Manufacturing Defect on DF-500 Fence

[JMcFly]

I hate for this to be my first post and I did some searching and cant find a result for my issue but here it goes...

I just received my DF-500 Domino Joiner and I ordered it through Amazon, first mistake.... I took it out of the systainer yesterday to calibrate it and during that process I noticed the triangles in the fence have metal flashing left over from the casting process. I'd say thats a poor QA issue at the start. I cannot accurately read the tips of the triangles to line up my line or board edges.

Do I send it in for warranty service

Tell Amazon to do a return exchange

Send it back to Amazon and get a refund and go to Woodcraft and handle a few and inspect them and repurchase...

Take a small metal file to my nearly $1000 tool and fix it myself....

seriously disappointing....

 

[RustE]

Given my experiences with Amazon:  Return it to Amazon and re-order from a better Festool dealer.  There are plenty of good Festool dealers around that would make sure the next order is better.

 

[ChuckS]

I don't know if the triangles on my DF500 have similar problems as yours as I don't ever us them at all. I do not consider the triangles precise enough for dead-on work; I use the position gauge (plastic window) on the fence for pencil-line alignments. I don't think the triangles can be calibrated like the position gauge.

 

[Bob D.]

Regardless of if you use them or not, it's an expensive tool and it should be right. Return it and buy from a reputable dealer. The price will be pretty much the same anywhere, and any of the online dealers like ToolNut or Beaver (to name only two of many) will probably get you the tool almost as fast if not as fast as Amazon did. Anytime I order from ToolNut I get the stuff the next day (provided its in stock of course), but that's because I am fairly close at ~250 miles away and in the shipping zone.

I've never found the pricing on Amazon any better than I could get from a dealer for Festool, so I just don't buy Festool from them.

 

[JMcFly]

I mainly purchased from Amazon to utilize the Amazon Smile portion, its not much but I like to try and help out the charity I support.

I called amazon and got a person, an actual live person (I think), and they are expediting a replacement kit out to me and ill swap it out. If the replacement is not to my liking ill ask for a full refund and go find a dealer.

buyer beware with amazon apparently.

While calibrating the plastic sight I found it incredible difficult to read my pencil line. I might invest in the woodpecker supplemental fence or whatever they sell since it looks a lot easier to read the pencil line. and or I need to practice more with the tool

 

[six-point socket II]

Hi!

If I may, I'd like to suggest the following:

Before you shell out more money on (aftermarket) accessories, familiarize yourself with the tool and read/use also the supplemental manual(s):
http://www.waterfront-woods.com/festool/

Direct link for DF-500 ->http://www.waterfront-woods.com/festool/Domino_DF_500.pdf

These supplemental manuals are incredible resources!

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[JMcFly]

Of course! I have the supplemental manual on my ipad which I used to calibrate my fence.  I need to 3D print a few dog hole stops since it does take some effort to plunge into material and hold it in place.

I've got a few projects that utilize the domino and ill revisit any possible accessories when the time comes. I do not need to bleed green this early

 

[six-point socket II]

[thumbs up]

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Cheese]

My DF 500 also has casting flash in the triangles however, being a cast hole and not a machined hole, I considered it to not be a reliable reference indicator. Like others, I rely on the plastic cursor because it’s adjustable and that’s worked well over the last 8 years.  [smile]

 

[Michael Kellough]

I’m with Cheese, the triangles are a rough guide. But you can’t blame Amazon for a defect Festool let pass. I doubt any dealer looks that closely (if they open they Sys at all) before packing the tool for shipping.

 

[Svar]

While it is tempting to stick it to Festool, I tend to do what involves the least amount of effort/time from me. In your case it is taking a small file and...
Besides, why do you think it will be any different from the dealer? Dealers don't inspect casting quality of those windows before selling. You'll just roll the dice one more time.

 

[ChuckS]

Curious about the triangles' problem the OP brought up, I took a look at my DF500 (6 years old). The triangles are so crudely formed that I suspect that most, if not all, DF500s are like that. As I said, I've never used them for precision alignments; all spot-on work is done with the sight gauge. I don't know what they are designed for...perhaps for double-checking that the machine positioning/alignment is not way off with a quick glance before you plunge?

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I have the 700 and the Seneca plate lives on it almost all of the time so the plastic scale is not on the work piece. I usually just index the pencil mark off of the cast indicator on the mortiser (on my 700 it is pretty close to being spot on center). I know some use the narrow mortise setting but I usually have mine set on wide so being perfect on your pencil mark is not so critical.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

Mine also had untidy triangles, I cleaned them up with a small file set. I then made a point at looking at demo models in the shops, and they all seem to be like it.
Perhaps they’re now made in China?  [big grin] [big grin] [big grin]

 

[ChuckS]

Snip.
I know some use the narrow mortise setting but I usually have mine set on wide so being perfect on your pencil mark is not so critical.

Of all the floating tenon projects I have done since acquiring the DF500, only in three types of joinery work where "perfect" pencil-line alignments with the machine were needed:

1) in a mortise & tenon joint where joinery strength will be compromised if the fit is not tight (both mating pieces therefore must be milled in the narrow setting; narrow to wide settings won't work)

2) using the intersecting-lines technique to cut mating mortises & tenon joint. The alignments must be spot-on.

3) Mitre/bevel joint (including three-way mitres) for alignment as well as for strength.

Everything else, I use narrow to wide settings on mating pieces (except for the first mating mortises which are both cut in the narrow setting for alignment purposes).

 

[peter halle]

The bottom line is that if you are unhappy with your tool - for any reason, or no reason at all -during your trial period (which varies in length by country) - you can return it, get an exchange, or contact Festool service in your country.

Festool wants you to take the tool home, get acquainted with it, use it in your situation and be happy.  If not, they either want to make it right, or they want the tool back and you get refunded your money.

Peter

 

[JMcFly]

For the price and what Festool is I didn't expect excess casting flash to be left over.. I should have taken a picture but oh well.

My replacement will be here Sunday and ill roll with it

 

[Birdhunter]

Ive looked everywhere but cannot find what the intersecting line technique is.

 

[ChuckS]

For spot-on results, I have made a cradle jig for using this technique:http://festoolownersgroup.com/festo...r-the-intersecting-lines-mortising-technique/ The technique allows one to do precision angled joinery.

Another way to do such mortises is to line up the machine using the baseplate rather than the milled flats (tops of casting). To use the baseplate for alignments, add a second reference line 10mm from the centre line because the baseplate is 10mm from the centre of the cutting bit.