Domino Joint Flushness

Chris Billman

Chris Billman

Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
25
I've only cut about 100 mortises with my domino, so I'm still in the learning phase.  I've read the Festool manual, Rick's manual, Jerry's manual, and a bunch of old threads here and elsewhere.

I'm not always getting flush edge-to-edge joints.  Sometimes they're flush, sometimes they're off by a 32nd or so.  I'm being careful to register things properly and to apply all the other lessons learned I've read about.

Are my expectations too high?  Do you always get flush joints or is my level of variation normal?

TIA!
 
I too have had problems with the flushness.  I need more practice.  One thing that I found to help me (courtesy of this forum) was to hold the handle closer to the cord.  That has helped me.

Peter
 
i guess it is just practice practice.  somebody once asked me how to you get to carneige hall..... I said practice practice practice.

but if you make sure it is flat and not tipped you can do it.  also make sure you register from the same joining sides.  for example.  when I do a bookcase and the sides are joined with the top.  I register from the outside on the sides and on the top of the top.  so they line up.  that is very important also.

flussness of a joint is a saying from the 60's when the cops would show up at your door.... you would flush all the joints!
 
Chris Billman said:
I've only cut about 100 mortises with my domino, so I'm still in the learning phase.  I've read the Festool manual, Rick's manual, Jerry's manual, and a bunch of old threads here and elsewhere.

I'm not always getting flush edge-to-edge joints.  Sometimes they're flush, sometimes they're off by a 32nd or so.  I'm being careful to register things properly and to apply all the other lessons learned I've read about.

Are my expectations too high?  Do you always get flush joints or is my level of variation normal?

TIA!
Click to expand...

I've only done about a bag and a half of the big ones and I found as someone else has mentioned that holding the rear of the unit near the cord helped and also applying most of my downward pressure on the forward most part of the plate in the front of the unit so that the rear almost floats.  Now their pretty much dead on.  

 
If you are locating using both pins, which you must for edge jointing 2 pieces, and the edges are not flush, then the distance from one location pin to the center line of the slot is not the same as the distance for the other pin. In order  to adjust for this, you must adjust the one pin that is in the eccentric bushing. See Jerry Works manual page 10.
 
Thanks, but I think my pins are fine.  It's not the side-to-side flushness that's in question here - it's the surface flushness.  Like if I'm gluing up two boards edge to edge to make a wide panel I sometimes get the top/face surfaces misaligned by up to a 32nd.  I hope that makes sense...

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.  Keep em coming.
 
Make sure your fence is not moving. Some have had a problem with the locking lever bottoming out against the bracket before the screw is tight.

Be careful of the base of the domino touching the work table especially when working with 3/4" stock.

Plunge straight and smooth. Some are plunging too quickly or with down pressure. Grip close to the cord.

You should be able to get within .005 or less.
 
I think the problem you are encountering is you're not holding the fence flat on the projecct. I did this a few times and found I was slightly lifting the back up and it was allowing it to cut slightly high. Maby a matchbook thickness. You might double check that the parallel surface is flat on the board. If you need, I'll take a picture tomorrow to describe what I encountered.
 
check your fence is 100% set at 90deg and square. When mine clicks into position it is not square and I have to adjust it slightly checking with an engineers square. I was having flushness issues too.
 
Bill Wyko said:
If you need, I'll take a picture tomorrow to describe what I encountered.
Click to expand...
That would be great if you could.  I'm pretty sure I understand your comments, but a picture would make it crystal clear.
 
I also hang the edge of the piece so that the bottom of the Domino will be in the air.  It is possible to get an incorrect height if the bottom of the Domino is making contact with the work surface.  I have a jig that the piece to be Dominoed hangs out over the edge of the MFT.  I hope it helps.

Dan
 
I hate to ask, but did you face joint the wood?

Frequently I skip that and go straight to the planer, but nothing fits quite right when I glue up.
 
I had this issue a few times with face frame construction, mostly where the flushness was out of plane a bit.  There was an earlier thread on this, where some people suggested that the fence height adjustment sometimes goes out of square when locking the fence.  I am always careful now when locking the fence and it seems to have corrected most of the flushness issues.

 
martrix said:
check your fence is 100% set at 90deg and square. When mine clicks into position it is not square and I have to adjust it slightly checking with an engineers square. I was having flushness issues too.
Click to expand...

I had the same issue.  My fence was more like 89 deg and I couldn't get a flush fit.  Adjusting to 90 deg and the problem went away.
 
Hmm - I'll have to check my fence.  I'll search for the old thread to see what I need to do (unless someone feels like summarizing the "fix" here...  ;) ).  Thx!
 
I'd suggest plunging slowly. The denser the wood, the slower you plunge. ALso put your hand at the very back of the Domino near the power cord.

In general, the Domino is a quick machine, sometimes I tend to go too fast and mess up my cuts. Go slow and make sure your fence is set properly on the wood you are cutting

Dan Clermont
 
I do things slightly differently. I put face of rail and stile piecees down on the MFT and set the Domino so that its base in on the MFT and secure. Dont use the fence. This means that you have to accept the Domino's mortising depth. It may be slightly off center but it is always flat...
 
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