Powermatic 719T vs Domino Df700

[shaneymack]

Hi,

On Thursday I ordered a Powermatic 719T Mortiser. I knew about the Domino but prefer to do m+t joints and not floating tenons. It just occurred to me that the Domino might be able to actually do the exact same job as the hollow chisel mortiser but i would just need to square up the rounded hole done by the domino. Then i could still use a solid tenon. Is this correct or does the hollow chisel mortiser still have its place even with a domino in the shop? I really enjoy using a hollow chisel mortiser and my wife did say just get both but I would hate to have a big beautiful powermatic collecting dust in the corner... I don't think it would be too late to cancel the mortiser so i need some guidance!

 

[nclemmons]

Interesting you bring this up.  I think it's definitely a possibility to make a fixture that the Domino XL would fit into that would allow it to become a stationery vertical plunge mortiser.  Plenty of depth and an assortment of sizes.  You COULD square up the corners or just leave them rounded and cut your tenons with rounded sizes from the mating pieces.

I think the Domino would give you a cleaner mortise.  I had a Delta hollow chisel mortiser for years before I switched over to the domino.  I still have a horizontal mortising table on my Inca tablesaw for those times that I want to go that route and it works great with an assortment of round bits.

My opinion is once you start using the Domino, you may find the Powermatic sitting unused.  If you cut haunched tenons, the Domino would be more of a challenge, but that's one of the few instances where the Powermatic might win out.

neil

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I would want a multi router or a bacci slot mortiser before I tried to make an xl into one. 

My domino is great, but my go to joint is a traditional m&t. 

 

[shaneymack]

I would want a multi router or a bacci slot mortiser before I tried to make an xl into one. 

My domino is great, but my go to joint is a traditional m&t.

Thanks for the replies...

For your traditional mortise and tenons, do you use the hollow chisel mortiser?

I just want to be sure i am making the right choice in eventually getting both the 719t and the domino. I will bypass the 719t if it is just redundant....

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I would want a multi router or a bacci slot mortiser before I tried to make an xl into one. 

My domino is great, but my go to joint is a traditional m&t.

Thanks for the replies...

For your traditional mortise and tenons, do you use the hollow chisel mortiser?

I just want to be sure i am making the right choice in eventually getting both the 719t and the domino. I will bypass the 719t if it is just redundant....

I actually just sold my HCM (looking for a manual wysong 284), but I also have a chain mortiser and a Maka oscillating mortiser. 

Tenons are accomplished with my 5 head tenoner.

 

[jbasen]

I'm A hobbyist that builds A&C furniture. I have both a General International mortiser and not too long ago bought a Domino 700 with a Seneca adapter. While I will always use the HCM for through M&T joints, I am learning that the Domino can save me a great deal of time and effort when the joint isn't exposed and you still get a very strong joint.

Purist, maybe not.  But, many of the original A&C furniture builders used the latest tecnology available to them, at the time. 

 

[shaneymack]

I'm A hobbyist that builds A&C furniture. I have both a General International mortiser and not too long ago bought a Domino 700 with a Seneca adapter. While I will always use the HCM for through M&T joints, I am learning that the Domino can save me a great deal of time and effort when the joint isn't exposed and you still get a very strong joint.

Purist, maybe not.  But, many of the original A&C furniture builders used the latest tecnology available to them, at the time.

Maybe im better off starting with the domino 700 and buying a mortiser in the future if needed?

 

[waho6o9]

I'm A hobbyist that builds A&C furniture. I have both a General International mortiser and not too long ago bought a Domino 700 with a Seneca adapter. While I will always use the HCM for through M&T joints, I am learning that the Domino can save me a great deal of time and effort when the joint isn't exposed and you still get a very strong joint.

Purist, maybe not.  But, many of the original A&C furniture builders used the latest tecnology available to them, at the time.

Maybe im better off starting with the domino 700 and buying a mortiser in the future if needed?

That would be a wise move Shaneymack.

Another way of  looking at it is do you want to take the material to the machine or the machine

to the material?

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I'm A hobbyist that builds A&C furniture. I have both a General International mortiser and not too long ago bought a Domino 700 with a Seneca adapter. While I will always use the HCM for through M&T joints, I am learning that the Domino can save me a great deal of time and effort when the joint isn't exposed and you still get a very strong joint.

Purist, maybe not.  But, many of the original A&C furniture builders used the latest tecnology available to them, at the time.

