No Comment #2 - Dem Legs

I admit it, I nearly forgot to get back to the remaining build videos of the Tim Burton table! mea culpa...

This episode goes over the legs; not going to go over the actual shaping process as that's just rasping, but do cover how they were designed and laid out and something useful for anyone making a table: how to easily level it.

Next episode will cover the finish as I did that before assembly. Since I'm going to the shop after this post to work on finishing Angle Madness, it shouldn't take forever for the next episode :)

Domino DF-500 or Domizilla XL DF-700?

It's a common topic since the Domizilla came out: which to get if you could only get one?  It's also a very valid question since they aren't inexpensive.

With the recent offerings from Seneca Woodworking along with their new prototypes I reviewed recently, the choice becomes more muddied.  So let's go over the differences, what they mean in real use, and comment on how each machine stacks up to different common projects so you can better identify with a certain machine's capabilities.

The first thing to point out is that nothing suggests the 700 is a replacement for the 500; they are distinctly different machines; both will be around a long time.

Here are the specifications we'll look at:

Specification	500	700	with Seneca
Weight	3.2kg	5.2kg
Routing Depth	12-28mm	15-70mm
Cutter Diameters	4, 5, 6, 8, 10mm	8, 10, 12, 14mm	4, 5, 6mm
Mortise Widths	exact, +6mm, +10mm	exact, +3mm
Fence Height	5-30mm	10-52mm	down to 1mm

Let's look at the specifications individually...

Weight

For some, the weight of the machine can be a big deal. The 700 is 62% heavier than the 500. Generally, I care less about the weight than other specs on a tool, but I could see a reluctance to want to lug a tool 62% heavier than another that can do the same job. This is especially the case with a Domino where you are mortising many holes on different project pieces. Contrast this to a heavy router where you put it down and do a lot of work without lifting it again.


Routing Depth

This is a big difference between the machines that often goes overlooked. Well, partially overlooked...

The 500 can plunge to 12, 15, 20, 25, and 28mm depths.

The 700 can plunge from 15 to 70mm in 5mm increments. While this can seem the same, remember that you don't have a 12mm equivalent. Sometimes you need a shallow plunge in one piece and deeper plunge in the mate to keep from piercing a side. Not a big deal, but something to consider.

Now the 700 ships with a plunge lock; it is a piece of plastic pushed over a plunge rod for shipping. Keep it; slice off a 2mm wide piece and keep it as a stop as explained in the 700's supplemental manual. With it, you can set your plunge to, say, 30mm and slip on the 2mm spacer to get an effective plunge of 28mm. If you created a 3mm wide spacer, you could set the plunge depth to 15mm with the spacer for an effective depth of 12mm. You've now used these jigs to duplicate the two mortise depths the 500 has that the 700 doesn't directly have.

With the depths provided with the stock 700, you could use any of the 500's tenon lengths since they are all multiples of 5mm in length (30mm, 40mm and 50mm).


Cutter Diameters

Prior to the Seneca accessories, this specification was usually the deciding factor for people to choose one over the other. Now it is fuzzy. Gee, thanks, guys...

Prior to Seneca's bit adapter, the minimum 8mm diameter bit could be too large for some projects. Certainly for 1/2" (12mm) ply, that's gluing the tenon to basically the outside skins. Even for 3/4" (18mm) ply, 6mm is a better size though 8mm will work. Length-wise, you'd have a minimum length of 40mm for the pre-cut Dominos. Naturally cut-to-length stock (or home-made) could be made to match the 30mm minimum tenon length (using the 15mm minimum depth on both sides without any spacer).

With Seneca's bit adapter, all the 500's bits are available for the 700. Excellent news for dealing with thinner stock or when you just want a smaller tenon like the 5mm tenons for alignment of panel parts. Granted, the adapter does not extend the plunge depth of those bits: they are still limited to 28mm plunges, which with the 700's "multiples of 5mm" plunge depths means 25mm (using 30mm, my bit bumped the outside of the mortise and didn't achieve full depth). I don't see this plunge-depth limit as a problem since I don't see a case (for joinery) where you'd need a longer tenon of those smaller thicknesses. Now for non-joinery uses, of course you could use it!


