HELP!!! Domino accuracy

[Dennis Meek]

I have been trying over the last several days trying to calibrate the horizontal position gauge.  I have finally reached my frustration point!!!!  No matter which direction I move the gauge (left or right) the pencil marks will not line up correctly after inserting a domino.  I believe I have stripped on of the screws holding the plastic gauge so it cannot be tightened.  I probably have stripped the female threads from the plate.

Does Festool have a place where I can send this Domino to in order to have it calibrated and possibly have the threads fixed?

Thanks so much in advance.

Dennis

 

[Fred West]

Dennis, this is exactly the same issue I ran into when I first got my Domino. I never did get it resolved and actually forgot to post it her as Uncle Bob had suggested. What I did to compensate was widen the width of the mortise to allow me to line everything up no matter what. This does not necessarily give a s tight a fit but it does have the added benefit of allowing for minor movement in wood due to temperature and/or moisture changes. Fred

 

[Dennis Meek]

Thanks Fred.  I think I will follow your lead and just widen the mortise.  I appreciate your comments.

Dennis

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Dennis,
Your Domino should still be under warranty if you bought it in the US.  Call Festool at 800-554-8741 Monday and they will fix it for you.

 

[Dennis Meek]

Thanks Jesse.  I will call them Monday.

Dennis

 

[Brice Burrell]

Dennis,
I think you have found the answer you were looking for, so this post isn't going to help you, this is for the benefit of the next guy who runs into this issue. If you (or next guy)would have searched the forum you could have read this post from Christian O., the big man at Festool USA. The quote is from a thread asking your same question.

There should never be the need to calibrate a tool you are buying from Festool. If it doesn't work out of the box,
return it. In no case there should be a need to enlarge screw holes or do similar alterations.

Each tool is calibrated in the
factory and is quality checked several times. In case of the Domino, they are doing test cuts with every
machine in a piece of wood and measure
the mortise. They keep that piece of wood and mark it with the serial no. of the Domino, so they can go back and
check the mortise in case of a complaint. They also have several other calibration stations for the Domino. Everything is done to make sure
you are getting a Domino that works out of the box. 

We are getting reports from Dominoes that need calibration after they have been bought. In order to find out what
the problem is, we need a Domino back before somebody tried to calibrate it himself. We have yet to get one of those Dominoes
back. We are only getting Dominoes back that are completely out of whack because of calibration attempts. We can calibrate
those Dominoes for you, but we cannot find out anymore what the initial problem was.

Please help us finding out what the problem is, by calling our service no. before (!)
you try to calibrate it. Both repair shops have measuring devices, specifically developed for the Domino, to check the Domino. We can measure the Domino and then compare our measurements with those of the Festool factory to
find out what the issue is.

Last but not least: When you are getting a new Domino, please keep in mind that it takes a little practice to get perfect mortises. Don't
judge the accuracy of the tool after the first couple of mortises. Cut 20 mortises until you feel comfortable using the tool, then do
a test mortise and check the accuracy.

Thank you

Christian

  I understand it is hard to know when to try to fix a tool yourself, send it in of service or just return it. Festool makes that decision easy for us, if it's not right, don't try to fix yourself before calling Festool. I hope everyone remembers this so we can help the next guy before he does damage to his tool.

  Dennis good luck, and please let us know how it works out.

 

[Dennis Meek]

Thanks Bryce.  The info you attached is very welcome.  I wasn't aware of this information nor would I have thought to search it out but I'm learning.  I will humbly call Festool on Monday and beg forgiveness.  I wasn't frustrated at my Domino, but with myself, and this makes it very clear that it was the operator who needed calibration.

Thanks again.

Dennis

 

[marty schlosser]

My Domino was also out of alignment and after faithfully following the instructions that came with the tool to adjust the plastic alignment window, it quickly became obvious that the problem lay with the turret being out of adjustment.  This meant that the alignment line machined in the base wouldn't line up with the centre of the slot, which is one of the ways I needed the machine to work for me.  After discussing this with the good folks at Festool, it was decided that I could either return my tool (and get a loaner while mine was away) to be realigned, or to simply receive a new replacement tool.  I opted for the former route, as I felt it would guarantee to the greatest extent possible that my machine would be aligned correctly.

My realigned tool arrived yesterday and I've got to tell you, it's very precisely aligned now.  Thanks, Festool, for standing fully behind your products.  They're darned expensive, but they perform... or else they'll make them perform.

