Domino XL

[Doug S]

My line of work is traditional joinery making anything out of wood including doors, windows etc. I have recently had to move to a much smaller workshop and buying all new machinery. My question is can I get by with a domino xl instead of a seperate mortiser and tenoning machine that I am used to? I know that this is what the XL is supposedly designed for but just can't get my head round making say a 6 panel hardwood door for a listed building using dominos instead of traditional mortise and tenon joints. Does anyone here have experience of similar work e.g. doors, windows and sashes using the XL?

Thanks, Doug

 

[Just F Me]

There's so much info about this stuff, reading about it may get tire some.  I suggest you go on youtube and just look up FESTOOL DOMINO...I think you'll find what you're looking for.

But in the mean time, I found some videos for you too that might answer your question!

 

[tbellemare]

The guy in the first video is Robbie Myer. He owns a door shop in the East Bay and I was his partner in a Steve Bace class in Henderson (Vegas). It seemed to me that he would not compromise the quality of his work. I think there were 2 generations involved in his business before him.

He impressed me as a cool guy that was serious about quality. I like that, a LOT.

My take is that you can probably trust he isn't blowin' smoke.

Tom

 

[jacko9]

Doug,

I have the Domino XL and I use it to make furniture and yes it does replace my old slot mortising table attachment on my previous Inca Table Saw.

The precision of the slot cutting is astonishing and you can see in the video of the door maker that a slow smooth cut will yield smooth mortise slots.  If you want wider joints just cut the width you want and mill your own tenons to fit.  I have both Domino machines but, I think the XL is better balanced and more refined (Festool probably learned from customer feedback on their original machine).

Jack

 

[Kevin D.]

This page has some excellent links/videos etc to help you make a decision....

http://blog.festoolusa.com/post/2012/06/28/The-Ultimate-Festool-Domino-Guide.aspx

 

[Kevin D.]

This one is really impressive imo.  I'm surprised it's not on the aforementioned page of the Domino link I posted earlier.

 

[Crox G]

Doug,
I'm just an amateur, but I can assure you that the XL will give you joints as strong as your traditional mortise and tenon setup. 

For years I've been making frame-and-raised-panel doors and cabinets.  At first I hand-chopped and hand-sawed, and then I moved on to a hollow-chisel mortiser and table saw.  Now I need only the XL to make perfect joints. Slop within the mortise is zero, every time.  Cutting the rails to the visible length eliminates the math of adding the tenon lengths to the rails.  No more worries about gaps between the tenon shoulders and the mating piece.  I'm now looking for a home for my old mortiser.

You may have to give up drawboring, or be prepared to slow down the usual Domino practice of gluing up the whole project at once.

The XL can also do small jobs, such as picture frames.  I've even done 5"x7" canvas stretchers in 5/8" stock with it.  Simple.  Oops, I mean 127mm x 178mm in 16mm stock.

Here is a picture of one of two storm doors I recently completed in 28mm mahogany.  I used 12 mm Sipo tenons, three in the wide joints and two in the narrower ones.  It hasn't shown any sign of distortion or weakness. I coped the quarter-round joints where the rails met the stiles.

 

[PreferrablyWood]

I'm going for the Domino XL for my next big purchase, these videos really sell the concept well...

 

[Doug S]

Thanks for all the replies and links, looks like the domino xl will do exactly what I need.

Thanks again, Doug

 

[jacko9]

Good decision Doug, let us know what you think after you use it.  After saying that I used my Domino DF500 today to locate a glue up with 6mm dominos - I love these machines!

Jack