Domino joiner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Domino in action

The Domino is a loose mortise and tenon joining tool manufactured by the German company Festool.

History and description[]

The idea for this tool came from German master cabinetmaker Vitus Rommel.[1][2] First on the US market in 2007,[3] the Domino tool cuts a full mortise in a single plunge, just like a biscuit joiner does but using instead a drill-like rotating cutter with a spinning bit that also moves sideways to cut a full round-ended mortise in a single plunge.[3] Each plunge creates a mortise that is sized to accept a Domino loose tenon (a dowel with an oval-shaped cross section), creating joints in stock from 22.2 millimetres (0.87 in) wide. There are five cutter sizes (4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm) for six different Domino tenon sizes. Self-referencing pins allow the cutting of rows of evenly spaced mortises with no need to measure and mark. Mortise width is adjustable in three increments with the turn of a knob, and cuts can be overlapped for long mortises. Fence tilts vary from 0-90°, with stop positions at 0°, 22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, and 90°. The plunge depth is also adjustable.

Exploded domino joint

Domino XL[]

The Domino XL is, as the name implies, the Domino's larger cousin. It uses the same cutter design as the original Domino, yet uses much larger tenons. The width of a mortise can be up to 14 mm, its length up to 140 mm and its depth up to 70 mm, thus allowing for tenons with a depth of up to 140 mm.

Advantages[]

  • Allows very quick joinery, useful in a commercial carpentry setting.
  • Flat tenons resists torquing.
  • Stronger than a biscuit joiner.

Disadvantages[]

  • High tool cost comparative to other joinery methods
  • Proprietary tenons (dowels) required
  • Noise and dust (dust extraction required)

See also[]

  • Biscuit joiner — general page on biscuit joinery methods
  • Dowelmax — another loose tenon joinery system
  • Dowels - general page on dowels

References[]

  1. ^ Bob Hunter (December 20, 2006). "Visiting Fein and Festool Power Tools in Germany". Wood. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Rain Noe (March 3, 2015). "Tools that Change the Way we Design & Build: the Festool Domino". Core77. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Asa Christiana (March 1, 2007). "Editor's Review: Festool Joinery System Takes on Mortises". Fine Woodworking. No. 190.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""