Which Domino to buy?

UncleJoe

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Oct 3, 2011
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A simple request to tap into the knowledge base here. I will soon add a domino to my little world. Which one? I would call myself an advanced hobby guy. I like making cabinets and furniture. I was all set to get the original and I am pretty certain it will fill all my needs but I wonder if the XL would be a good choice. Can the Larger domino be useful is something like face frame cabinets?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Uncle Joe
 
For furniture and especially face frames (assuming typical 3/4 thickness), you want the original Domino.
 
There are some very good videos on YouTube and directly from FT on the two tools in action...  I would watch them and get a sense of each tools sweet-spot and match up to your projects...
 
Joe,

The XL would be well suited primarily for material 1" or more in thickness. It's possible to do 3/4" material with it, but it doesn't leave a lot of stock on either side of the mortise, about 5mm (3/16"). If you're doing anything structural or large joinery, the XL is your best choice.

If you go with the Domino DF 500, you can use multiple tenons if needed. The 10mm tenons would be good for material up to 1-1/2" thick. It's great for cabinets and most furniture applications.

Hope that helps.

Shane
 
The issue is which mortise size you require because the machines are largely the same other than that.

The smaller domino uses 4,5,6,8 or 10mm cutters (that's the mortise height) and the XL uses 8,10,12 or 14mm cutters. The depth of the mortise is between 16-28mm for the smaller domino and 15-70mm for the XL. The mortise width varies depending on which cutter you use and which mortise width setting you use.

Those numbers are off the top of my head- someone else can correct me if I am wrong.

Cabinets and furniture suggest to me that the smaller domino would be more useful, but if by furniture you are including large casework and tables, then the XL may be better.

 
RonWen said:
We are adding 5mm and 6mm cutters to the XL machine.
If I recall the XL 8mm and 10mm cutters are capable of 50mm depth which is what we are making the XL 5mm and 6mm cutters.

Nice to hear that, is there also still a plan to make a bigger cutter ( like 16x75mm cutter for door locks?)
But i am wondering how the smaller cutters will work, because the fence of the XL can't be set very low, i think around 15-20mm from the center. So you currently can't really work with materials under 30mm thick with the XL.
 
Tom Bellemare said:
As frequently as people snap the current 5mm cutters, this will be interesting, Ron.

Tom

I don't get this.  I've used over 4500 (four thousand five hundred - more than 3 of the large packages) 5mm Dominos - that means 9000+ mortises.  I'm still on my first 5mm cutter.
 
I broke a 5mm cutter on the first project with my Domino. Not sure if it was a result of poor technique or if I hit a really stubborn knot in the oak door I was building.

Either way, I'm excited with the news of the 5 and 6 mm cutters for the XL. There have been many instances where I would have liked to be able to plunge a 50 mm domino to beef up a joint and then flush cut it. Will be keeping an eye on this...8)
 
RonWen said:
We (SenecaWoodworking) are just about to release the XL Domiplate for centering on 3/4" and 1/2" material along with matching (full 50mm depth) 5mm and 6mm cutters (also for the XL) -- stay tuned.  [wink]

This will be interesting.  The XL spins slower correct?  Don't see why it wouldn't work though.  If it does work then the 500 would be a tough sell to a hobbyist.  If it works it might call the overall viability of the 500 into question going forward.

The domi plate is great but it's not the whole answer.  A fitting that would go on the existing fence would be needed.  I go with all sorts of fence settings, 14, 18.5, 24, and on and on.  Sounds like a 5mm spacer that attaches like the trim stop is the real answer.

 
fshanno said:
RonWen said:
We (SenecaWoodworking) are just about to release the XL Domiplate for centering on 3/4" and 1/2" material along with matching (full 50mm depth) 5mm and 6mm cutters (also for the XL) -- stay tuned.  [wink]

This will be interesting.  The XL spins slower correct?  Don't see why it wouldn't work though. If it does work then the 500 would be a tough sell to a hobbyist.  If it works it might call the overall viability of the 500 into question going forward.

The domi plate is great but it's not the whole answer.  A fitting that would go on the existing fence would be needed.  I go with all sorts of fence settings, 14, 18.5, 24, and on and on.  Sounds like a 5mm spacer that attaches like the trim stop is the real answer.

The smaller diameter cutters test well -- we've made a few & they cut very nicely.  Longevity can only be determined over a long period of time and of course technique.

The 500 spins at 24,300 and the XL spins at 21,000 or about 13% slower.  A spacer shim that attaches to the fence would be easy for adjustable settings.

I wouldn't want to give up the 500 & 4mm tenons -- I use those constantly.

 
Timtool said:
RonWen said:
We are adding 5mm and 6mm cutters to the XL machine.
If I recall the XL 8mm and 10mm cutters are capable of 50mm depth which is what we are making the XL 5mm and 6mm cutters.

Nice to hear that, is there also still a plan to make a bigger cutter ( like 16x75mm cutter for door locks?)
But i am wondering how the smaller cutters will work, because the fence of the XL can't be set very low, i think around 15-20mm from the center. So you currently can't really work with materials under 30mm thick with the XL.

OK, it's on the list to do.
 
Ron

Wouldn't the converse be true?  If the XL cuts at a slower speed wouldn't it be possible to make 12 or 14 mm cutters for the 500, since it cuts faster wouldn't it handle a larger cutter?  I am guessing the depth would probably be the biggest issue.  This way people could buy the larger cutters and modify the dominos (if depth is issue) instead of buying the XL. 
 
Wooden Skye said:
Ron

Wouldn't the converse be true?  If the XL cuts at a slower speed wouldn't it be possible to make 12 or 14 mm cutters for the 500, since it cuts faster wouldn't it handle a larger cutter?  I am guessing the depth would probably be the biggest issue.  This way people could buy the larger cutters and modify the dominos (if depth is issue) instead of buying the XL. 

A couple of issues come to mind -- The 500 spindle/motor are smaller (more fragile) and so wear & damage more likely when using larger cutters.  The 500 plunge setup is very limited on the depth possible or the length of cutters it could handle.
Overall, issues with the original 500 have been addressed/improved with the 750. 
 
We've added the ability to use all standard Festool 500 cutters with the 700 machine -- please check at SENECAWOODWORKING.COM

 
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