The Domino Joiner's 4mm cutter has many uses

[ChuckM]

I always use my DF500 with its fence, not its base, for registration purposes. There're many good reasons for that, but there're also some occasions where the base should be used or can only be used, such as milling mid-shelf joints. Another common use of the base for registration is when I use it with the Veritas Joinery Table. Here, instead of using the usual table saw jig to cut the centered miter slots for the 1/2" x 1" custom frame, I turned to my DF500:

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It's futile to try to use the fence for this job (you can by attaching a spacer block underneath the fence, but consistency is not guaranteed unlike using the base/Veritas Joinery Table).

 

[Packard]

I used miter joints for my Shaker cabinet doors on a recent kitchen reface.

Fast and easy with a Rockler dowel jig.  If I had the Domino machine, it would still be a difficult sale to get me to use that over the Rockler jig.

I would note that I made a dedicated marking jig to locate the dowels.  I originally labeled the joints as A-A, B-B, etc.  But the marking jig made all the miters interchangeable. 

I did this because I did not like the look of the paint on the end grain.  The miters eliminated that issue.

 

[smorgasbord]

I used miter joints for my Shaker cabinet doors on a recent kitchen reface.

Fast and easy with a Rockler dowel jig. 

From what I saw in that video, the Rocker jig doesn't have any indexing for locating the dowel holes from the ends - you're lining up to marks. Both the Domino and the, for instance, Cam-A-Line jig from Woodpeckers have pins/paddles/stops so that things are pretty much guaranteed to line up. Of course, one advantage of the Domino is that you can do one half the joint using a looser setting so that alignment isn't critical (same for biscuits, of course, too).

 

[ChuckM]

The DF doesn't need a dedicated jig to cut split slots and the Rockler dowel jig doesn't seem to be able to cut 3 or even 4 dowels on a joint that is 4" or even 5" wide (e.g. in the case of a box or tray). Dowels have their place but the frame owner wanted splines and not dowels for her taste.

 

[Packard]

I used miter joints for my Shaker cabinet doors on a recent kitchen reface.

Fast and easy with a Rockler dowel jig. 

From what I saw in that video, the Rocker jig doesn't have any indexing for locating the dowel holes from the ends - you're lining up to marks. Both the Domino and the, for instance, Cam-A-Line jig from Woodpeckers have pins/paddles/stops so that things are pretty much guaranteed to line up. Of course, one advantage of the Domino is that you can do one half the joint using a looser setting so that alignment isn't critical (same for biscuits, of course, too).

It does have indexing.  The light gray pieces on either side of the jig slide off and into position to act as an edge guide.  You can use either the left or right side to index.

Unfortunately, it did not provide an appropriate location for 2-1/2” mitered stock.  I made a small measuring jig.  I probably make more of these types of jigs than most.  They largely eliminate the types of errors that I am most prone to make.  Typically, they are so fast and easy to make that I toss them when the project is done.  But for the Shaker doors I am fairly certain I kept it.  When I get home I will look for it and post a snap. 

For the Shaker doors, I used my picture framing dedicated sliding table saw that only cuts 45 degree miters.  It is extremely accurate and I have made (probably) thousands of cuts on it.  So it is an easy technique to fall back on.

Of course you cannot just use glue for cabinet doors.  I’ve seen mini-biscuits used, but I used two 1/4” x 1” dowels.  The doors are up for several months with no issues.  I suspect they will outlast the finish.