Mortise Widths

The 500 has three widths vs the 700s two widths. The extra widths allow for slop during assembly and is usually used for panel alignment so one 'anchor' pair of Dominos are exact-fit mortises with the rest allowing for some drift during mortising.

I rarely use the wider mortise widths; I did when I first got the 500, but not so much anymore. A single wider setting is about all I'd require in a machine and both have it.


Fence Height

The height refers to the fence distance to the center of the mortise. Nominally, the 500 should be able to get to 5mm from the center although some fences require a bit of filing to do that (mine for example, but mine is an original first-gen fence). If you have a problem lowering your 500 fence to 5mm, give this article a read.

A limitation of the 700 is that you can't get that close to the center. With a 10mm minimum distance, you can only center the mortise on 20mm or thicker stock. Personally, I've never had a problem putting a mortise slightly off-center and actually encourage that for easier assemblies. However, the 10mm distance means 3/4" ply is about the minimum you can use even with an off-center mortise.

The Seneca DomiShims (or even your own shims) can apply a certain offset to the fence making that 10mm setting be, well, 0mm if you had a 10mm thick plate. The DomiShim for 1/2" stock is 9mm thick so you can technically set the fence to 1mm from the center, but then you'd ram your bit into it. But the point is it effectively gets you a lot of range on the fence height. Granted, installing the DomiShim isn't the fastest thing and, currently, the final version of the shim and fence height gauge are in some flux. Ultimately, you'll be able to use it or some shop-made shim to center your mortises on thinner project stock.


Ergonomics

I find the 500 a comfortable size and easily maneuvered. Some people find the top-mounted button awkward, but I've never had an issue with it; use your index finger :)

The 700, while ergonomic in use, is heavy. It begs two-handed use whereas I do a lot of work with the 500 one-handed freeing up the other hand to better hold the stock.


Miscellaneous Comparisons

On large projects, people will often go for the thickest tenon that fits the work. Sometimes, though, two smaller tenons are ultimately stronger and much more twist resistant than one larger thicker tenon. Consider that a pair of 8mm Dominos have nearly double the long-grain glue surface as an equivalent length 14mm Domino. Further, two 8mm tenons stacked (with some stock between them) is enormously more twist resistant than a single 14mm tenon; you may not have room for multiple 14mm tenons.


So, which one?

Prior to the Seneca accessories, there wasn't as big of a fuzzy grey region as there is now.

The 500 can do the vast majority of my projects; it does medium to large tables, small boxes, panels, face-frame joinery and attachment. The 700 is now capable, with the bit adapter, to do all those same projects plus those that need the larger tenons; for example, the thick and long tenons mortised through the table top into the legs of the No Comment #2 (Tim Burton Table) build. I often hear that outdoor gates or doors are a prime candidate for the 700 although I'll go back to the discussion that two stacked tenons can be better than one thicker one.

The 500 is still cheaper than the 700 plus some people moving to a 700 are selling off their 500 so you can get a great deal. If 99% of your projects could be handled with the 500, it might be a better investment; odds are that 1% project can still be done with the 500, but maybe with a bit more thought to achieve what can be more easily done with a 700 in that project. If you occasionally do larger projects, the 700 with the bit adapter (or reground 6mm bit) might be a more versatile tool, but at a higher cost for the machine plus the Seneca accessories mentioned.

Seneca Woodworking Domino Accessory Review and Preview

Ron and Ryan of Seneca Woodworking have been making some great accessories for the Domino; they're the ones who made the DomiPlate that production cabinet shops using the Domino really love.

