Domino question

bevans

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Joined
Aug 4, 2010
Messages
105
I am trying to plunge into a mitered joint with wood 3/4 inch thick beveled at 45 degrees. I have adjusted the height gauge so that the mortise is closer to the edge of the miter but keep going through the stock with the cutter. I am using 5x30 dominos and I have also adjusted the depth adjustment lever to12 and that helps but I am trying to avoid cutting the dominos as there are quite a few tenons that I need and besides I always find cutting the dominos a dangerous task. I read Rick's supplemental manual but can't find the information I need. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

Bruce
 
There is a safe way to cut dominoes.  First, get a piece of scrap a little wider than you Domino is long (say 25mm if you are using 30mm dominoes.  Route a Domino hole (again 30mm) through the adjacent face of the piece.  Take a small file, sandpaper, whatever and enlarge the hole very slightly so that the Domino is a snug, but not super tight fit.  This should allow you to put a domino in and pull it back out easily.

Now, mark a line at 90 degrees to the hole and the distance from the edge you want the length of the Domino to be - if you want a 12mm domino, mark 12 mm from the edge.  Use a hand saw to cut through the domi hole on the line you drew.  Put the piece in a vise with the hole at comfortable sawing level.

Now the fun begins, stick in a domino, saw down the kerf, remove the 12mm domino.  Repeat as necessary. 
 
If your material is 18 mm thick and you are on a 45-degree miter you should have plenty of room for a 5 mm domino mortise placed 1 mm in from the inside of the miter. I calculate about 18.75 mm prior to blowing through.

Am I missing something?

Tom
 
Thanks for the replies. I am sure your calculations are correct. I did not want to place the mortise that close to the edge...just didn't think it was a good idea as the closer I got to the edge the more difficult it was for me to keep the fence lined up square to the miter and the mortises looked a little crooked. I just need to practice more.

Cutting the dominos with a jig and a miter saw scares the hell out of me so if I can't line up my mortises I will try to shorten the dominos using a hand saw.

Thanks again

Bruce
 
When I see crooked mortises, it's almost always because there isn't enough pressure being applied to the black handle on the front of the fence or the plunge is too fast, or both.

Whenever you domino a miter, you want the domino as close to the inside of the miter as possible.

Tom
 
I am doing the same thing right now, with stock that is net 5/8".

I have the fence adjusted as low/close as it can be, with the depth at 12.  (it still comes mighty close.)

When it's just a few tenons, I have some sharp snips to trim the tenons down.
For a larger batch, I will either take 5 minutes to shape the right push stick or 20 minutes to make a little sled.
 
Are you using the Domino Joiner with the fence on the face of the mitred stock, or on the edge?
 
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