You guys who do not have a Domino....

barnowl

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2008
Messages
252
.....you are really missing the boat.  ;)

Every time I use mine, (one of the original pin models) I cannot believe how much engineering went into it, an how much it truly revolutionized woodworking.

Having always gone the old route of mortises and tenon, and dadoing for shelves, it was always labor intensive,

and required allot of calculations for required additional length of stock for tenons, etc, and precise configuration of machining all.

Now, cut the stock to the exact finished length, draw a few pencil reference lines, and voila!!!

Anytime, anyplace. No matter how long the stock, or how small.

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And while I've never studied it, I'd bet money that the properly glued Domino joint is actually stronger than a dado joint,

considering that one of the mating pieces for solid stock is end grain.

I can't see purchasing the new larger version myself, as I have no need, I can see it revolutionizing the 6 panel door industry.

 
I would encourage anybody even slightly interested in a Domino Joiner to review some of Paul Marcel's videos available on this site.

Another use of the Domino in furniture construction is to use the Domino joiner for the mortise and then cut the tenon on your table saw.  I attached a picture of a mirror joint that is slightly over 2" wide and 1 3/8" long that was cut with my Domino joiner which was much quicker than setting up my plunge router.

Jack
 
barnowl said:
.....you are really missing the boat.  ;)

I'm on the boat  [big grin] I think the domino is one of the best tool purchases I made last year.
It let me complete projects quickly I would have never been able to do without it.
I used it yesterday to make a compound angled mahogany table base in one afternoon, in the past it would have
taken at least a couple of days!
 
love the domino, making things faster

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great investment for me, still find myself smiling using it
 
I use mine any chance I get its great.. and better than a biscuit joiner.... I did not want to shell out th emoney but I got lucky here  and was able to pick one up with the systainer full of dominoes.. for a much easier to justify price...

If you don't' have one, get one you won't be disappointed....
 
Tim Raleigh said:
Hey, whadya makin' there? Looks pretty "inersting"
Tim

I'm making a 36" x 72" cherry executive desk, with raised paneled sides, and curly cherry drawer fronts.

The "dust panels" are 5/8" baltic birch, 3" wide, mortised and tenoned open frames.

I decided to do it that way so that I could fasten the side pieces of the baltic birch frames to the cherry panels with the Domino,

and then slide in the front and rear pieces of the baltic birch frames to a squared assembly.

Strong!!!  

 
adubeau said:
I use mine any chance I get its great.. and better than a biscuit joiner....

That's the ONE thing that confuses people.

Had a fellow woodworker from New York visit today, and I mentioned the Domino to him.

He says: "Oh, like a cross between a biscuit joiner and a loose tenon?"

Says I: "The only comparison to the biscuit joiner is the physical size and the ability to hand hold it."
 
I've never understood the biscuit joiner... I prefer them fork-split myself.  [tongue]

Nice project, barnowl and FEStastic... I said "Oh, wow" aloud when I saw FEStastic's backyard in the photos!

(and thanks, Jack, for the mention)
 
Guys,  I'll never regret my Domino joiner purchase but, I was able to make furniture with my Lamello Biscuit joiner also (it only took a lot longer).  Attached is a mahogany TV cabinet that I made entirely out of # 6 biscuits in s double stack array across all joints.  I must have used over 200 joints in this cabinet, it's 42" wide x 21" deep and 64" high.  The mahogany finished out at 1" thick and this cabinet has been in use for over 25 years and has housed some pretty hefty Sony XBR televisions without any loose joints.  The bottom doors have solid panels cut from a single piece of mahogany.

I could build this with my Domino joiner in 1/10 the time it took me do do originally (but there was no Domino back then).
 
PaulMarcel said:
...Nice project, barnowl and FEStastic... I said "Oh, wow" aloud when I saw FEStastic's backyard in the photos!...

Define FEStastic.

Not familiar with you term.
 
I've been looking hard at a domino purchase lately and a little concerned about the plastic pegs over the the original pins style. I checked one out at a dealer and the demo unit they had out had plastic pegs that stuck in the retracted position when the fence was down at 90. I've been keeping my eye out on ebay to see about picking up a pin version. Any thoughts? Am I over analyzing it? Is the plastic pegs ok? Did i just see a bum or abused unit that had the sticky pegs? Should i hold out to find a pin version for sale? Do miniature pigs really make good pets?
 
victor rasilla said:
I've been looking hard at a domino purchase lately and a little concerned about the plastic pegs over the the original pins style. I checked one out at a dealer and the demo unit they had out had plastic pegs that stuck in the retracted position when the fence was down at 90. I've been keeping my eye out on ebay to see about picking up a pin version. Any thoughts? Am I over analyzing it? Is the plastic pegs ok? Did i just see a bum or abused unit that had the sticky pegs? Should i hold out to find a pin version for sale? Do miniature pigs really make good pets?

Hey Victor,
Yeah, I think you may be overthinking it.  The Domino is really a game changer.  I can do a project in a morning that would take a week with traditional mortise and tenon and the quality is better. 
I may be the odd man out on this, but I never use the pins.  As I understand it, they are mainly for quick and dirty alignment mortises for making panels.  In my opinion, a careful glue up makes this unnecessary, just pay attention while the glue is flexible and get them flush.  Putting in a lot of alignment dominoes just makes more chances for error. 
 
victor rasilla said:
Any thoughts? Am I over analyzing it? Is the plastic pegs ok? Did i just see a bum or abused unit that had the sticky pegs? Should i hold out to find a pin version for sale?

I use the plastic pins for lining up dominos on the edge all the time. Works for me. If I need to space evenly down a board I will use a pencil mark. nothing to it. Works fast.
 
Prior to the release of the Self-Centering Guide (known as Floyd: SCG-10), I'd never take a paddle fence over a pin fence; there are some spacers you can pop on and off the pins that make assembly wicked fast.  The SCG-10 can do the same thing although speed-wise, the narrow stock spacers are a whole different level of wicked.

But if you are looking to buy a Domino, don't get hung up on the fence.  Any unit will greatly increase your productivity.  If later you really want the other fence (than whichever you have), I'm certain you could post about it and find someone wanting your fence.  They can be easily swapped out.
 
Having seen and used the Domino 500 in Europe before it was released in the USA, I pre-ordered one. Of course that one had the pins. About a year later I needed a second Domino. By then only the plastic paddle version were available.

So for a long time I have used both styles of Domino. For me both work swell. They are precise.

The thing to remember is it takes a whole lot of practice to be effective using a Domino. There are a million tricks and to learn those having an experienced coach will save a lot of time. All last week I participated in an End User Cabinet/Doors combo class in Henderson, NV with Steve Bace as trainer. Two of the participants own Domino 500 which they had not used. I was the only person in the class who earns a living from cabinet making.

By the end of the second day of cabinet making, using several sizes of Dominoes in many ways, even the least experienced participant was confident about using the Domino 500. When anyone had doubts, Steve Bace was right there to offer a suggestion how a certain approach would best suit the body type of the individual. Some methods work better for a few people.

Had we been taking that class in Lebanon, IN it would have been Brian Sedgeley providing the coaching. Back in 2010 there were 8 participants in classes, so both Steve and Brian were our trainers. It has been marvelous for me to benefit from coaching by Steve and Brian.

I buy Dominoes several big packs at a time. I have used the Domino to make thousands of mortises. And yet I still believe it is worth the time and money to get refresher coaching from time to time.
 
I think anyone on the fence should get it quickly, because when the XL comes out the fence will only get higher and bigger!
 
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