Product Description
Combination set includes: Domino DF 500-Plus Joiner (In Systainer 2), DOMINO cutter D 5, Support Bracket, Operating Tool, Trim Stop, Cross Stop, Plug-It Power Cord, and #2 Systainer (Festool Case). You can make flawless mortises every single time, thanks to Festools new Domino joining system! Joining no longer has to be a slow, difficult process. The Domino Joiner, with its revolutionary cutting method, utilizes a patented mortising technique, simple indexing features, and adjustable mortise sizing to make flawless mortises. Powerful 420 watt motor drives the cutter spindle at 23,400 RPM. Precise positioning and accurate mortising with the viewing window. Use 1 of 3 mortise width adjustments for perfectly fitting joints and fast assembly; easy to adjust while the jointer is operating. Cut long mortises in an instant thanks to the simultaneous turning and oscillating movement without kickback. 11/16" dust port extracts up to 95 of chips generated when used in conjunction with any one of Festools vacuum systems. Retractable stop pins for quick and precise positioning of the initial domino tenon on both workpieces. Five catch positions at 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5, and 90 degrees, as well as infinitely variable mortising angles from 0 to 90 degrees. Simple, precise mortising fence height adjustment (with scale) offers accurate stops for locating mortising opening in the center of material thicknesses: 16, 20, 22, 25, 28, and 40mm. Quick, precise adjustment for 5 different mortising depths. Robust inner mechanism for consistently accurate routing results. Works on everything from face frames and workpieces as small as 1" x 5/8", to large projects and heavy furniture. Uses pre-fabricated, solid beech domino tenons for superior strength.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #159989 in Home Improvement
- Brand: Festool
- Model: Domino DF 500 Q Set
- Dimensions: 6.25" h x11.50" w x15.50" l,
Features
- Unique, patented cutting action that rotates and oscillates to create perfect, clean, and repeatable mortises every time.
- Mortise width adjustment with the turn of a dial allows for easier alignment when joining panels.
- Pivoting Fence allows you to create angled mortises from 0-90° with positive stops at 22.5°, 45°, 67.5°.
- Indexing pins for quick alignment against the edge of the workpiece for accurate placement.
- Dust extractable design provides clean mortise holes for better glue adhesion and longer cutter life.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
Outstanding Tool
By Gepetto
A product that allows you to do a job faster AND better is outstanding. This is an outstanding product. I have used the Domino extensively now on large pieces of furniture and most recently on American Girl doll furniture. I brag about the tool to everyone that visits my shop.
The Domino produces "dead on" joinery. It's various methods of mortice location via built in spring pins and/or attachments are ingenious. The German's are great at this. The adjustments for height, width, depth of mortice are very easy to use and intuitive. The tool has very useful scales embedded in base for easy alignment of the mortice when "free wheeling" morticing.
The bits are very easy to change with the little wrench provided.
The vaccum duct provides dust/particle free morticing. Further, the tool makes very little noise. I can use it without ear projectors and still hear my radio in the shop.
The depth adjustment allows for shallow mortices on 3/4" stock for example but then deeper mortices on the mating piece so you don't have to cut the tenons to fit.
The tenons get a bit pricy but I didn't think very long about making my own because they fit PERFECTLY and have nice grooves for glue to move up and into the mortice when installing the tenon.
The Domino is much like a biscuit joiner but provides a much stronger joint and allows you to select the tenon size based on the size of the stock being used.
The use manual is adequate. At first I was a bit disappointed with it but found that the tool's use was so intuitive that I didn't even need the manual.
The Domino is one of the TOP TWO tools in my workshop and I own a lot of tools.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful.Great tool at a good price
By G. Robinson
Some of the gripes by other reviewers are non sense. First the price is quite reasonable compared to a much less capable plate (biscuit) joiner of similar quality the Lamello 101053UHMZ Top 20 S3 4 Amp Plate Joiner for instance. Biscuits are not as strong and not nearly as useful for joinery compared to the loose tendons.
The current documentation appears to be rewritten and is pretty good--could be better but adequate for someone who has never used this type of tool before. I have some limited experience with mortise and tendon joinery but got discouraged by the fuller bit or router, and chisel method. The book The DOMINO DF 500 Joining System: With Ct Dust Extraction System (Festool Essentials) is terrible and a waste of paper (I saw a copy at the dealer's and it doesn't have anything not in the manual.) Do a search for Festool Domino how to. The Festool Domino manual-section 1.0 by Jerry Work is a very good as a supplement. I do have two complaints about it; although the author does a good job of demonstrating things the projects are for the advanced wood worker with a big budget and He is way to fond of overly contrasty pieces that look, IMHO, like they came from Kmart or Costco. (I am not a fan of Purpleheart at all.) Rick Christopherson has some online manuals that are also very good.
