Oversized Mortises with the Domino XL Domizilla

[PaulMarcel]

The Domino XL's plunge capacity and pin fence can be easily combined to create oversized mortises that can make building gates, doors, or monster conference tables even easier than when laying out an array of normal size mortises.  I've outlined a procedure for use with the original Domino DF-500, but it was more awkward since you needed to use the cursor hairs for each successive plunge.  It worked, though, and I have stock of oversized tenons for that procedure still from previous projects.

The Domizilla version of the procedure is so easy to do, my mom could do it, but I don't want to risk lending her the Domino in case it doesn't come back...

For reference, here's the largest 10mm-thick Domino you can make... phone is for reference

[attachimg=1]

If you start the plunging procedure off a reference edge (using the cross stops or fence pins) and mirror them (i.e., one side of the joint you do plunges moving to the right, the other side to the left), the mortises line up perfectly.  If you need to center the mortises to a pencil line, you'll want to add lines to your cursor.  It takes maybe 15 minutes to do that including recalibrating the cursor when you put it back on.  The video shows you how to mark the cursor at the end.  A separate video shows how to calibrate the cursor.

Here's a link to my full blog entry with more description than above plus it includes the table of mortise widths for each bit size and for each of the three oversized mortise widths I show.  That table will become a document someday with some illustrations, but it's more than enough for now.

Here's the video:

Oversized Mortises with the Festool Domino XL Domizilla

 

[tiralie]

Thanks.
I couldn't hear a word you said 'cause your shirt was yelling at me... [big grin]
Tim

 

[PaulMarcel]

Thanks.
I couldn't hear a word you said 'cause your shirt was yelling at me... [big grin]
Tim

LOL, and it's for a fine Canadian band.

 

[Kev]

It's interesting that we're getting to the point where we can create a large floating tenon, the use smaller dominos for locking pins (through or half blind) with incredible accuracy and only modest skill (talking me here).

Love it ... and probably the only Paul Marcel video I've ever watched where I my only urge after was just to buy more timber  [big grin]

Yeh - that shirt  [eek]

 

[andvari]

Tenonzilla?

 

[Kev]

Tenonzilla?

In the theme of Godzilla vs Megalon, I think it would be Megatenon.

(though probably not a great reference, I think I was one of a handful of people to ever watch it)

 

[nclemmons]

Cool technique!

Finally a productive use for an old Blackberry, huh Paul?  Just bury it in the table as a tenon!

Neil

 

[fshanno]

What a machine.  The width of mortises that can be repeated using only the pins is really infinite.  You just plunge a row of mortises registering them sequentially using the pins and then come back and clean out the middles.  You can center justify these super wide mortises by balancing left and right of the original plunge.  And you could fine tune it a little by using various stroke widths.  You could make positively huge mortises using the method Paul shows, the outside in registration, by hooking on the outriggers. 

It's also interesting to see that 15mm deep plunge.  Hmmm.  And seeing how deftly Paul handles the zilla without even clamping the workpiece makes me wonder why it would be so impossible to make 6mm and 5mm thick mortises with the XL.  Hmmm a second time.  And it makes me wonder if anybody at CMT is looking at this.  Hmmm a third time.  Okay lets see.  When I'm using 5x30's for cabinets I never use the narrow setting.  In fact, I rarely use the narrow setting period with 5mm.  So if the stroke on the XL is a little wider then so much the better.  Well, enough day dreaming, I can't do without my 5mm mortises and unless CMT does do something about it then it's a moot point.  But if the Orange folks ever did get frisky you just might see a few more 500's on ebay than you're used to seeing, that's all I'm saying. 

 

[PaulMarcel]

Definitely the mortises can be almost any width.  In my video on oversized mortises with the DF-500, the method was based on using the cursor to make known-size oversized tenons.  The same technique could be used with the Domizilla, but the pin method was so fast I had to throw it out there.  The other benefit is that I took scrap from those demo videos (well, more to edit... still...) and have oversized tenon 'cut-to-length' stock for the two widest tenons in 10mm and 14mm thicknesses.  Without targeting a specific width, I think it would get annoying to make the loose tenons as you went along with the project.

If CMT made smaller bits, oh, they'd be useful.  Granted, a 5mm bit would have a big shank up to the short cutter and you'd be limited on the depth of plunge, but if it went 28mm, it would equal the DF-500's capacity for 5mm (and who uses 28mm depth on a 30mm tenon?!)  The width would be the same if the bit was the same length as the other DF-700 bits: the DF-700's 10mm bit makes a 13.5+10mm wide mortise (exact setting) just like the DF-500.

The only issue with using the DF-700 with smaller bits is that those are usually used on thin stock.  The DF-700's minimum "fence to center of mortise" setting is 10mm; nothing wrong with that even on 18mm thick stock for 5mm Dominos used for alignment, but there could be times you really want to center the Domino on

 

[jacko9]

Paul,

Thanks for the helpful tip.  I used my Domino 500 with the 10mm bit to cut through mortises in ~34mm posts.  I had to plunge in from both sides but it didn't seem to be a problem.  I intend to square off the mortises so I don't have to be concerned about the radius on the tenons.

Jack

 

[RONWEN]

Definitely the mortises can be almost any width.  In my video on oversized mortises with the DF-500, the method was based on using the cursor to make known-size oversized tenons.  The same technique could be used with the Domizilla, but the pin method was so fast I had to throw it out there.  The other benefit is that I took scrap from those demo videos (well, more to edit... still...) and have oversized tenon 'cut-to-length' stock for the two widest tenons in 10mm and 14mm thicknesses.  Without targeting a specific width, I think it would get annoying to make the loose tenons as you went along with the project.

If CMT made smaller bits, oh, they'd be useful.  Granted, a 5mm bit would have a big shank up to the short cutter and you'd be limited on the depth of plunge, but if it went 28mm, it would equal the DF-500's capacity for 5mm (and who uses 28mm depth on a 30mm tenon?!)  The width would be the same if the bit was the same length as the other DF-700 bits: the DF-700's 10mm bit makes a 13.5+10mm wide mortise (exact setting) just like the DF-500.

The only issue with using the DF-700 with smaller bits is that those are usually used on thin stock.  The DF-700's minimum "fence to center of mortise" setting is 10mm; nothing wrong with that even on 18mm thick stock for 5mm Dominos used for alignment, but there could be times you really want to center the Domino on