The DomiPlate was for the DF-500, so they've since come out with DomiShims for the DF-700 XL Domizilla as well as a bit adapter that allows the Domizilla to use the smaller DF-500 bits.

...but they are also up to some other things, and that'll be the preview portion of this review.  The preview products will be useful to a lot of users besides changing the way DomiShims are sold.  Good stuff.  Ryan will be keeping us updated on the prototype releases on Seneca's blog, so read that one (after mine! :)

These accessories blur the already blurry line between a "500 project" and a "700 project" as the 700 can now make mostly the same holes the 500 can.  But there are still significant differences you'll need to consider before picking one or the other, the biggest factor being your current projects.  I'll be posting an article early next week reviewing those differences.



For my email subscribers, here's the video link.

Here are some handy links to the other relevant reviews mentioned in this video (uh, the video work wasn't as good back then :)

The original DomiPlate review.  The Domizilla XL DF-700 review.  The Domino DF-500 review.

No Comment #2 - Tapered Octagon

The tapered octagon piercing through the shaped demi-lune top of the Tim Burton table (formerly known as No Comment #2) involves the nemesis of most woodworkers: compound angles (the stair builders are laughing right now...)

True, compound angles are more complicated than square cuts with a square blade by a square woodworker :) ("triple square cuts"), but some techniques can make them really easy to work with and get great results.

In this episode, a large part deals with cutting and Domino-ing the triangles that make up the tapered octagon along with some tips on eye-balling the cut with an angled fence and how to recover from Dominoing with a less than perfect bevel angle setting.  The Domino trick actually comes in really useful in the triple-square arena as well.

There was a lot of interest in the new-to-me technique of using the Domizilla to mortise through multiple parts simultaneously; the process is really easy (though I over-explain, I know), but saves on a lot of awkward calculation of other compound angles.

Next up will be a short video on how to measure a compound angle off a project; this is really useful when you are making an n-sided object... make n-1 sides according to your formula and tool settings then calculate the last perfect-fitting piece directly off the rest.  The savings in caulk alone make this worthwhile to learn!

The video refers you to the Angle Madness Jigs video if you want to know more about cutting miters with triangles.

Sorry it's longer than I expected... jeez, it's just a tapered octagon!



As an aside, apparently all my friends had very very bored parents in August because we just had a string of 12 birthdays to celebrate.  Nice full social calendar; completely bumped video editing :)  Hey, at least it was for very pretty, I mean, very good reasons!

No Comment #2 - Table Top

Normally a panel for a table is pretty trivial to put together: surface, joint, glue, done!  While that's not always the case, it would be the Cliff Notes version.

The table top for the Tim Burton table is another story with all the shaping on the underside, scalloped edges, and that it is a demi-lune pattern fanning out from a center.  In this build video, I'll talk about why Dominos were used (not actually needed on a Cliff Note panel), how the ramp for the router works, and some of the aspects of laying out where the wedges come from.

This episode doesn't cover the finishing as that will be covered in another episode.

As always, thanks for watching...

No Comment #2 - The Full Build

Finally!  There, thought I'd say it for you since I've been saying it all week :)

I had a lot of fun with No Comment #1.  Enough that I'd thought to continue the series with a small but fun build aptly named No Comment #2 (clever, no?).  Like No Comment #1, I won't tell you what I'm building.  This video is a full project build from start to finish in high-speed sections and multi-cams to keep you busy watching instead of snoozing!  Guess as you watch it what I'm making.  Some clues have appeared on this blog to, you know, build intrigue.  My version of foreshadowing!

Unlike No Comment #1, I'll be following up this initial build video with videos detailing different aspects of the build.  There were some interesting techniques used in this build that can be applied to many of your projects.

If you write a comment on this video here or on YouTube (which I'd appreciate!), please don't put a spoiler in there as to what the project was.  Latest comments appear on the homepage so someone not trying to see the comments may see "hey, nice grain elevator!" and it'll just ruin the effect :)

The video is an hour long although my test victims who previewed many early versions never thought it too long; hopefully it'll be as interesting for you.  Maybe go pee before you hit play!