Marty
martyswoodworking.ca

 

[Warren]

My Domino needed to be adjusted as well. 

The pin spacing seemed to be accurate, but the horizontal position gauge was not.  After spending some time on it, it is close, but I wish there was something in the manual that indicated Festool's remarkable attitude about 1) not wanting us to adjust them and 2) sending the tool back so they can look at their quality control process for each individual tool. 

I have to say that I was a bit surprised that mine was out of adjustment for something that could have, and should have been checked at the factory, especially when the engineering on the Domino is so great.

If this is their official policy, do they pay shipping both ways, and do they routinely send a loaner out?

Pretty amazing company, I have to say.

Warren

 

[Dennis Meek]

Well, I finally found time to call Festool, humbly told the gentleman on the phone of my transgressions in trying to align my domino and possibly a stripped screw.  No problem, he said.  Said that he would email me a prepaid shipping label and if I wanted could have UPS come to the house to pick up the tool.  I printed out the lable, affixed it to the package and took it to the nearest USP store since I am never home during business hours.

Festool's customer service was awesome!! 

 

[honeydoman]

yes it is, there customer service is top of the line.  when you buy a professional tool at a what I think is a fair price you get the service you paid for.  just like in the construction trades.  the difference between a lower price and a higher price (most of the time) is professionalism, service and follow up after you have been paid to take care of service.

 

[Dennis Meek]

I got my Domino back yesterday from Festool.  Oh, Yeah!!!!!  And it is dead-on accurate.  I had stripped a screw on the plastic gauge and they replaced the plate and the plastic gauge.  They paid shipping both ways and repaired and calibrated it at no cost.  Absolutely marvelous!!!

Dennis

 

[Dan Clark]

Dennis,

That is excellent!  But it is also normal for Festool. 

I had an alignment issue with my TS55.  I sent it to David at Festool Support on a Saturday morning.  It was fixed and at my front door the following Wednesday! 

Awesome service is one of the major reasons that I like Festool!  I've long forgotten the cost of my Festool tools.  But I'll always remember that great service event!

Enjoy,

Dan.

 

[walkman]

After reading this thread I feel like I need to double check my Domino.

What do I do to test it? Try to make a joint using a pencil line reference instead of the alignment pins?

 

[Eli]

If you aren't having a problem, why would you need to test it?

 

[Steve Jones]

Walkman,

When I was having trouble with the alignment of my domino, I tested it by transferring a line to both sides of a piece of 3/4 stock, used the domino to make a slot slightly higher than center, then turned over the stock and repeated the cut. You end up with two slots overlapping in the center and it is obvious if they align at the sides, if not your adjustment is off by half the distance they are out of alignment by.

 

[ROb McGilp]

Hi,
I just wanted to add something which may or may not help your problem and that of future Domi users.
There are two ways to grip the Domi, either by the barrel or by the plugit plug.
If you look at the first picture below, you will notice that by gripping the barrel, when you push the cutter forward, most of the force is directed not in line with the cutter, but wants to push the Domino down. Add to this the feeling that you need to push hard and you have no way of guaranteeing that the cut will be straight or in line with the mark you have made.
If you look at pic 2. you will see that you are pushing the cutter straight in line with the cutter. That is, your natural tendency is to push forward rather than down. Add to this a gentle consistent pressure and you will have no problem getting accurate and straight cuts.
I think people who have not used the Domi, but have heard about it think it does everything for you. It doesn't. You must tell it what you want to do and then it will do it and do it very well.
If people are finding their first cuts to be off, maybe reviewing the way you're cutting before fiddling with alignment will resolve some issues.

Regards,

Rob

 

[Steve Jones]

Good advice Rob, but my domino was definitely off on the visual guide, and after reading several posts on here I think they were shipping them that way. I know somewhere I read that you can send it in and Festool will fix that, but I had to adjust it myself since once aquiring it I don't think I could manage without it even for a few days (production methods now rely on that little gem)

I did have to send it in later, (It died, some electrical connection problem inside) took it back to my local Woodcraft (where I purchased it) and they loaned me their demo while mine was in for repair). One vote for Woodcraft.

 

[Eli]

I second your advice Rob. Anthony from Ideal Tools suggested the very thing and the quality of my domino's went up immediately. I grab it even further back, only on the plug-it connection, and only with fingertips. Dainty like.

 

[Dave Rudy]

Thanks Rob, for taking the time to provide that excellent tip --- and with photos!

Dave