Festool Domino DF 500

[Jim Dwight]

I do not own a Domino but if I were to buy a Festool, this is the one I think I would buy. I can make mortises with my plunge router but I can't make them as quick as I could with a Domino. I also have a hollow chisel mortise and it's mortises are functional but not as nice as a router type tool like the Domino.

I use my little rigid shop vacuum pulling through a dust deputy with both on a cart :

I use it with the Bosch 35mm hose mentioned earlier - works great - and also with the original 2.5 inch hose. I use the latter to hook up to my table saw and to clean the floor. I did not hook the shop vac to the cyclone with flex hose, however, as is illustrated. I heated up 2 in PVC pipe to conform to my shop vac and the cyclone and hard piped it. If you do that, you get more suction and you also don't need the wooden hoop over the cyclone outlet, the pipe will keep everything together.

[Prashun Patel]

Richard-
I wouldn't decide so quickly which one you want. The DF700 IS a handful. It can get fatiguing if you are using it a lot for smaller things. If you will be making a lot of cases or working with 3/4" stock and furniture smaller than a dining room table, there's no real reason to get the DF700. If I were doing a room full of cabinets, I think I'd prefer the smaller unit. Also, beware that even with the seneca adapter, some users report that the the DF700 with adapter can be marginally less accurate than the DF500. I have not noticed that, but I have not used it with the smallest of cutters.

The DF700 only has 2 width stops. The DF500 has 3. I used all 3 with the DF500, and kind of wish the DF700 had it, but am making do fine without it.

The DF700 has more alignment pins in the face. So, you can actually make slots pretty easily with it by drilling repeated holes. This is nice if you are making splines. It's pretty accurate.

I just think you might want to hold one before committing. This is clearly (to me) a case where the type of projects you work on can affect the choice. But it's also like asking if you like vanilla or chocolate ice cream. I mean, they're both ice cream!

[Richard Carner]

That is not Festool website, it is a Festool dealer. I do not think Festool would recommend seneca 500 cutter adapter

I have 700, tenon assortments, Seneca 500 cutter adapter and Domi-shims for 700. All work perfectly.

Whoops. My bad. Eyeballs dancing around with doing all these searches. How do the Domi-shims work when you are working with material less than 20mm?

[Richard Carner]

I do not own a Domino but if I were to buy a Festool, this is the one I think I would buy. I can make mortises with my plunge router but I can't make them as quick as I could with a Domino. I also have a hollow chisel mortise and it's mortises are functional but not as nice as a router type tool like the Domino.

I use my little rigid shop vacuum pulling through a dust deputy with both on a cart :

I use it with the Bosch 35mm hose mentioned earlier - works great - and also with the original 2.5 inch hose. I use the latter to hook up to my table saw and to clean the floor. I did not hook the shop vac to the cyclone with flex hose, however, as is illustrated. I heated up 2 in PVC pipe to conform to my shop vac and the cyclone and hard piped it. If you do that, you get more suction and you also don't need the wooden hoop over the cyclone outlet, the pipe will keep everything together.

Very cool! I downloaded the complete PDF. Making the shop vacuum and the Dust Deputy system. Thanks very much.

[Richard Carner]

Richard-
I wouldn't decide so quickly which one you want. The DF700 IS a handful. It can get fatiguing if you are using it a lot for smaller things. If you will be making a lot of cases or working with 3/4" stock and furniture smaller than a dining room table, there's no real reason to get the DF700. If I were doing a room full of cabinets, I think I'd prefer the smaller unit. Also, beware that even with the seneca adapter, some users report that the the DF700 with adapter can be marginally less accurate than the DF500. I have not noticed that, but I have not used it with the smallest of cutters.

The DF700 only has 2 width stops. The DF500 has 3. I used all 3 with the DF500, and kind of wish the DF700 had it, but am making do fine without it.

The DF700 has more alignment pins in the face. So, you can actually make slots pretty easily with it by drilling repeated holes. This is nice if you are making splines. It's pretty accurate.

I just think you might want to hold one before committing. This is clearly (to me) a case where the type of projects you work on can affect the choice. But it's also like asking if you like vanilla or chocolate ice cream. I mean, they're both ice cream!

This is good advice that you are giving me Prashun. I am going to chill for a bit. I have read elsewhere that the 700 can be fatiguing to use. So I will mull this over while working in the shop.

[Mike Henderson]

I got the domino assortment in the systainer, partly because its nice to have everything in the systainers and because of the cost of the bits. I've found that having an assortment of dominos meant that I used them in situations I wouldn't have otherwise if I had to make the domino or go out and specially buy one.

+1 Same with me. Turns out I use the smallest one a fair amount.

Mike

[James Zhu]

Whoops. My bad. Eyeballs dancing around with doing all these searches. How do the Domi-shims work when you are working with material less than 20mm?

http://www.senecawoodworking.com/pro...mino-xl-df-700

It has two plates, one for 1/2 ply, another for 3/4 ply, basically, installing the plate to the 700 fence, it centers the cutter.

Just noticed that they have a new solution which requires only one plate.

