Which Dominio to Buy?

[paulkane1]

Could someone kindly help me to make my mind up as to which Dominio I should buy?I am a complete novice on all things Festool,so,I want to get it right ,when it comes to buying my first Fes/Tools.I would like to make Furniture /Tables etc ,(Kitchen Tables) ,my dilemma ,is this,I know the 700 Model ,is probably more suited for my needs,I can only buy every other month(including attachments),I could afford to buy DF500 Package now,which would get me starting to learn how to use the tool,but,would the 500 ,give me strong enough joints ( even if I doubled dowel joints) for large Kitchen Tables etc?or,should I wait and save up ,to buy the 700 Package,it's a lot of money to put out,but they seem to be outstanding quality tools.

 

[Kev]

The 700 plus the Seneca adaptor will allow you to access the full range of Domino sizes. The 500 limits you to the smaller range.

You could honestly achieve the majority of what you'd want to do with the 500. Think doors, gates, beds, etc when you think the 700 ... General furniture, cabinetry, etc with the 500.

I'm on the extravagant side and I have both - if I could only have one it would be the 700, but with the adapters to extend its functionality.

 

[paulkane1]

Thanks Kindly for your advise,

              Paul

 

[Holmz]

I got the XL700 and the seneca parts to use the 500 bits.
Since then I picked up a Lamello (paid for it and awaiting the postman) which I plan on using for a table. So it depends on the joints you are making.

Ignoring classic mortice and tenon... there are Dominos, dowels and biscuits.
There are lots of options.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Hard choice.  I have both, but the 500 gets 90 percent of the use.

A Domino 500 can give you a one inch mortise in each side of the joint.  With the Domino, its trivial to double or quadruple the number
of M&Ts.  Plenty of strength for a dining table, unless you plan to dance on it with a few other people.

On the other hand, for more money, the 700 can make longer and thicker, but not much wider mortises.  Good for really heavy work like doors, etc.  There are several other improvements on the 700, most significantly the depth of cut adjuster is greatly improved - much more flexible.

The 700 is considerably larger and heavier than the 500, if that is a factor.

I am probably going to sell one of them some day, but can't decide which - not much help I guess. [embarassed]

 

[Locks14]

I'm no Festool fanboy by any means, in fact I'm often very critical of Festool and feel they dine out on a few really good tools with the rest of the range being simply average.

So it's all the more significant when I say get both. Choose the one that fits your upcoming work/projects first, but aim to get the other in the near future. The domino machines really are worth every bit of their price. The 700 with adapted for the 500 bits  is a compromise and money you could put towards the second machine.

 

[Stone Message]

Lock is absolutely right. If you have to start somewhere then it is likely the DF500 will be the more general purpose machine but if you are doing doors, windows, shop fitting, barns or gates then the DF700 is the way to go. The Domino has changed my whole approach to woodwork. I have sold my morticing machine as a result and also my Lamello biscuit jointer too (the latter was to help fund the purchase of my DF 500 otherwise I would have kept it for sheet work).

I did make a couple of videos which may help:

Which Festool Domino - Part 1:



Which Festool Domino - Part 2:



Peter

 

[jmac80]

Here's what i did...

Bought a df500.
Sold the df500 to get a xl700 with seneca adapters and shims.
Sold the seneca adapters and shims.
Bought another df500.
I now have both and couldn't be happier.  [big grin]

If i was you I'd get a df500 with a view to a future purchase of a xl700.
Forget the adapters and save the money towards the xl700.
I'm lucky I sold my seneca adapters and got what i paid for them.

Cheers

 

[ear3]

Wow.  The closest I've come to that was the summer before last when I bought the LS130, used it (it was actually my first Festool sander), then realized it would only be truly useful when I did large moulding projects, so I returned it within the 30 day window.  Two months later I got a commission for a project that involved milling hundreds of feet of moulding, so I promptly went out and got the LS130 again.

Here's what i did...

Bought a df500.
Sold the df500 to get a xl700 with seneca adapters and shims.
Sold the seneca adapters and shims.
Bought another df500.
I now have both and couldn't be happier.  [big grin]

If i was you I'd get a df500 with a view to a future purchase of a xl700.
Forget the adapters and save the money towards the xl700.
I'm lucky I sold my seneca adapters and got what i paid for them.

Cheers

 

[jmac80]

Wow.  The closest I've come to that was the summer before last when I bought the LS130, used it (it was actually my first Festool sander), then realized it would only be truly useful when I did large moulding projects, so I returned it within the 30 day window.  Two months later I got a commission for a project that involved milling hundreds of feet of moulding, so I promptly went out and got the LS130 again.

Here's what i did...

