I don't think there is anything in the basic mechanism that prevents this.

 

[peter halle]

When others have posted here about slightly oversized dominos one suggestion has been to try microwaving some at 30 second intervals to see if that removes enough moisture and shrinks them.

Peter

 

[retfr8flyr]

Thanks for the tip, I will give that a try when I get mine back.

 

[BarneyD]

I have not tried the microwave trick. But I routinely bake my tenons in the wife's toaster oven.  About 225 degrees F for about 20 minutes does the trick for me. But 99% of the time I use the middle setting on the Domino, so I'm not too concerned about their width but rather their thickness. Drying them allows for much easier disassembly of a dry fit up.

 

[nclemmons]

Microwave works for me.  Drop a handful in a glass bowl and 30-45 seconds and they go in well.

You might also try desiccant packets in the domino bins as another idea, particularly if you are mobile.
https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Desiccant-Packets-Dehumidifiers-Pharmaceutical/   

 

[Cheese]

If the microwave or toaster oven doesn't work, here's a recent thread on a DF 500 issue, it sounds exactly like your problem.
http://festoolownersgroup.com/festo...no-mortise-is-too-narrow/msg517963/#msg517963

 

[Picktool]

... But I routinely bake my tenons in the wife's toaster oven.  About 225 degrees F for about 20 minutes does the trick for me.

What about Rice? Fill the domino systainer set with it?
They tell you to put a soaked iPhone in it.

Or if you have good carbide teeth, try the following recipe:

[list type=decimal]
[*]Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
[*]Mix dominoes* as needed.
Mix olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder and onion powder together.
Coat dominoes* with oil/spice mixture and place on a baking sheet.1
[*]Bake for 15~20 minutes in preheated oven.
[/list]
1 - glue probably wont work
* substitute w/ potatoes for a softer chew w/ regular teeth.