Domino or....

[Nigel]

Hi folks,
          I had intended to buy a Domino in the near future but on discovery of a new tool, the Freud Doweller I,m hesitant.This tool is basically a copyish of a Mafell Duo but at half the price and less than half the price of a Domino.Dowels up to 12mm and 43mm deep would seem to be upto anything the Domino can do if not more.They are also centered on 32mm which is obviously useful.Also dowels are much more widely available and  alot cheaper.I can get 1 metre long dowels for less than 1 euro locallyand just chop them to length.So any good reason to stick with the Domino? The only real advantage I can see for Domino is for narrow stock.Am I missing something?Incidentally the Freud seems to have fence pins similar to the old style Domino which a lot of people preferred.Thanks for any thoughts.Nigel.

 

[JeromeM]

Hi folks,
           I had intended to buy a Domino in the near future but on discovery of a new tool, the Freud Doweller I,m hesitant.This tool is basically a copyish of a Mafell Duo but at half the price and less than half the price of a Domino.Dowels up to 12mm and 43mm deep would seem to be upto anything the Domino can do if not more.They are also centered on 32mm which is obviously useful.Also dowels are much more widely available and  alot cheaper.I can get 1 metre long dowels for less than 1 euro locallyand just chop them to length.So any good reason to stick with the Domino? The only real advantage I can see for Domino is for narrow stock.Am I missing something?Incidentally the Freud seems to have fence pins similar to the old style Domino which a lot of people preferred.Thanks for any thoughts.Nigel.

Am I missing something?

Unless you want to put in only 1 (or 2 using the twin drill setup) Almost everything  : dowels HAVE to have EXACT spacing there is no wiggle room.

Dominos don't the first is exact the rest are a little wide. For the rest of the reasons why just read the reviews. There is no comparison apart from the twin dowel case

 

[mwhafner]

Buy the Domino and don't look back.

I have the Freud doweling machine, and it works pretty well.  It is not as well made as the Domino, and tends to get out of alignment occasionally.  The reference pins will creep slightly after a couple hundred holes.  I use mine pretty frequently for shelf pins, and I make sure to check the spacing every 15 or 20 holes. 

 

[Frank Pellow]

There is another doweling jig that you should consider as well, that is the Dowelmax.

Look at this thread: http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=892.0

Based largely upon what I read in that thread, I purchased a Dowelmax instead of a Domino.  Almost three years later, I am not sorry that I did so.

Don't get me wrong, I have used a Domino and I like it, but for my volume of work, the Dowelmax does at least as good a job at a much lower cost.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

I had intended to buy a Domino in the near future but on discovery of a new tool, the Freud Doweller I,m hesitant.This tool is basically a copyish of a Mafell Duo but at half the price and less than half the price of a Domino.Dowels up to 12mm and 43mm deep would seem to be upto anything the Domino can do if not more.They are also centered on 32mm which is obviously useful.Also dowels are much more widely available and  alot cheaper.I can get 1 metre long dowels for less than 1 euro locallyand just chop them to length.So any good reason to stick with the Domino? The only real advantage I can see for Domino is for narrow stock.Am I missing something?Incidentally the Freud seems to have fence pins similar to the old style Domino which a lot of people preferred.Thanks for any thoughts.Nigel.

Make sure you read some of the Domino reviews, brochures and manuals which are linked to at http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=1185.msg60044#msg60044

One of these, the DF500 Domino Review (Good Woodworking, Jan 2008) is a comparison between the Mafell DD40 Duo Doweller and the Domino, but it only shows the Domino part of the comparison. However the Duo Doweller part is also available on the Internet for you to read.

As well as the Domino tenons having a larger surface area for glue, and the ability of the machine to make three different width holes for ease of alignment, Festool also make much of the fact that pieces connected with a single Domino tenon don't rotate, unlike pieces connected with a single dowel.

Forrest

 

[Tim Sproul]

Festool also make much of the fact that pieces connected with a single Domino tenon don't rotate, unlike pieces connected with a single dowel.

The pieces I join with a single domino rotate.  They won't spin around but the joint has enough freedom to come out of alignment without heroic pressure needed.  Multiple dominos are more stable...but the same is true for dowels.

 

[Nigel]

Thanks for the responses.I shall probably stick with the Domino and not look back.I had seen some "strength tests " where the domino came off poorly in comparison to dowels.Festool tests tell another story (obviously).Logically dominos would seem to be stronger.

 

[gkeas]

I have no experience with a dowel machine (only used drills and brad point bits for dowelling), but I did return a very slighly used biscuit jointer when I bought the domino.  I don't miss it (some folks have both, and I'm sure they have reasons, but I can't think of any).

 

[Nigel]

I,ve got a biscuit jointer which I use for edge joining.A Domino will join frame components and stair spindles etc which you can't do with a biscuit.I'll keep the biscuiter just for edge joining though.

 

[Nigel]

Forrest,
Thanks for the links.A wealth of info,much appreciated.

 

[Tezzer]

I'll keep the biscuiter just for edge joining though.

why ???

 

[Nigel]

Biscuits are cheap? I've also got a lot.Do you reckon Dominos are better Tezzer?I understand the alignment thing but I've never had a problem with biscuits.I suppose I could flog the lot and just use the Domino... [unsure]

 

[JeromeM]

Biscuits are cheap? I've also got a lot.Do you reckon Dominos are better Tezzer?I understand the alignment thing but I've never had a problem with biscuits.I suppose I could flog the lot and just use the Domino... [unsure]

The main disadvantage with biscuits is that they add no strength to a joint. They locate only, that may not be bad.

The dominos however both locate and add strength.

You choose if location is all you want.

 

[chrisrosenb]

Biscuits are cheap? I've also got a lot.Do you reckon Dominos are better Tezzer?I understand the alignment thing but I've never had a problem with biscuits.I suppose I could flog the lot and just use the Domino... [unsure]

I have a biscuit cutter & a Domino.
I would not give up either one. Both have their uses in my shop.

 

[Tim Sproul]

The main disadvantage with biscuits is that they add no strength to a joint.

Where does this come from?  While biscuits may not be a traditional joinery method, they add plenty of strength.  Butt join end grain to long grain with and without biscuits.  Tell me which joint is stronger.