Maybe im better off starting with the domino 700 and buying a mortiser in the future if needed?

That would be a wise move Shaneymack.

Another way of  looking at it is do you want to take the material to the machine or the machine

to the material?

Kind of a non issue, since most aren't working with large stock. 

While the domino is good, you really can't get the repeatability that you can with a well set up machine. 

I like fox wedged tenon joints. 

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

So get both, plus othe stuff too. 

 

[shaneymack]

So get both, plus othe stuff too.

Could i not cut the mortises with the domino even if i were to do fox wedged tenons?

Are through mortises the only capability i would be lacking if i only had a domino and opted out of the 719t?

 

[wrightwoodwork]

No just flip the work piece over

 

[Birdhunter]

Just guessing, but if you buy the Domino, you probably could pick up a used mortiser from someone (not me) on the FOG. There are lots of posts telling of selling their mortisers after buying a Domino. I didn't sell mine, just gave it to a young friend starting into woodworking.

 

[jbasen]

I'm A hobbyist that builds A&C furniture. I have both a General International mortiser and not too long ago bought a Domino 700 with a Seneca adapter. While I will always use the HCM for through M&T joints, I am learning that the Domino can save me a great deal of time and effort when the joint isn't exposed and you still get a very strong joint.

Purist, maybe not.  But, many of the original A&C furniture builders used the latest tecnology available to them, at the time.

Maybe im better off starting with the domino 700 and buying a mortiser in the future if needed?

Personally I think the decision depends on what your focus is.  If you are doing a lot of through M&T joints then I think the mortiser will serve you better.  If your M&T joints aren't through joints then you may find that transitioning to loose M&T joints with a Domino makes more sense. 

Could you make through M&T joints with a Domino; maybe.  But you'd always be squaring up the holes and it I think it would be a challenge to work within the domino always cutting a mortise of a standard width; which varies depending on the cutter size.

If you do a mix of joints, and you have permission from the wife, then definitely go for both.

 

[shaneymack]

If i were to use the domino instead of a mortiser and cut solid tenons, what would be the ideal method to match the square tenon to the rounded mortise? Square up the mortises or round over the tenons?

 

[Birdhunter]

Not at all sure why you would want to go through this extra work, but I'd round off the tenons unless the idea is to have the tenon ends show on the outside surface. Probably never look right.

 

[tiralie]

Less work to round over, but I think chopping out the corners will give you more strength. I think it would take a bit of time to get an exact radius right to the shoulder on a fixed tenon.

I understand conceptually what you want to do, but I would still only like to use the Domino for floating tenon's vs. trying to make solid tenon's.

I think both the 700 and 500 have their unique capabilities with some overlap in tenon size.

Tim

 

[shaneymack]

Not at all sure why you would want to go through this extra work, but I'd round off the tenons unless the idea is to have the tenon ends show on the outside surface. Probably never look right.

I wouldnt want to go through all that extra work on every project but i am just trying to figure out if it is feasible and if the stand up mortiser would actually be pretty much useless.

I dont see the need for the stand up mortiser and have cancelled the order...

Going to order a df700 with the seneca attachement for the df500 bits!! Pretty excited to try this thing!

 

[leer]

I hope the choice of the Domino works for you.  My next Festool purchase will be a Domino, and I am pretty excited about the new capabilities it will provide.

And remember, you can always get the mortiser since you had your wife's blessing to buy both.  Of course, you didn't really say just how she said it.  Sometimes my wife might respond "Just buy what you want". I've been married 40 years, and I am finally coming to the conclusion that this does not necessarily mean what I thought it means.  [scared]

 

[jbasen]

Not at all sure why you would want to go through this extra work, but I'd round off the tenons unless the idea is to have the tenon ends show on the outside surface. Probably never look right.

I wouldnt want to go through all that extra work on every project but i am just trying to figure out if it is feasible and if the stand up mortiser would actually be pretty much useless.

I dont see the need for the stand up mortiser and have cancelled the order...

Going to order a df700 with the seneca attachement for the df500 bits!! Pretty excited to try this thing!

I think you will really like the df700 with the seneca adapter.  Once you get it, give making a squared up through mortise a try.  If you find an approach that works well for you with the Domino then you are good to go.  If not, you can always invest in an HCM.

Personally, I think you will end up with both machines but if you develop a viable technique for making through mortises with the df700 I'd be very interested to hear how you do it.

Good luck.