As for the dominoes being tight fits they are supposed to be and you can vary the mortise width using a simple control on the tool. The manual suggests sanding down some tendons to use when checking fit. Build some jigs out of scrap by using 3" furing and coming in from the end to about 1/2 the length of the domino and then making another cut at about the end on the first and perpendicular. That facilitates getting he Domino out after sanding or cutting. If you use the 4mm dominoes you need 5 jigs otherwise you need 4.
BTW Festool Domino Support Bracket 495666 is called "Side Stop Extension" and comes standard with the Domino.
So far I haven't done that much with the Domino. I just got it and did some tests on cheap furring left over from a repair project. I did edge joints on 3 pieces 4"x3' pine furring to make a single board. The joint strength is very good and I tried standing on it while it was supported only and the corners (a short vertical 2x2) and I could stand in the middle and hold a 50# tool and it showed only slight deflection. I also did some face to end joints and some mortised joints. All came out very good and I only ruined 3 pieces of scrap learning to use the Domino. Unfortunately it has started snowing and my shop isn't heated. When I get a chance to actually build some furniture with it I will post back.
REVISION
I decided to mock up some bookcases out of firing and so far am having trouble getting the parsons joints to let me assemble the cases. But the Domino cuts them nicely and repeatably the problem is my design. The Domino really speeds up construction as you don't need to mess with rabbits and dadoes unless you want to.
I finished a couple mock ups and learned a couple of things;
1. Don't operate the domino for even "just a couple joints" without the dust extraction. The sawdust will pack up around the bit and the mortise will be no good.
2. Operating in even moderate cold 30-32F (yes that's 0 C) the plastic hose from the dust collector and the power cords get stiff and you will have major problems hooking the dust collector to the domino.
3. The domino is a two handed tool. You need to have the workpiece securely clamped and one hand on the handle while the other plunges the tool. Otherwise the mortises will not be in the right place.
4. Its tempting to leave your thumb on the switch and plunge the domino. That tends to leave mortises that are too shallow.
5. You can avoid having glue squeeze out by chamfering the edges of the mortise slightly. (Nothing fancy no one will ever see it so a chisel works fine.)
END REVISION
As for the plaint that it is metric, man up and get to work. Any one who has worked on cars has had to use mixed English/metric for the last 50 or so years. Its no big.
I do have a bit of a gripe with the way the tool is marketed. First off the set is essential so the cost is $825 to start. Second while the DOMINO Cutter and Tenon Assortment in Systainer 2 is a good value that's another about $270. Then you need a adequate vacuum for dust collection. In practice this means a Festool or Fein. (I got lucky and the dealer let me try the Domino with my old big box vacuum--worked very marginally.) So in reality the Domino in a usable configuration costs around $1400+ not the $774 you might expect. But they don't hide these costs in any of their marketing; just be prepared for some sticker shock.
BTW I do have one other minor gripe and so far it applies to all the festools that I own. The interior of the case is a brittle cheap plastic that can't be modified and which seems to me to be likely to fail. But at least the interior of the Domino case makes good use of the available space for storing components. REVISION, I didn't remove some of the gadgets from the case and there is a nice storage for the 5mm through 10mm bits built in.
One caution. Get an extra cord the 16Ga (490656)Plug-it Power Cord, 13' Long, 16 AWG will fit all the Festools and the 18Ga will not. You are not going to get a replacement locking cord from Home Depot or Lowes.
As mentioned above you need a really good vaccuum with this and the regular Shopvac et al will simply not do the job like a Festool CT Mini Dust Extractor or a Fein will.
Overall used with reasonable care a great tool.
Tip for Festool documentation go to festool, click on support, click on knowledge base, scroll down to the tool and click on it; you will get a list of updated and supplemental documentation that is quite good.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Loose tenon joinery with a portable tool
By Not finished yet
I bought this tool to reinforce miter box and face joints for a coffered ceiling project. The tool does have a learning curve which is covered on various websites such as festool owners group (. com).
Calibration. I purchased the new version which has the black flapper pins and fence with ports. Calibration tests included joints made using the "sight" line on the fence, flapper pins, and finally the outrigger. Check of the fence angle showed a small adjustment needed at the detent angles.
Fence adjustment is firm and I did not find any of the slippage described in online forums.
Joints made with the tool for end to side joints and miter box joints on 3/4" material were very precise. The face aligned end to side joints required only a small amount of sanding with 220 to be perfectly flush. Mortises made with this tool did not produce any sawdust when the tool was used with a festool vacuum.
I found that technique is very important with this tool. The mortise for each joint must be very carefully aligned and the tool should be plunged with light force using a grip around the power cable.
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