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Broke down and bought a Festool DominoXL........

Started by Just Me, March 23, 2016, 05:20:02 PM

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Just Me

 I resisted for a long time, skipped the 500, and went right to the big dog. I also bought the Seneca kit that allows you to use the 700 with the 500 bits, all the bits in all sizes for both machines from Holbrens, and am having a shaper cutter made that will cut every size domino from 4mm-14mm.

$1600 and change gone! Sure hope the thing pays for itself. Will post a review when I have some miles on it.

Picked up a crazy project, a $25K booth for a restaurant that caters the 1%ers. Will start a thread on it as it unfolds. its sunk in the floor and is supposed to look like a boat, I think it looks like a cereal bowl, but hey, who cares. Interior designers come up with some challenges that is for sure.

tule peak timber

Count me in for a front row seat on your build ! I will also be very interested on your Domino experience/opinion.  Rob
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

mesquite buckeye

Me too. I've been drooling over one of those for a while. ;D
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

Bruno of NH

Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

ESFted

I don't think you will be sorry.  I've had mine for two years and love it.
S.U.N.Y. College of Environmental Science and Forestry '65
Stihl MS661CRM, Stihl MS460,  Stihl MSE 220, Solo 64S, Granberg Alaskan MK-IV CSM
Dreams of a Wm LT70 w/all the accessories

yukon cornelius

This is going to be a cool  build. Congrats on the job and the tool!
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

scsmith42

I think that you'll like the Domino.  I have the 500 and wish that I had a 700; it's a great tool.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

tule peak timber

SC,,,What do you think about the larger sized Domino swinging smaller sized bits? Rob
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

Just Me

 I got the conversion kit from Seneca Woodworking today, nice looking parts, don't see why they would be a problem, but will report when in use.

Domino was promised yesterday but did not come, figures......

scsmith42

Quote from: tule peak timber on March 25, 2016, 07:00:01 PM
SC,,,What do you think about the larger sized Domino swinging smaller sized bits? Rob

Shouldn't be a problem; it's going the other way (smaller tool trying to swing larger bits) that could be a problem.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

tule peak timber

persistence personified - never let up , never let down

Just Me

 It came yesterday. I did not have a lot of time but did chuck up the 14mm bit and did a few mortises in ash, bothe long grain and end grain to full depth, about 2 13/16 inches. No issues whatsoever. I have not tried it with the Domina-plate conversion for small bits yet, but will post how it works when I do.

I was stubborn and refused to drink the green cool-aid, and I think I may have shot myself in the foot. This thing I can see already will save me a ton of time, and in some cases where I could not take the time to do a traditional M&T will make my work better. It will be a game changer. Like the project I am on has a ton of curved plywood pieces. It will be easy to put a Domino at the joints, something that would just not get done otherwise. Also where the sections bolt together I can put reference dominos easily by clamping the pieces together and plunging through them, because of the deep capability, something the 500 could not do.

I think it will be $1400 I wish I had spent a long time ago.......


Larry

Just Me

Ok, I installed the Seneca kit.  http://www.senecawoodworking.com/products/smal-mortise-set-for-festool-domino-xl-df700

Couple of issues. It would be possible if you were an absolute idiot, read that employees, to plunge the 12 and 14 mm bits into the aluminum adapter plate. Don't be an idiot.

The new depth stop that reads to the center of the stock by eighths is a big improvement for me over the metric one supplied. It has a red zone to warn you are getting into the danger zone as mentioned above.

The narrow stock adapter that allows you to repeatably plunge into the end of narrow stock such as face frame rails, one of the main reasons that I wanted this will not work with the adapter plate in place. I have already figured out a workaround but it will require some machine work. Not a huge issue, but it should be mentioned in the Seneca site along with the plunge issue.

I did some tests with 6mm dominoes in 3/4" Baltic Birch, and it is awesome. Nice fit, better than a biscuit joint and I have a Lamello biscuit jointer. Much stronger and locates on two planes. The adapter works well and the width is still perfect for the Dominos because the overall length is still the same.

I am going to call Seneca today and discuss the issues and see if they are working on a solution. I have a milling machine so I can fix it. The way they made it you do not need to drill holes, and I am sure a lot of buyers would hesitate to drill holes in the fence of their $1400 toy, but not me!

Will post when I have this kink worked out.

tule peak timber

persistence personified - never let up , never let down

Just Me

Started the booth...

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=202687#top_display_media

About 25% of the round parts I have to make.

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=24044&pid=202691#top_display_media

Prototype booth section. There are 10 sections that will bolt together on site when done.

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=24044&pid=202692#top_display_media

Fixture to hold everything in place to assemble sections. One man show, needed three hands.

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=24044&pid=202689#top_display_media

Stack of uprights.

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=24044&pid=202690#top_display_media

Drawing of table top, Makore field with Holly inlays where the dots are. The dots are not to scale, I was just trying to sell the concept. The top is 8' round with two sections missing so that the waitress can get to the center of the table to serve the other side.

I have some more thoughts on the Domino, but I am going to work with it a bit more before I comment. I also bought Festool's small plunge router,, and will review that as well when I get some miles on it.

Gotta get back out to the shop, deadlines you know..........

Larry, the other one.


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