Considering a Domino for Cabinet construction

[Bill Borchardt]

I've had great results using the Domino - fast, accurate, strong joints and virtually dust free. +1 on dry fitting.

I'm not a professional - just a hobbyist.

Billbo
Smyrna GA

[Frank Martin]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the tip on potential problems with the bridge and fence slip. I think my machine is fine, because when I got it the first time, I checked if the clamp worked properly by trying to move the fence when it was clamped and it did not move. I will check again, but I think my machine is fine.

Regarding Domino joint strength, if I get a chance I will test the joint as you describe. However, in a lot of these cases, I feel the joint strength is an issue that is overblown. In most furniture pieces (except chairs, etc) joints will never be subjected to such high loads. Also, one of the value Domino offers to me is the pre made tenons. I had been using loose tenon joinery using a Woodrat for creating mortises and making my own tenon stock long before Domino was introduced. While it does not take a lot of time to make the tenons, I prefer the perfectly-sized tight fitting pre-made tenons for convenience. In the case of cabinet construction I think Domino joints are plenty strong given the number of tenons in a given piece of case. So far I have made a bookcase, a 10 drawer dresser, and a coffee table using the Domino and never had any joint failures yet.

Hi Frank,

Your being very civil which is very nice. Sawmill Creek is a different place than FOG. I did'nt mean to alarm anyone - as in everthing is going to go loose. But for your own benefit, if ever have some time, join, some 3/4x2x18" with a #8 domino to make a simple L. Let it dry three days. Clamp it in a vice so you can put you can lever one of the arms and you will get a sense of what I mean about the strength. Do the same with a joint made by forming an 1 1/2" mortise (using the Domino joiner) install a nice smooth oak floating tenon of your own creation and see what you think. Besides being stronger you can save a bundle on dominos. But as to the slipping, its easy to slip up and sometimes have a misaligned domino. But there is a problem where its slips over time and each successive mortise is slightly lower than the last. If your having this problem (I lost $200 in meranti due to this) then there are two things to try. One is to simply increase the factory adjustment on the clamp. Sometimes this works. But sometimes the problem is that the bridge on the angle guide is slightly warped. This keeps the dovetailed ways from clamping fully. A fair number of them come from the factory like this, though if you drop it that can also do it. Sometimes a little careful pressure is all it takes to straighten this out. I've actually owned two Domino joiners. The first had this problem right out of the box. It also had a host of other common problems (the misaligned centering guide, flawed dovetails for the pin guides extensions, the super weak clamping lever for the angle guide) I finally returned it. The new one had several of the little problems. But, the guide did not slip. That is until I dropped it. There was no immediately visible damage. But it immediately started slipping! This was when I found the real cause of this problem. After careful examination I noticed the Bridge was bent ever so little. I straightened it with a bar clamp and that was it - no more slip. This was over a year ago and it still locks with moderate pressure as it should and does not slip. The bridge is cast aluminum. You have no doubt had experience with this material and know yourself of its tendency to warp upon cooling after its cast and how little it takes to bend it. IMO the joiner would have been way better with a tried and true rack and pinion with chromed steel post system. For the price it should have been done this way. The slipping problem is very common and if you have it I hope this will help you adjust the machine and end the problem. Anyway, on a positive note. This is incredible new technology and can be put lots and lots of uses. One of my favorite uses is case work, but its also a dream come true for reinforcing stub tenon cope and bead doors.

[michael case]

Frank,

I agree with you. I should have been clearer. For almost all applications they great and cabinets absolutely. I would recommend owning one of these to any woodworker.

[Nathan Conner]

For almost all applications they great and cabinets absolutely. I would recommend owning one of these to any woodworker.

So, I would tend to agree. But be warned, it's not as simple as pulling it out of the box and going to town with it. I picked one up a couple of weeks ago for a frame & panel open bookcase project that didn't allow for pocket-holes or screws (and I'm not very good at stopped-dado work). It took me probably 5 - 10 times longer than pocket screws, and there was lots of stress and math to get layouts correct for the frame & panel work to make sure the rebate was consistent. Next time, I'll do the domino milling first and then the grooves and dadoes.

The end product, though, was absolutely fantastic. It's no biscuit joiner to use, but the ability to adjust to preset depths to match the depths per piece was very useful, and the shelves and dividers on this bookcase turned out quite well.

Some of the issues I had were repeatable height registry (ended up clamping straightedges on the flat pieces) and the millimeter/inch conversion. 17 looks like 16 looks like 18, and you're never going to be dead-on without detents or something in the height setting. DC was incredible, cuts were clean and precise. Follow their advice about a single register cut, making the rest a loose fit. And be prepared with a mallet after your dry fit. You'll get a workout. I ended up taping my joints and gluing the entire joint, not just the domino itself. May have been overkill, but 5 days later, the joints are stronger than I would have guessed with no racking in a large and wide bookcase.

One more thing. When they say a single registry cut, they're serious. There's no give, so make your marks accurate and stick to them. If you do, you'll be amazed. It just...fits!

With time, I'm sure I'll get the hang of making quick work of this machine, but I'm only a hobbyist without a lot of joinery experience anyhow. So it was a nice learning experience, and this was, I have to say, the first and only project I think I've ever completed (about 50 hours, I think) without a single mistake. I attribute a lot of that to the constant thought about joints, huge number of layout marks and the fiddling with the Domino to make sure I didn't ruin some really nice pieces of cherry. I can't attest to the timesaving aspect, but I can say that it worked as advertised, and then some.

[Vijay Kumar]

Not to hijack this thread, but somewhat related. Has anyone used Dominos for drawer construction. How do they compare to dovetails other than obvious looks. Are they strong enough for drawer construction? If anyone has done this or has links I would appreciate it.

Vijay

[Brice Burrell]

Not to hijack this thread, but somewhat related. Has anyone used Dominos for drawer construction. How do they compare to dovetails other than obvious looks. Are they strong enough for drawer construction? If anyone has done this or has links I would appreciate it.

Vijay

Yes, that Domino works great for drawers. While dovetails give the drawers bit more prestige the Domino can make through mortises to give a little detail to side of your drawers. Make your own tenons out of contrasting wood and you've got a good looking drawer. Festool also came out with the 4 mm tenons that can be used for 1/2" material. Check your PM in box for a link for more info.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

I love mine. Chris you're welcome to come over my place and play around with it if you like. You know where I live!