There are two versions of the video!  It wasn't enough to drive myself batty with all this video editing that I mixed two soundtracks.  One uses the songs you've heard many times on previous podcasts.  The second uses new music!  It's all progressive guitar and rock instrumentals.  It is very much what you'd hear in my shop, especially the newly-found favorite Daniel Bautista.

Since the video is all music between a short introduction and final conclusion, you could always hit mute and play your favorite hair bands if you prefer.

I shook the dust off the walls listening to the guitar edition after rendering it tonight; the middle three songs might be a bit much if you're not into the guitar as much but fear not as the songs after those three are very melodic; modulate with the volume control!

Here's the version with the sounds you've often heard on this podcast:



Here's the guitar version: version 11.0!




While sometimes the scene is messy in the video, what's behind the camera is usually piles of whatever I wanted out of the scene.  Here's a panorama of the shop during some of the shooting (the project was in the house so no spoiler here):

A secondary goal of this video was to get better at video editing, lighting, etc.  The biggest thing I learned is that for the total time of this project, easily 9/10th (or more!) of it was video work, whether it was setting up cameras, correcting clips, editing clips, or figuring out some silly thing I wanted in the video for no other reason than I didn't know how (at the time!) to do it!  This really wasn't that long of a build if you don't have red record lights pointing at you :)

For the curious, here's the info for my dedicated video drives:

Crazy that two 4Tb drives are full of the raw and optimized footage for this thing.  As I render the build videos to follow this one, I'll get to delete some footage.  At one point, I found myself drooling over an 18Tb raid stack.  Someday... (no, Friday! :)

Angle Madness, my other project in process, will continue, too, while I put out detail videos for No Comment #2, as I've recorded a lot of the content for those videos already.  The slow pace of Angle Madness needed an intervention for myself and for you.  Now you know why I was in the dark for so long :)

A Place for my Files

I have a decent collection of files going.  Most are Iwasaki plane files: fast, aggressive files that leave a planed surface.  Nothing short of fantastic (oh, nicely priced, too).  Okay, I'm on a tangent...

Problem is storing them.  I put them in a drawer in their shipping bags so they don't bang together, but then I have to riffle through them to get those I'll need.  Had to be a better plan.

I asked for ideas over on FOG and an Aussie posted this link to a nice shop tour where a pretty good solution was waiting.

I grabbed a scrap board and laid out an array of Dominos up each side.  The flat files need 8mm of space.  Marching up the board using the previous Dominos as a reference off the base spaced them with a 7.5mm gap; good enough.

What you see attached to the fence is a narrow stock spacer; only works on pin-style Domino fences (nah nah ne-nah nah).  You could use the paddles to get a similar quick spacing.

The half-rounds needed more spacing so I stacked a few plastic shims (very handy) as I marched up those Dominos.

The result is a nicely organized board.  The gap in the middle is where I may someday put a handle to lift the whole thing out of the drawer; for now, fingers work well.

The resulting board even fits nicely in the drawer where they were.  Take the same space as before.

I forgot I took these pictures until I went to grab a file to soften some corners of a vacuum press platen I put together tonight!

Angle Madness! - Dominoing the Drawer Tiers

Finally got a chance to get back at editing this video; apologies, work got crazy.

In this episode, we'll Domino the curly Maple shell of the diamond-shaped cabinet tiers for a dry fit.  We can only do a dry fit for now since there's a whole drawer webbing to make on the inside as well as the top and bottom veneered panels (next episode!)

Using the Domino on a bevel angle has a few challenges mostly with being precise so you get a perfect dry-fit joint that doesn't require a clamp to fight the mis-aligned Domino.  There are ways to correct for that, and I go over it a bit in this episode.

Since Dominos on a beveled edge can get close to the outside show surface, there are also considerations beyond the obvious: don't pop through!  Careful placement and glue-up will avoid finishing problems later.

