New "domino killer" dowel guide for drills

[smorgasbord]

Andrew Klein (maker of the very cool Turbo Vise) has designed a new tool:


It's got 3 drill bits rotating in a domino-style base/fence system. Unlike the Mafell and Triton duo-dowel thingies, this one doesn't have a built-in motor; you attach your drill.

It looks decent - the milling on the fence system seems perhaps better than on the Domino Base/Fence system. Instead of paddles, he's got flip stops with ⅛" increment detents, which gives you more choices and much less wiggle. Unfortunately, depth of drilling is set by how far you mount the drill bits into the device; and although he does have 3 flats machined to different lengths for 3 different depths, that seems a bit unweidly and lacks the fine depth adjustments of the Dominios. No dust collection hookups that I saw. Fence height and angle adjustments look good, although the whole thing seems narrower than the Domino.

But, overall, at $349 (intro price), it seems like a decent "don't want to spend that much on a Domino" dowel guide. How good it actually is, however, will have to wait until they start shipping this December.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Funnily enough I saw that video just a short while ago, at $349USD which for the build quality isn't bad at all I would think. Nice looking unit.

I do however wonder how well it will perform after a number of holes.

The thing that really surprised me with my DDF40 was how much pressure I needed to apply to the unit to drill the holes.

 

[ChuckS]

If you don't have the patience as I didn't (I fast-fowarded), start the vid at the 6:00 segment.

I certainly wish the inventor good luck because it may please the dowel users. But like other attempts before it, the killer label is there to attract views. That says a lot about how successful the Domino Joiner has been. Aren't the DF patents expiring soon and will clones be coming to the market to bring down prices?

 

[luvmytoolz]

Aren't the DF patents expiring soon and will clones be coming to the market to bring down prices?

If they do I have no doubt the case will be that they'll either be the same inferior quality as all of the other joinery clones for a not insignificant percentage of the originals price, or they'll be similar quality to the originals at around the same cost.

 

[Packard]

What is the size of the fence compared to a domino fence?

 

[mino]

No dust extraction. A hard pass.

For those thinking about this, you need a high-speed and strong drill for these. A TPC or no cigar for a good experience. Plus rig a dust extraction somehow.

 

[Packard]

I have a center finding dowel jig with replaceable bushings from Infinity Tools. It allows me to drill 4 same-size holes quickly and easily. Much faster than either of my other centering jigs, one with built-in bushings, and the other with only two replaceable bushings.

It does not have a fence, but for $70.00 it would work for many of the same jobs as this gadget. If everyone starts copying the design, I will know it is worth a look.

I have about 8 different dowel jigs. None of them are perfect for all jobs, but with all of them, I pretty much have most jobs covered.

I suspect this device will be excellent for some very specific applications, good for others and worthless for some others. I don’t think there is a single dowel jig that does all joints well.

 

[ChuckS]

If this video had been shared a couple of days later (on April 1st), I would've thought it to be....

 

[Michael Kellough]

Watched the video (with sound off so might have missed something) but noticed extremely slow drilling progress and loose fits in the two 90 degree joints.