Making your own Domino's ?

[porqui]

I have just recently purchased a domino machine and am most impressed but was wondering if there are some of you guys who make your own domino's. That way you cut cost - you can cut longer tennons and wider tennons. What might the downside be. I have been cutting loose tennons for years but cutting the mortice was always a pain.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Welcome to the forum! We've discussed this topic before, if you take your time into account there isn't much monetary savings. The reason to make your own is for custom sizes and wood species. 

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

IIRC I mentioned this last time we talked about making Dominos, but anyway Cinncinati Dowel makes the Dominos too.

Todd

 

[Warrior]

One of the main reasons I make my own dominoes is that I believe the factory dominoes are too tight for a good glue joint. If they need to be inserted with a mallet they are too tight. I make 6mm - 10mm thick dominoes.

Another reason I make my own dominoes is for exterior use. The Sipo Dominoes are pretty expensive.

........I like to make dominoes for the different cut widths for each bit. Plus extra length for the 28mm cut depth setting.

As many possibilities as scrap you have in the shop. No need to match the round mortise I just bevel them. Super fast, super cheap and they fit.

 

[monstrol]

Now thats a good idea, just bevel them!  Why didn't I think of that. Thanks

 

[fshanno]

One of the main reasons I make my own dominoes is that I believe the factory dominoes are too tight for a good glue joint. If they need to be inserted with a mallet they are too tight. I make 6mm - 10mm thick dominoes.

You really thing a normal Domino joint is starved of glue?  That's troubling.  Assuming that's true where would it fail?  Do you think it would start to pull out of the mortise before the members or the tenon fail?  What does M&T failure due to lack of glue look like, what should I expect in a worst case?   I've made passage doors and heavy things hanging on the wall using factory tenons and now you've got me worried.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

My festool ones insert by hand just fine...

Best,
Todd

 

[mattfc]

Mine insert by hand too.  We'll see if this is the case in July.

they should still fit fine in July too, providing you don't use your Domino to cut till then ;D

 

[monstrol]

My experience is most fit by hand but not always.  Joint failure would be due to lack of glueline because of too tight a fit? So if the dominoe shrinks then the joint would fail?  How much of a glueline would you need for a particular joint not to fail? A lot of questions and all I can think of is use lots of dominoes.  Thanks.

 

[nickao]

If the Dominoes are really, really tight now in July they will never fit here. The dominoes will be bigger in July and as Ruta says the domino cutter will  cut the same width mortise's they do now.

 

[jakiiski]

Microwave your Domino's to dry them before using, if they get too tight. Same trick is used with dowels, too.

 

[mattfc]

Matt,
Not sure I follow.  I can see that all lumber (project and domino) would be near the same moisture content.  But shouldn't the domino cutter still cut the same width mortise regardless?

I meant that I presume July will be more dry than now, hence wood should contract. Domino's are already cut, but will probably be different wood and moisture content to what is being joined. If you cut your mortise now with a domino, I would expect it to shrink a little by July as the wood contracts with decrease in moisture. If you wait till you are just about to fit the domino and cut then, you will be cutting into contracted wood, so it should fit.

It all depends of the differential rate on contraction between the dominos and the wood you are joining. I have found the dominos to be very stable in size in my garage, and have had no problems year round with fit. Like others say, pop the domino in the microwave.. it will shrink it a little.

 

[JeromeM]

One of the main reasons I make my own dominoes is that I believe the factory dominoes are too tight for a good glue joint. If they need to be inserted with a mallet they are too tight. I make 6mm - 10mm thick dominoes.

You really thing a normal Domino joint is starved of glue?  That's troubling.  Assuming that's true where would it fail?  Do you think it would start to pull out of the mortise before the members or the tenon fail?  What does M&T failure due to lack of glue look like, what should I expect in a worst case?   I've made passage doors and heavy things hanging on the wall using factory tenons and now you've got me worried.

I think you are worried about nothing. it has been proved that glue starving a joint unless using very high clamping pressures is a myth. And since the dominos have a ridge pattern if you can insert them (even using a mallet) with glue you CAN NOT have a "Domino joint is starved of glue"

 

[nickao]

Matt,
Not sure I follow.  I can see that all lumber (project and domino) would be near the same moisture content.  But shouldn't the domino cutter still cut the same width mortise regardless?

I meant that I presume July will be more dry than now, hence wood should contract. Domino's are already cut, but will probably be different wood and moisture content to what is being joined. If you cut your mortise now with a domino, I would expect it to shrink a little by July as the wood contracts with decrease in moisture. If you wait till you are just about to fit the domino and cut then, you will be cutting into contracted wood, so it should fit.

It all depends of the differential rate on contraction between the domino's and the wood you are joining. I have found the domino's to be very stable in size in my garage, and have had no problems year round with fit. Like others say, pop the domino in the microwave.. it will shrink it a little.

Hey Matt where do you live that in July is less humid than now? Sometimes I forget we all hail from different areas but July and August are the most humid months we have here in the Chicago area.

I do see how the ridges could prevent glue starvation, but glue starvation is not a myth.

If I over clamp a joint I can snap the two pieces right at the glue joint  because I clamped so hard the glue just does not take. If I let off the clamping pressure a bit and than try to snap the two glued pieces it will not break at the glue line. So in the case of edge gluing flat surfaces I do think glue starvation is real, again I do see your point about the ridges holding glue with the Dominoes.

 

[mattfc]

Hey Matt where do you live that in July is less humid than now? Sometimes I forget we all hail from different areas but July and August are the most humid months we have here in the Chicago area.

UK.. and I can assure you it gets pretty damp, not that July is any guarantee of good weather here!

 

[tbellemare]

Isn't it damp every day there?

Tom

 

[porqui]

If the Domino is tooo tight sand it lightly you should not have to hammer it in just tap it in. If you have to hammer it in you will have glue starvation and that IS a weak point.

 

[L2theP]

I use a brush to lightly spread the glue inside the mortise and when i'm doing a lot of domino joints i set up a little piece of sponge in a cutoff plastic cup with a little bit of glue so that i could lightly skim coat the domino surface which in return makes the push in process much smoother and insures that the domino is sufficiently coated by the adhesive.  This works for me try to see if it might for you.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I always have to hammer in my 5 mm Domino tenons, whether from the original part number [larger tenon] or later issued part number [smaller tenon], no matter what season of the year in NE Ohio, which gets rather humid other than during Winter.  I have to sand the old Dominos to use them.  I use original Titebond aliphatic glue for my interior (furniture) projects, and coat both the inside surfaces of the mortices using a solder flux brush and the outsides of the Domino tenons.  I have never experienced any joint failure or any thing approximating it.  I plan on making some of my own tenons, but only for the reasons stated by Eiji and others who want custom sizes and wood species.  Otherwise, the commercially available ones are inexpensive enough as to not make it worth my time to produce my own.

Dave R.