Midway through, I made a comment that inside the mortises, it's all end-grain.  On a bevel like these, that's the case and that presents glue-up issues.  I went over this a bit in a separate Domino Crib Sheet video.

Grab a latté and cue it up!




...and thanks for watching :)

Angle Madness! - Stock Prep from Hell

With Domizilla off probably invading Tokyo, I got a chance to get back to the Angle Madness entertainment center.  I should call it "the diamond cabinet formerly known as the entertainment center" as 'entertainment center' draws up so many uninspired chain furniture store images in my head...

This episode.  hmm.  It is stock selection and preparation, BUT due to all the inclinations, miters, and bevels, almost every aspect of "stock preparation" is affected.  There's nothing normal about the prep work needed on the stock for this cabinet!

While you may not plan on making a diamond-shaped cabinet, I think this episode will help you see some of the additional work needed up front during stock preparation of a project with inclined sides or "coopered" sides of sorts.  There should be some useful take-away (I hope!)

This one was a challenge to record with dual cameras; some of the lighting issues for the overhead cam will be resolved in future episodes, though they aren't too bad now.

If you like how this is going, lemme know in the comments or press the little thumbs-up button... I already have a troll taking care of the thumbs-down for ya :)

Domino Crib Sheet - 3 Topics - Mid-Panel Joinery, Cut-to-Length Stock, Pinning Joints

A final installment in what was apparently a crazy long Saturday.  I think I will hear my computer burp when I delete all this footage!

In this Domino crib sheet, I demonstrate two techniques for placing a joint accurately mid-panel.  You'd typically do this to Domino a shelf into the side of a cabinet, but I've also used this many times to place smaller 'rail/stile' pieces mid-panel as well.  One technique lets you set the top of the shelf or joining member while the other lets you center it on a line.

The second topic is more a continuation of the Domizilla review I did recently since I now have the cut-to-length tenon stock that is being released with the Domino XL DF-700.  Even if you don't have an XL, the 8mm and 10mm cut-to-length stock will be useful for times when you need a different custom tenon length.  Personally, I've made my own  longer DF-500 tenons on a couple home projects (stair refacing, suspended shelving, and installation French cleat for a built-in cabinet).

Third topic, pinning joints with a 23ga pin nailer.  I did a demonstration of this in a previous DF-500 demo, but it's useful enough for a re-run.  This can significantly reduce your need for clamps with certain builds, but regardless that benefit, it adds strength.

Now to get back to editing video for the 'angle madness entertainment center'...



Admit it, you're gonna miss that shirt now that the series is over...  but fear not!  A yoga hottie told me it's her favorite shirt so, oh my!, it'll be back :)


For disclosure, I received the Domino XL early as part of the Test Drive program, which requires testers to return the full kit on June 1, 2012 or allows the testers to purchase it at a small discount.

Domino Crib Sheet - Grain and Angles - 4 topics

I'll admit, I didn't know I shot that much video the day I played with Domizilla; still editing it down into bite-sized pieces :)

Today's Domino topics revolve around being aware of the types of glue joints you can make with a Domino and how they differ from those of a traditional mortise-and-tenon (M&T: meticulous & time-consuming :) kidding! hey, put down that pitchfork...)

Other topics involve miter joints (not too tricky) and mortising on a bevel (can be tricky).  My Angle Madness project has a number of crazy bevels to be joined with the Domino so getting this right is important or re-learning all that math is for naught!

By the way, I haven't forgotten that project, but this Domizilla character kinda shook up the shop for a weekend...



For disclosure, I received the Domino XL early as part of the Test Drive program, which requires testers to return the full kit on June 1, 2012 or allows the testers to purchase it at a small discount.

