TSO BigFoot DBF-45

[DynaGlide]

I'm in the middle of making a mockup cabinet for trying out various Blum hardware and working out how I want to make my parts. One of the steps is plunging vertical domino through mortises on the 1/2" drawer sides. This is a vertical plunge with the Domino not having much to reference off because of the 1/2" material. I tried it already with the Domino accessory foot/base and it's along the lines of a "Plunge and Pray" because of how wobbly the Domino is with so little to reference off of the material.

I was in the shop about to give it another go when UPS dropped off a TSO BigFoot. The timing couldn't have been better. I try not to get caught up in extra accessories or gizmos as I've already been burned by the Seneca Domiplate. I just don't use it or enjoy using it due to the ergonomics and having material centered on stock isn't important to me. I'd rather it be offset so I can tell which way around it goes during assembly. So I was hesitant about how useful the BigFoot would be to me.

I'll save the suspense: for vertical plunges it's so much easier and secure. You can really wrap your hand around the handle and hold the machine tight off your reference points. I think I can stop doing the "Plunge and Pray." And yes I've been taught proper handling techniques with the stock foot in Festool training, for this very operation.

Thank you Hans [member=61691]TSO_Products[/member] for continuing to innovate in this space.

Matt

 

[Cheese]

I've already been burned by the Seneca Domiplate.

I'd rather it be offset so I can tell which way around it goes during assembly.

You can really wrap your hand around the handle and hold the machine tight off your reference points.

Thank you Hans for continuing to innovate in this space.

I heartily concur on all 4 issues.

 

[magellan]

Good to here that to works well.  I signed up to be a Beta tester for that item but never heard back from TSO.  They seem to be a very good company.  You have to love that Hans is always asking for opinions or giving needed help to someone for his products.

Thanks for the review

 

[Birdhunter]

I bought the Bigfoot and keep it in the Domino Sustainer as it gets used on just about every Domino project.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I've already been burned by the Seneca Domiplate.

I'd rather it be offset so I can tell which way around it goes during assembly.

You can really wrap your hand around the handle and hold the machine tight off your reference points.

Thank you Hans for continuing to innovate in this space.

I heartily concur on all 4 issues.

+2

Only small enhancements I would like is if there was a nice even dimension from the end of the foot to the bottom of the mortiser and a blunter face. This way it would make setup for mortising mid-board much quicker (especially with an XL).

 

[Gwerner]

I agree completely on how much more stable the Domino is with the Big Foot. I'm in the process of building 34 kitchen cabinets and was dreading the vertical plunges in the cabinet sides. The Big Foot made it a breeze, so much more stable and secure than the stock plastic foot.

 

[Mark Katz]

Another happy BigFoot user here.

 

[zapdafish]

real happy with my bigfoot as well,

whats the kreg setup you have going there? i have a few of those clamps that I use on my drill press, not a bad idea using them on an mft

 

[DynaGlide]

real happy with my bigfoot as well,

whats the kreg setup you have going there? i have a few of those clamps that I use on my drill press, not a bad idea using them on an mft

[member=8208]zapdafish[/member] https://precisiondogs.us/collections/frontpage/products/precision-clamp-mount

They're real handy.

 

[zapdafish]

[member=65062]DynaGlide[/member] Thanks!

 

[Mike Goetzke]

real happy with my bigfoot as well,

whats the kreg setup you have going there? i have a few of those clamps that I use on my drill press, not a bad idea using them on an mft

[member=8208]zapdafish[/member] https://precisiondogs.us/collections/frontpage/products/precision-clamp-mount

They're real handy.

[member=65062]DynaGlide[/member] (and others) I have been torn between these type of dog plates and Armor Auto-Adjust P7-HH Horizontal Dog Clamps. The Armor has more vertical capability but I don't like the way they react the load in the dog hole. Looks like they may wear the hole over time. Comments?

Mike

 

[DynaGlide]

At least with the clamps I have you can secure it from under the bench so it doesn't pull on the dog holes. If I'm only lightly clamping I don't bother though.

 

[Dove_Tail]

I also picked up the BigFoot and love it.  I looked at the Seneca DominoPlate and can't see why I would want one.

For those of you who don't like the Domino plate, what don't you like about it?

 

[Birdhunter]

I have the Seneca plates for both the 500 and the 700.

They are well made and do what they are advertised to do.

 

[ChuckM]

I have neither the plates nor the Bigfoot, but my work didn't suffer. It goes to show that we all work and handle our projects differently, and that one jig is not necessarily better than the other. Or, being jig-less puts one at a disadvantage. The Domino Joiner is a well-designed tool, despite some think otherwise (of course, that's not to say the machine can't be further improved).

For example, unless the work is too long, I don't mortise the boards in the manner Matt shows in his images. He did it with the domino joiner held vertically while I would clamp the board vertically and hold the DJ horizontally with the base support bracket installed. Gravity would keep the fence and the work in contact during plunging. If the board is under 3/4" (19mm) thick, I can even clamp a board behind to provide extra registration surface for the fence. 

To me, it is kind of awkward to have one hand placed behind the machine while the dominant one is out at the front. I only do that when I use the intersecting line technique. The Bigfoot would be more useful when doing the intersecting lines than the stock handle, if you ask me.

For long casework? I use the shelving method (it's given in the DJ manual) very similar to this:

 

[capww8]

I’m confused about the domiplate hate, I love it for what it is.

 

[cpw]

I also used the domiplate for the cabinet boxes.  In these vertical plunges, you have the whole fence of the domino to keep you aligned, and then the domiplate to determine depth.  No need to reconfigure anything when moving side to side and the knob does serve as a nice extra handle.

The big foot does look intriguing as just another choice for applications where the domiplate isn't a suitable option.