Domino vs. Leigh FMT

[HowardH]

I used to have one of the Leigh machines years ago. I sold it and now exclusively use the Domino.  I was looking at a video of the FMT again and it made me wonder where using an actual mortise and tenon joint could be better than a Domino.  I can think of a decorative through joint where it could be better but simply from a strength perspective, wouldn't the Domino be just as strong?  It's certainly a lot easier. 

 

[ChuckM]

If you make your own decorative tenons rather than using the stock dominoes, the through tenon issues should disappear.

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As for strengths, double and twin Dominoes offer great structural integrity. Many use the DF500 and DF700 to build chairs, tables and doors, depending on their sizes.

Fine Woodworking did a test on joints years ago, covering the Dominoes as well:

 

[jeffinsgf]

I'm going to second Chuck's comment. The Domino is perfectly capable of through joinery. I did through mortises for a slat shelf in a pair of coffee tables I built. Making the padauk tenon stock may have been the most satisfying part of the whole project. It took a couple runs at it, but I eventually came up with a thickness, width and radius combination that was a piston fit in the Domino mortise.

 

[Michael Kellough]

[member=7266]jeffinsgf[/member] Beautiful table! Did you design it too?

I love Paduak, gorgeous wood and it smells delicious when milled.

Since Domino’s are metric, did you find a metric bullnose router bit or did you have to do something more complicated?

 

[jeffinsgf]

Thanks, Michael. The design is mine, but I took inspiration from several Danish modern designers from the 60s and 70s in what was at the time termed "surf board coffee tables". It's amazing to look at these pictures from when they were just finished. They're so much darker now.

Though I tried, I was not able to find metric radius or bull nose bits here in the states. I suppose I could have tried harder or ordered them from Europe, but before I did either, I tried a 1/8" radius bit on 6mm thick stock, crowded it until the shoulder was just right at the surface of the material and mashed the material down hard with featherboards. Between pushing the limits of the cut and the slightly oversized cut of the Domino, .25 and .236 appeared to be pretty darn close.

 

[Cheese]

Very nice looking table Jeff...I really like the exposed Dominos they add a lot to the overall design. They put an exclamation point on the table.  [smile]

FWIW...Festool offers a 3mm radius insert router bit if you need that for a future project.
https://www.festoolusa.com/accessory/499808---s8-hw-r3-d28-kl12,7ofk#Overview

 

[luvmytoolz]

Outstanding job, the table looks absolutely beautiful! I love the deep richness of it!

 

[HowardH]

It says its for the MFK 700.  Would it also work in a 1010?

 

[Cheese]

It says its for the MFK 700.  Would it also work in a 1010?

Absolutely, I use both the 1 mm & 1.5 mm bits in my 1010.  With 4 edge changes they'll go forever.

 

[Lincoln]

Great looking table, very nicely done. How do you find the Walko that I can see in the background? I have the #4 and love it. A #3 just came up on Marketplace, down here in Aus, and if I had more room I'd grab it.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Great looking table, very nicely done. How do you find the Walko that I can see in the background? I have the #4 and love it. A #3 just came up on Marketplace, down here in Aus, and if I had more room I'd grab it.

I have both a #4 and a #3 Walko with all the accessories and I love them. At one point in time I was considering importing and selling them. My #4 is my "go to" full sheet cutting platform. I unfold it and set it on a pair of saw horses. As you can see in the photo, the #3 is a perfect outfeed table for my vintage Craftsman table saw. Shame they never received the distribution and acclaim they deserve.

 

[jeffinsgf]

It says its for the MFK 700.  Would it also work in a 1010?

Absolutely, I use both the 1 mm & 1.5 mm bits in my 1010.  With 4 edge changes they'll go forever.

Am I looking at this right? Do all the various radius cutters fit on the same shank?

 

[flair woodworks]

I don't have an FMT, so I may be wrong, but... the FMT offers more options of sizes for mortises and tenons, including longer tenons  in smaller sizes. Also, a Domino tenon will often have a different expansion/contraction rate than the materials it's glued into so may fail before a machined tenon. In some extreme situations or after enough time, I think a floating tenon will fail before a machined tenon. But from a practical point, I don't see a significant difference.

 

[HowardH]

I don't have an FMT, so I may be wrong, but... the FMT offers more options of sizes for mortises and tenons, including longer tenons  in smaller sizes. Also, a Domino tenon will often have a different expansion/contraction rate than the materials it's glued into so may fail before a machined tenon. In some extreme situations or after enough time, I think a floating tenon will fail before a machined tenon. But from a practical point, I don't see a significant difference.

The biggest benefit in favor of the Domino is time.  In a production environment, the time savings and thus efficiencies would be significant.

 

[flair woodworks]

If somebody wanted to do a comparison test in a short period of time, I'd probably make a joint with 5x20mm Domino and same-size cut mortise and tenon, join them with PVA glue and throw it in the dishwasher for a number of cycles to try to make one fail.