Bought a df500.
Sold the df500 to get a xl700 with seneca adapters and shims.
Sold the seneca adapters and shims.
Bought another df500.
I now have both and couldn't be happier.  [big grin]

If i was you I'd get a df500 with a view to a future purchase of a xl700.
Forget the adapters and save the money towards the xl700.
I'm lucky I sold my seneca adapters and got what i paid for them.

Cheers

[big grin]
It was a tricky one explaining it to the wife  [embarassed]

 

[DB10]

Wow.  The closest I've come to that was the summer before last when I bought the LS130, used it (it was actually my first Festool sander), then realized it would only be truly useful when I did large moulding projects, so I returned it within the 30 day window.  Two months later I got a commission for a project that involved milling hundreds of feet of moulding, so I promptly went out and got the LS130 again.

Here's what i did...

Bought a df500.
Sold the df500 to get a xl700 with seneca adapters and shims.
Sold the seneca adapters and shims.
Bought another df500.
I now have both and couldn't be happier.  [big grin]

If i was you I'd get a df500 with a view to a future purchase of a xl700.
Forget the adapters and save the money towards the xl700.
I'm lucky I sold my seneca adapters and got what i paid for them.

Cheers

[big grin]
It was a tricky one explaining it to the wife  [embarassed]

Three Dominio machines and still got a wife, There's a lucky man! [wink]

 

[paulkane1]

I got the XL700 and the seneca parts to use the 500 bits.
Since then I picked up a Lamello (paid for it and awaiting the postman) which I plan on using for a table. So it depends on the joints you are making.

Ignoring classic mortice and tenon... there are Dominos, dowels and biscuits.
There are lots of options.

Thanks for your help

 

[paulkane1]

Hard choice.  I have both, but the 500 gets 90 percent of the use.

A Domino 500 can give you a one inch mortise in each side of the joint.  With the Domino, its trivial to double or quadruple the number
of M&Ts.  Plenty of strength for a dining table, unless you plan to dance on it with a few other people.

On the other hand, for more money, the 700 can make longer and thicker, but not much wider mortises.  Good for really heavy work like doors, etc.  There are several other improvements on the 700, most significantly the depth of cut adjuster is greatly improved - much more flexible.

The 700 is considerably larger and heavier than the 500, if that is a factor.

I am probably going to sell one of them some day, but can't decide which - not much help I guess. [embarassed]

I think as I am just learning ,I'll go for the 500Might fall into a Gold Mine ,and,buy 700 future up the road.

 

[paulkane1]

Lock is absolutely right. If you have to start somewhere then it is likely the DF500 will be the more general purpose machine but if you are doing doors, windows, shop fitting, barns or gates then the DF700 is the way to go. The Domino has changed my whole approach to woodwork. I have sold my morticing machine as a result and also my Lamello biscuit jointer too (the latter was to help fund the purchase of my DF 500 otherwise I would have kept it for sheet work).

I did make a couple of videos which may help:

Which Festool Domino - Part 1:



Which Festool Domino - Part 2:



Peter

Thanks Peter for your help,I've watched your videos a while back,well presented,You could take over David Attenbrough as a narrator.

 

[Holmz]

I got the XL700 and the seneca parts to use the 500 bits.
Since then I picked up a Lamello (paid for it and awaiting the postman) which I plan on using for a table. So it depends on the joints you are making.

Ignoring classic mortice and tenon... there are Dominos, dowels and biscuits.
There are lots of options.

Thanks for your help

It may not seem like help, but the tool of choice is totally dependant on the joint of choice.
And the joint of choice is often dependant on the material of choice.
I certainly would not have lashed out on the purchase of the Lamello if I could have done the joints needed with the Domino.
And the gate that just went up would not have worked with a Lamello, for me it required the Domino.

I am 90% sure I will use classic biscuits for a table I will be doing.
For a different table I will be using some Clampex as that makes sense.
I may use a Domino for pinning the legs into place... but I am unsure at this point.

It is a huge trade space. And it depends a lot on what your table is going to be... Sheets, or thicker timbers?
The good news in that most of the options are good, so even a non-optimal choice is usually pretty good these days.

 

[scgwhite]

I recently had the same dilemma - I do some 'big' projects and oak framing, but felt that the majority of use would be for smaller projects with thinner wood - ply and MDF sheets etc. I concluded that while the XL would be useful for lock morticing etc, I wouldn't use it very often without Seneca adapters. I bought the 500 and am delighted with it.

As a bit of a test / play, I domino'd some offcuts of 40mm oak worktop together lengthways - each was a metre long by about 150mm wide, so quite big and heavy chunks. I used two 10mm x 50mm dominos and a good but of glue. I can hold one end of the worktop and fairly shake it around with no sign of flex or movement - even the small dominos can achieve good levels of strength.

 

[Birdhunter]

I've got both Dominos. The 500 gets 90% of my use. I bought the Seneca adapters but have never used them. There are very few joints that the 500 can't handle.