Domino Crib Sheet - Prefer the Quick-Height Setting and Domino Drawboring

This video crib sheet has two tips.  The first is to use the quick-height setting on the side of the fence even when that doesn't center the tenon.  Actually, even when I set the fence by hand, I never set it dead center for reasons demonstrated in the video (and that have saved a frantic glue-up or two).

The second tip discusses drawboring.  Drawboring a tenon involves using a peg through the tenon and an offset hole that causes the tenon to pull the joint tight and hold it there.  Fantastic for strength and it's clamp-free!  The tenons for the original Domino are, to me, too small to be used for drawboring, but the XL's tenons are much larger and heftier and seem to drawbore pretty well.  Now if you go back and see my video on making oversized mortises with the XL quickly and easily, you'll see a huge amount of drawbore potential.

Well, not to draw this out and bore you :) here's the video!



For disclosure, I received the Domino XL early as part of the Test Drive program, which requires testers to return the full kit on June 1, 2012 or allows the testers to purchase it at a small discount.

Domino Crib Sheet - Screw Holding

The ongoing crib sheet theme... another installment!

This is a quick demonstration of how to use a Domino to significantly improve screw holding in man-made materials like MDF (in the demo), waferboard, particle board, or MCP (commonly called 'Melamine').

The technique is pretty low-tech, but helps a lot when making things like cabinet lowers or other utility box that's later adorned with countertops.

Domino Crib Sheet - How do you glue?

When I did a review of the Domino XL DF-700 'domizilla', I mentioned a forthcoming video on Domino joints; I called it an encyclopedia, but that sounds far too authoritative for me.  Hence the high-school crib sheet :)

I have a lot of footage to edit and thought only insomniacs would enjoy watching it all in a sitting, so I'm going to break it up into small snippets like this one; some will include multiple tips, but none will require pausing for potty breaks.

If you are browsing from a desktop browser (most mobiles don't show it), there's a table of contents above this entry that will list all related crib sheet posts.  So if you save this entry and come back later, you'll find the others listed.

Back to the crib sheet...  this first video of the series does a glue-up experiment.  I often hear people say they only apply glue inside the Domino mortise for both speed and little to no squeeze-out meaning little to no cleanup.  Personally, I put it on both the Domino and in the mortise, but who's to say that isn't just overkill and a lot of cleanup.

This video shows an experiment I did applying glue to a mortise-only and to both.  Even if instinctively you think glue in only the mortise is weaker, is it too weak to use?  Might be strong enough.

Festool Domino XL DF700 Review (Domizilla!)

Last month, I received a Festool Domino XL DF700 joiner as part of the early Test Drive program.  This Domino will be available June 1, 2012.  It's huge!  Hence my 'Domizilla' moniker...

This video reviews the tool and tenon kits going through each part.  If you are already a Domino DF500 user, much of this is the same between the models.  That said, though, there are a few notable differences (beyond size) between the XL and DF500; I'll bring those up in the review as I go.  This is not a point-by-point comparison between the two.

Also should note that the XL does not replace the DF500: both models will be available moving forward as they are both made for different sized projects (with an overlap the video will show).

I won't be mortising in this video.  Ah, but no sad look... there are two other videos being edited now that will show:

• the Domizilla in use making some mortises; this is mostly an action film :)
• a Domino Joint Encyclopedia that shows how a number of common joints are made, how to make them wrong, and some strength tests for different glue-up methods; this is applicable and demonstrates both Domino models.

These videos will be released over the next 10 days so subscribe or "watch this space" for more.

You will want to verify and calibrate the cursor on your fence.  Here, I have a video showing the trivial procedure to do so.  It was shot awhile ago using the DF-500, but the procedure is identical with the Domizilla.  It is highly recommended for both models... do this the day you receive either (both?)

The video also references a previous video about making oversized mortises.  While that video was recorded using the DF500, the techniques are the same though the resulting mortise sizes are different.




For disclosure, the Test Drive program requires testers to return the full kit on June 1, 2012 or allows the testers to purchase it at a small discount.

