Dominos too snug

[MahalaHomecraft]

I was doing 5's in plywood and had no issues, but when I moved up to 6's in poplar I had to really go at it to get them in.  This wasn't the case with every single domino, but with the majority of them.  thus appears to be true across both the width and thickness of the tenon.  Doing face frames I even had a couple splits.  Is this just because my 6 cutter is a little worn out?

 

[Ed Bray]

Possibly, could also be that the Dominos have absorbed a little bit of moisture and swelled a bit.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

It is possible that your Dominos have absorbed some moisture and have swelled. I've noticed that mine fit differently depending on atmospheric conditions. I have heard of a multitude of methods to remove moisture from your tenons, including popping them in the microwave, warm oven, or popping some dessicant packs in your Domino systainer. Hope this helps!

 

[Vanquish]

I place the ones I need on a tray and put them in the toaster oven for a few minutes. Doesn't take too long before they've shrunk back down to a usable size.

 

[dltflt]

Is the cutter broke?  I broke just the tip off of one my cutters and it caused it to be a little tight. That would only effect the width side to side.

 

[nclemmons]

Microwave works great to make them easier to fit.  30 seconds and you're good to go.

Alternative is to sand them, but they definitely absorb moisture and cause a tight fit when in storage

 

[MahalaHomecraft]

I'm aware of he moisture issue, but I thought this would only be a problem seasonally.  It's winter now and very dry.  I did notice the 10mm tenons take only gentle tapping to get in but are still difficult to remove.  I'll try the toaster.

 

[Gary in Texas]

If the tenons are also tight width wise, I would suggest you inspect your cutter, as you may have broken off a piece of the tip end...  I assume you are making the mortises on the narrowest setting, but you should have a little play there. 

Otherwise, won't hurt nor take very long to pop a handful of tenons into the microwave and check if that has any effect on how tight the tenons fit.

Gary

 

[Rick Christopherson]

The thing to remember about Domino is that you want the tenons to be tight. That's part of the precision of the tool. They're not biscuits. You actually want to have to tap them in with a hammer.

As for splitting a faceframe, that is probably more likely due to hydraulic pressure from the glue than a tight tenon. I don't believe a tenon could be tight enough to split a frame, but hydraulic pressure will easily do it, because it is transferring the impulse of a hammer blow to the walls of the mortise.

 

[Nick C]

You might try making the dominos just a bit narrower. I take a shaving off each side with a block plane. It preserves the thickness, which is important for alignment, but makes the insertion less difficult.

 

[rondon]

another thing you can do is just hit the side lightly with a piece of sandpaper.  It works wonders