Domino DF 500 how much time does it save

[GhostFist]

Bollox. I doubt you're early projects will involve a ton of complex joinery. The " old ways" are still current and still used. I understand about lack of time but a good quick project is banging out a joint using only hand tools. The very first thing I did in furniture school was simple hand cut joinery. Machines came after. Really you need to think about the projects you'd like to do and build towards that. Hand tools aren't just nostalgia, they're the fundamentals of the entire craft. Machines come to speed up the production and repeatability, but they are working off the same principles. Is the domino one of the first tools you should buy? I don't believe it is. I'd put the money into a decent table saw and work out from there

 

[Stephen B]

When you have a client like Ms Untidy, speed and accuracy are essential.  [big grin] Hence I have never regretted getting my D500.

[attachimg=1]

However to take up [member=9290]GhostFist[/member] 's point - I do like to use the hand planes I inherited and my 4/12  Veritas.

So my point - get some basic hand tools such as a Tennon Saw and 4" hand plane as well.

 

[Holmz]

OK Sofa_King...
You could use a DD40, but IMO that is probably not needed as you likely have the holy rail for any other shelf work.

You could use a domino for locating the pieces and providing something for shear. Or a Forster bit and some oak dowel, and pull the parts together with either euro style fasteners or screws. Once you put in the holes use these to transfer the location, or just measure it well.http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1292861&KPID=986738&pla=pla_986738

I did some beds once. I used these:http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/12...ET-OF-4.aspx?gclid=CM3ivff9_cwCFUWTfgodRIIHAw
Then you can take them apart to move them.

You could spend up on a Domino, but you cannot easily justify it for just the beds...

 

[sancho57]

I can tell ya this, I didn't think a domino was worth it. I went to a end user class in LV. The first day we cut and sanded etc. We went out to dinner that night and I told the class and Steve B the instructor, I see no value or advantage with the domino I went on and on, about it pretty much dominating the dinner conversation.

The next day in class we used the domino to put our project together. We used it on differ things.

When almost immediately after I got home from the class, I went a bought one.

Now that I have one I can honestly tell you it sits in the systainer for a while. There are other tools I can use like pocket holes that I think are easier and quicker to use.

BUT when I do use it  there is nothing like it that can replace it.

My advice to you is get a kreg jig as you are just starting out. As you gain  experiance in WW you will need and get a domino.

 

[Davidpepke]

I bought the DF500 Set a couple of years ago. Back then I was a hobbyist, but gradually started woodworking for a living. The DF500 really changed the way I thought about joinery - and as a hobbyist, joinery was more like "screw through to layers of MDF = done". With a Domino I started being able to align edges, do joints without screws, started to trust the strength of a domino/glue joint - and that's when my work began earning money. Not to say that this is only due to the Domino, but it is a new way of going about your work.

Also, I use the domino for several other uses than joints. For example these are holes for ventilation of some radiator covers I built a few weeks back.

 

[Gary Sosa]

I, too, am new to woodworking, esp. joinery, but I jumped in with a TSC 55 MFT/3 and CT 36 in a woodshop being converted from a chicken coop. I added a Domino 500 (which is great for lining up slatwall pieces) and EC 125. An OF 1400 router (CMS table and 2nd MFT are on the way).

Meanwhile, I'm cutting 4x8 sheets on the shop floor using foam insulation that will be used soon. I hope to add a jointer/planer combo, but will wait til I see how things shape up. I know little about old school joinery, or woodworking in general, but my decision is considered. The learning curve is based on the tools I will be using. This forum and others have guided me. I hope to make positive contributions as I move along.

Best regards

 

[guitar_ed]

I too am a hobbyist.  And I have a DF500.  I don't use it a lot, but when I need it, it's much easier and more accurate than a biscuit.  I don't use it for everything.  For visible joints, I use old school techniques, but where I would use invisible M&Ts, the Domino is perfect, faster and more accurate than I could ever do by hand.

edg

 

[nnelsen1]

People often talk about how fast the DF500 or 700 "pays for itself." I honestly look at this as perfectly describing my work. I am a hobbyist that sometimes takes on commissions but for the most part I'm not in my shop because I don't have the time. I find that as my time in my shop decreases due to other work constraints, my need to increase productivity grows and the time I do have to spend in the shop is worth more to me. This isn't just to produce pieces faster, but as I am able to move through projects quicker and maintain momentum, I enjoy the work more. I don't enjoy toiling over hand cut half-blind dovetails  nor am I often mesmerised by the wisps of maple that gingerly slither from my hand plane- I enjoy finishing pieces to gift or sell in an efficient way as to move on to the next. In the end, if getting through projects faster and with less headache or stress makes me enjoy my hobby more, then the expense of the DF500 does pay for itself even when I'm not often being paid for my time.

