Festool Looking for Feedback on the Domino

[chiudesign]

Anyone know how loud the Domino is?
How does it compare to a OF1400 router?

K

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Everyone,
I received a message this morning from Christian Oltzscher (Festool CEO), asking for some feedback on the Domino.  Below is a quote from Mr. Oltzscher's e-mail message:

We are working on getting all the information for the introduction of the Domino ready. We want to provide a FAQ sheet that lists questions and the answers. It is kind of hard for us to come up with all the  questions our customers might have, since we all have worked with the Domino for a while.

Do you think we could use the group to ask all the questions they can think of about the Domino? Benefit for the members: They would get all the answers.  Benefit for us: We would know what questions will come up before the Domino hits the market.

Thanks
Christian

Post your answers, responses, or follow-up comments here.

Thanks everyone,
Matthew

 

[greg mann]

Everyone,
I received a message this morning from Christian Oltzscher (Festool CEO), asking for some feedback on the Domino.  Below is a quote from Mr. Oltzscher's e-mail message:

We are working on getting all the information for the introduction of the Domino ready. We want to provide a FAQ sheet that lists questions and the answers. It is kind of hard for us to come up with all the  questions our customers might have, since we all have worked with the Domino for a while.

Do you think we could use the group to ask all the questions they can think of about the Domino? Benefit for the members: They would get all the answers.  Benefit for us: We would know what questions will come up before the Domino hits the market.

Thanks
Christian

First question: Can I get mine now?

Greg

Post your answers, responses, or follow-up comments here.

Thanks everyone,
Matthew

 

[AHoman]

Some questions that will likely come up.  I think I can answer them but still believe they will be recurrent questions:
1. How does the Domino differ from a biscuit joiner?
2. How does using the Domino differ from using a router for mortising?
3. Will the Domino be available in package deals, i.e., with multifunction tables or vacuums?

Cheers,
Andy

 

[Aaron B]

Will the Domino allow variable spacing?
Does it cut different sizes, not just length but also width?

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Domino-related questions have been merged into this discussion.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

One thing that would help me is a somewhat detailed discussion of all the accessories and what they are for.  What are the 'must haves' and what are the 'useful to have if you do xxx' accessories.

 

[Texirish]

Information on the strength of Domino joints compared with alternate joints would be helpful.

 

[Bob Marino]

Some questions that will likely come up.  I think I can answer them but still believe they will be recurrent questions:
1. How does the Domino differ from a biscuit joiner?
2. How does using the Domino differ from using a router for mortising?
3. Will the Domino be available in package deals, i.e., with multifunction tables or vacuums?

Cheers,
Andy

 

I am not a Festool employee, so I my answers may get expanded/revised, and I hope I am not stepping out of bounds, but will try to offer some quick and simple responses to some of the questions.

The Domino is similar in appearance to a biscuit joiner, similar looking fence, handle body, etc. But rather than having a round cutter slicing a slot in the workpiece to accept a flat, football shaped biscuit, the Domino Joiner has different size router bits that rout and occilate to various size oval mortises. The depth and width of the cut is also variable. The Dominos are the loose tenons and are made of solid beech, maybe offered in mahaghony for outdoor use later. Mortise and loose tenon joinery is extremely strong, they are not simply for alignment.

The Domino differs from a router for mortising in a couple of ways. The Domino doesn't move while the bit cuts, while on a router, you generally have to move the router while mortising. The Domino is way esier to use on edges and side and angled workpieces. There are more differences, but it's getting late;>).

The Domino is available by itself, as a set and also in packages with the CT vacs.

Bob

 

[Bob Marino]

Will the Domino allow variable spacing?
Does it cut different sizes, not just length but also width?

You can have variable spacing when you use the CROSS STOPS.
Yes there are 5mm, 6mm, 8 mm and 10 mm cutters.

Bob

 

[rustym]

Can the Domino be used without a vac?  I don't have a Festool vac (yet) but do have a shop vac.  Would this work with the Domino?

Rusty

 

[Bob Marino]

Can the Domino be used without a vac?  I don't have a Festool vac (yet) but do have a shop vac.  Would this work with the Domino?

Rusty

Rusty,

It can be done. If you did use it without a vac, you'd have a sizeable mess. A shop vac can be used if you get an adapter to hook your vac to the dc port on the Domino.

Bob

 

[Dan Clermont]

Can the Domino be used without a vac?  I don't have a Festool vac (yet) but do have a shop vac.  Would this work with the Domino?

Rusty

Unless you have a Fein vac buy the Festool hose. The non anti-static one is $49.95 and well worth it. I work at a Film production facility where we can buy hose and fittings at wholesale prices. I couldn't find the fittings and hose any cheaper then the $49.95 plus the fittings would have been much larger and cumbersome

Cheers
Dan Clermont

 

[Tinker]

Quote from Bob Marino>>>The Domino is available by itself, as a set and also in packages with the CT vacs.

 

[Tinker]

Somebody asked if the Domino is easier to make motices than with a router.  In my own case, I have tried it with flat type router table and with my Wood Rat (not trying to advertise the Rat, it just happens to reside in my own shop with considerable use).  I find it much simpler with the Rat for both mortices and loose tennons and more repeatable for later setup.  However, I cannot see that the Rat will come even close to the Domino for ease of accuracy and/or repeatability.  More importantly, for me, is that it looks like the domino will be great as far as dust control. I am watching John Lucas's demos (woodshopdemos.com) very closely as he is currently doing a series with the Domino. VERY interresting.

i looked at another site where he (I think it was Jack Loganbill) tried the Domino and he had a problem with tightening the angle of the fence; and the fence or the body housing cracked from applying too much torque to the wrench.  Is this a common happening?  If so, is Festool addressing the problem?  (Festool did replace the part immediately)
Tinker

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Do you mean they are available NOW?
Tinker

Some dealers are accepting preorders for the DOMINO, it will not be available for shipment until April 1st, 2007.

 

[Hotwheels]

I am not the most imaginative wood worker, so I work with what I have. I am interested in doing a variety of furniture and outdoor landscape structure projects (pergolas, decorative gates, etc...) and joinery is one of the things I am least informed about. I use an FMT for M&T for face frames and other projects, but I am curious about example applications for the Domino -- some information about the range of applications would help me to understand if it would be a useful tool for me.

 

[Royce]

One thing that could have made the unit even more useful is having the option of the plunge feature only ( no oscillation ) and it could have been used for dowels.  I would imagine that this did not get by the engineers, and who knows how much more it would have added to the mechanicals, but just an idea. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

Is it true that the Domino doesn't have a straight drilling function?

 

[bill-e]

Anyone know how loud the Domino is?
How does it compare to a OF1400 router?

K

Just holding it and turning it on it is a little quieter and of a lower pitch than a Dewalt plate joiner.  The Dewalt jointer has the distinctive higher pitch of a whirling blade while the Domino, because of the mechanics of moving the bit side to side, is a lower pitch (frequency) and almost sounds a bit like a jig saw because you can just barely hear the mechanism moving side to side.