Festool Domino DF500 - Plate offset from fence during plunge cuts

[cjfiore88]

I have had issues with plunge cuts using my DF500. Upon inspection it looks like when set in the 0"deg position for plunge cuts, the plate is not coplanar with the machined piece the domino bit comes out of (fence?) There is about a 0.014" difference between the two, so when I have it set down to plunge it will rock. If I install the extra plastic support piece, it lines up with what I'm calling the fence, not the plate, and it will still rock. Is this a fundamental issue with the fence assembly for my domino? I show in the pictures below the offset with a shim, and that if you put a square across the two surfaces the square will rock and it isn't coplanar.

 

[bobtskutter]

I think the Bevel gauge on the side of the machine is adjustable. You might be able to realign the plate, but the reference faces are the ones that contact the work piece.
I've never done any realignment of the domino fence, so I might be talking rubbish.
Bob

 

[ChuckS]

Mine doesn't seem to have the issue you reported.

Could you loosen the fence, change its angle and return it to 0 degree, and slide it up and down a few times to see if it makes any difference.

 

[cjfiore88]

Mine doesn't seem to have the issue you reported.

Could you loosen the fence, change its angle and return it to 0 degree, and slide it up and down a few times to see if it makes any difference.

I've tried that and unfortunately it doesn't seem to make any difference. I recently went to a local rockler and saw their demo unit has these two surfaces being perfectly coplanar. I'll try reaching out to festool, but I bought this in 2019 so I doubt they'll be ofuch help. I've always had issues with plunge cuts, I'm betting this is why.

 

[ChuckS]

They'll probably ask you to send it in for assessment and quote. If the repair cost is too much, perhaps a shop-made solution is to double-face tape a shim/thin spacer to the milled flat as well as the support bracket so the machine won't tilt when plunging vertically.

 

[cjfiore88]

They'll probably ask you to send it in for assessment and quote. If the repair cost is too much, perhaps a shop-made solution is to double-face tape a shim/thin spacer to the milled flat as well as the support bracket so the machine won't tilt when plunging vertically.

Yeah I'll give it a shot. Kind of disappointing considering the cost of this tool and the fact that this is a factory defect. When I first invested in the domino I lived in a pretty small city that had no local festool dealers within 2 hours. I had no prior experience with a domino so I didn't really know what to look for.