 

[BarnyardTim]

I don't have the 500 but, I do have the 700XL.  The breadboard ends on these tables used to take me at least 4 painful hours to mortise and tenon.  With the Domino I can do them in about 45 minutes.

 

[ear3]

[member=60774]BarnyardTim[/member] Is the small gap in the breadboard joint between the  long boards and the one on the end deliberate to account for wood movement?

 

[bobfog]

[member=60774]BarnyardTim[/member] Is the small gap in the breadboard joint between the  long boards and the one on the end deliberate to account for wood movement?

I'm sure BarnyardTim will give a first hand answer, but to me it just looks like part of the rustic nature of table design rather than an intentional design feature.

 

[BarnyardTim]

[member=60774]BarnyardTim[/member] Is the small gap in the breadboard joint between the  long boards and the one on the end deliberate to account for wood movement?

No, I use all reclaimed lumber and skip plane just enough to make it somewhat flat.  I also try to leave as much "patina" as I can, I think what you are seeing is not a gap, but where the edge of one of the boards is slightly lower than the one next to it because I didn't plane completely flat.

To allow for wood movement, I only glue and peg the center tenon, all the others have the holes elongated and no glue on the breadboard mortise or peg.

 

[ear3]

I see.  Thanks.

[member=60774]BarnyardTim[/member] Is the small gap in the breadboard joint between the  long boards and the one on the end deliberate to account for wood movement?

No, I use all reclaimed lumber and skip plane just enough to make it somewhat flat.  I also try to leave as much "patina" as I can, I think what you are seeing is not a gap, but where the edge of one of the boards is slightly lower than the one next to it because I didn't plane completely flat.

To allow for wood movement, I only glue and peg the center tenon, all the others have the holes elongated and no glue on the breadboard mortise or peg.

 

[ShawnNYC]

I'm no expert and my time is ridiculously limited.
Most of what I make is for my own homes, I refuse to spend thousands for some piece of furniture that is almost the right size and kinda what I want.
I did have all the traditional tools in my shop before I bought my first Festool, but find most of them invaluable at this point. The domino being in the top 3
I love my Kreg jig and it is used regularly. Not having to clamp and wait is the only major advantage over the domino in my opinion, but holy crap does the domino save massive amounts of time.
For example. The wife wanted another nightstand for a guest room. Now.
I used the domino for literally every joint and it was done in a day. Even busted my 5mm cutter and was able to get creative with 4mm dominos to finish up. Simple, fast and no exposed pocket holes.
That thing is a winner in my book and I'd slap anyone who tried to take it from me.

 

[ShawnNYC]

And that's an awesome table Tim...

 

[Stone Message]

I have only just spotted this thread...

The Domino saves loads of time and, not only that, it makes life so much easier.

I sold my morticing machine when I bought the Domino 500 and have never looked back. It will appear at first to be an expensive machine but the speed, efficiency, strength of joints and shear pleasure make it absolutely worth it.

I had a friend about to visit and he has a very bad back and so the day before I made a workshop stool for him to sit on. The whole thing, including filming it took about 4 hours and that also included planing sawn stock to size.

Here is the video:


Peter

 

[eddomak]

I too am just a home project user, and just finished creating the parts for 3 wardrobe carcasses (already done 4 a couple of months ago) and the joinery was dominos and pocket holes. As usual, I was blown away by the speed and accuracy at which even I could get great quality joins. Once I got my mind into gear it was simple to use the domino to get the offsets that I needed just by changing the height adjustment and nothing more. I was also so pleased at using the Kreg jig and how fast and effective it is.

The more practice I have at using the domino the faster I get. I certainly couldn't do the job as quickly or as well without it.

 

[grbmds]

While the Domino does save time in most situations, it's never been about just the time for me. The Domino is a tool that permits creating accurate, tight fitting mortise and tenon joints, sometimes in places in which it would be extremely difficult to make traditional mortise and tenon joints. So, a time saver, for sure, but also a method by which I can create almost anything I want and have accurate, tight fitting joints.

 

[#Tee]

While the Domino does save time in most situations, it's never been about just the time for me. The Domino is a tool that permits creating accurate, tight fitting mortise and tenon joints, sometimes in places in which it would be extremely difficult to make traditional mortise and tenon joints. So, a time saver, for sure, but also a method by which I can create almost anything I want and have accurate, tight fitting joints.

nicely put! sometimes i kinda cringe when i have to use a pocket hole. even tho we dont see it we know theres a hole behind that rail lol.

 

[Steve-Rice]

The Domino allows me to quickly create very strong joints that would be very difficult to achieve otherwise.