[Sam Murdoch]

Going on 7 years with the 500 and I have no complaints other than the wider slots are too wide. The 2nd setting is a wide as I would ever want to go and so the 3rd setting is never used. Would like 3 options but scaled between the 1st and the 2nd. My Domino application has consisted of lots of 3/4" ply carcass construction, cabinet doors, trim work, table tops, room and exterior doors and furniture pieces including tables and beds. Except for the doors I very rarely venture into the 8x50 or 10 x 50 tenons. I do double up on 8X 40 sometimes before going to a longer length - depends of course on lots of variables

Having said that I did buy the systainer kit in the beginning and was happy to have done so. My 1st systainer came damaged and so I asked for a replacement box. I was told that Festool would not sell an empty systainer so I was sent another complete kit including the bits . I am now into my 3rd set of 5mm and 6 mm bits but expect that the 8 and 10s will outlive me. Just as my double collection of 8x 50 and 10 x 50 mm tenons. I've used up boxes and boxes and boxes of the 5x30 and 6x40 and 1/2 as many 8x40s. Just my experience. Which you might use will certainly depend on the kind of work you intend to do - just as Prashun has noted.

Yes, you do need good dust collection - so please don't compromise yourself out of that essential. The Domino is a wonderful tool.

Incidentally - I did discover not too long ago that the Domino makes an excellent elongated hole for attaching a stretcher to a table top with washer head screws. Bonus!

[Bill McNiel]

Richard,
I have the 500, and like the track saw, I have found many more uses than I thought of back when I bought it. If possible, I would really suggest you get a hands on experience with both the 700 & 500. The 700 is significantly larger/heavier. I borrowed a 700 to create floating tenons on a large table and it did a really great job but I can't really see using it for face frames,drawers, etc. The number of times I would use the 700 vs the 500 is very limited. Several times I have used the 500 to double cut both height and width mortises and then fabricated the tenons.

As as far as the vac goes, I look at it as I am buying into a system so keeping as much of it Festool as logical makes sense. I do use the Senica plate and really like it.

Just my $0.02

[Richard Carner]

Going on 7 years with the 500 and I have no complaints other than the wider slots are too wide. The 2nd setting is a wide as I would ever want to go and so the 3rd setting is never used. Would like 3 options but scaled between the 1st and the 2nd. My Domino application has consisted of lots of 3/4" ply carcass construction, cabinet doors, trim work, table tops, room and exterior doors and furniture pieces including tables and beds. Except for the doors I very rarely venture into the 8x50 or 10 x 50 tenons. I do double up on 8X 40 sometimes before going to a longer length - depends of course on lots of variables

Having said that I did buy the systainer kit in the beginning and was happy to have done so. My 1st systainer came damaged and so I asked for a replacement box. I was told that Festool would not sell an empty systainer so I was sent another complete kit including the bits . I am now into my 3rd set of 5mm and 6 mm bits but expect that the 8 and 10s will outlive me. Just as my double collection of 8x 50 and 10 x 50 mm tenons. I've used up boxes and boxes and boxes of the 5x30 and 6x40 and 1/2 as many 8x40s. Just my experience. Which you might use will certainly depend on the kind of work you intend to do - just as Prashun has noted.

Yes, you do need good dust collection - so please don't compromise yourself out of that essential. The Domino is a wonderful tool.

Incidentally - I did discover not too long ago that the Domino makes an excellent elongated hole for attaching a stretcher to a table top with washer head screws. Bonus!

Good read. It is reassuring to hear that you have been using the 500 for 7 years and have used it in conjunction with exterior doors and such. I have been thinking about what Prashun said and now will go ahead and get the 500. I want to thank everyone for contributing to this thread. You do not know how much I appreciate the comments both about the two machines and the dust extraction systems.

[Richard Carner]

I have owned both.
Instead of buying a $200 systainer and assorted tenons that you may never use, I would instead buy a good hose and adapter so you can dust collect properly. This is a must for accurate mortises.

Last, you can purchase the CMT cutters for 1/2 price of the Festool ones. Check AMZN.

About the CMT cutters, I was under the impression that the Domino cutters threaded on to the spindle. Amazon has CMT cutters that thread on to the Domino? TIA

[Chris Padilla]

The Domino cutters DO thread onto the spindle of the Domino. This is the first I've heard of the CMT Domino bits in this thread. I like CMT...I have plenty of their router bits and table saw blades.

Here is a list of the CMT Domino cutters on Amazon.

[Prashun Patel]

They do thread. The CMT bits are made specifically for the Domino. I've owned and used the 8mm and 10mm ones and they worked (are working) fine.

[Dan Wiese]

I have the 500 and 700 and use both but prefer the 700. While being bigger and heavier I find the 700 is more accurate for me. If the only thing I used them for were case goods then the 500 with the domi plate is great. I use the 700 for picture frames and like the stability it provides. Both are very fine pieces of equipment and I would recommend a vacuum be used with them.

[Gene Davis]

I bought my 500 used, and bought the CT36 with it, along with a 5 inch Rotex the owner was selling. Had I known about the hose option for a ShopVac, which would fit my Sears 8 gallon wet-dry, I would have not bought the CT.

And it's too late for me. I already bought the full assortment of bits from Festool. Buying the CMT bits would have saved me enough to buy a lot of dominos and sandpaper for the Rotex.

All I am building now is furniture and casework, so the 500 and its 10mm max size domino is all I need. What a great tool. If I were building doors and heavy stuff, or owned a subscription woodworking website, I would go for the 700.

Check the classifieds on the FOG (Festool Owners Group) website. Guy there right now is selling his whole collection, hardly any of it used, and the list has a 500 and 700, still under warranty. You can buy his whole shebang for about 30 grand.