Other Uses for the Domino

While chatting with someone about the Domino, I realized a brief tour of other uses of the Domino might be interesting.  Here goes:

This shelf in my shop currently has three things hanging from it.  There used to be a few more jigs there, too.

The top of the shelf has a series of equally spaced Domino mortises...

The underside of the hung items also has mortises.  As you can see, the shelf is where I pop an unglued Domino in whichever mortise I need to hang items.  For awhile, I also had a moisture meter hung by a Domino since it had a wrist strap I could hook over it.  But the Domino isn't just used for stowing things on this shelf.  Next to the shelf is a large box that protects the water softener and water filter from clumsy woodworkers.  On the top of that, are 3 mortises (left, right, and one about 2/3 more to the right); each has an unglued Domino.

In this photo, you can see that the spray gun stand that was hung on the shelf can be hung from this box when I'm spraying outside the garage; the stand doesn't stand up well on its own with the long tail and whip on the gun so this is really handy.

In this photo, the "ladders" that were on the shelf are now deployed onto the box; they are used to hold panels as they dry with dye or finish (they can be much wider as they cantilever off the frontmost nail).  I made this while preparing 10 shelves for a cabinet and it has been very useful.  It is also the reason for the "2/3 more to right" Domino so it can handle shorter shelves or drawer parts.  As you can see in the picture, the exotic MDF is ready for French polishing :)

Ah, the back junk wall above my bench.  That horizontal stick of Oak is there for mounting mini shelves like the shelf for the scrapers (or the clamping squares to its left).

Push the Domino flush to the wall and plunge, which puts the Dominos 10mm from the wall.  Use that spacing to make the mortises on the bottom of the shelf and you have a quick way to make a removable shelf; easy to scoot over, too.  If you change your mind on a shelf's location, glue the Dominos in place and cut them flush.

I had a laptop in the shop for a long time.  I wanted a stand to hold it, but also wanted it removable.  I ran across the stand today in a hidden corner of the shop (in the garbage now as you've seen I have a wall-mounted monitor now).  Where my monitor is today, there was a horizontal strip of oak like the one for the scraper tray where this laptop holder could be quickly inserted or removed (as it stuck out over the bench a little, I'd often remove it when assembling something tall enough to hit it).

The laptop sat on the incline to make the keyboard more accessible; the oak front sticks up high enough to stop the laptop from sliding down!  Notice the two Dominos in the back.

On the back of my "Sysport" drawers, I use a Domino to register in the Systainers' locking slot to keep them in place.  I've used this trick on non-Systainers, too, as just a nub that sticks up is enough to keep a box from sliding around, but also easily removed.

If you remember the entry about the Moxon vice, I made a 'jig' mortise with the Domino using its registration pins so I could make mating mortises in jig accessories that attach to the vice.  First one I made and love is one for locating a drawer side plumb while cutting dovetails.

Out of the shop, I use a couple Domino tricks as well.  My dad made this ceramic bald Eagle long ago.  I borrowed it when I first moved in :)  That shelf is actually my first woodworking project in hardwood.  It is shaped from a tracing of that bird's shadow.  Now, I think the shelf needs more shaping, but I like it anyway.  It is mounted to the wall with 3 Dominos into the bracket (the bracket itself is screwed into wall bracing):

The two slots to the left are the "middle" size giving a bit of play; the other is elongated: 2 of the "wide" mortises in a row.  The shelf attaches by putting one Domino into the elongated slot then sliding the shelf into the other two:

Once inserted, a small screw goes through the top of the bracket to pin the Domino closest the corner.  It's rock solid, but easily removed.  Note that this shelf doesn't have to hold a lot of weight; 3 Dominos in shear like this would actually be pretty strong, but not enough for a hand-crafted anvil or anything.  Also, for the curious, there's a recess in the middle of the shelf that matches the base of the eagle so it can't vibrate off the shelf and also it places the eagle in the correct orientation it was in when the shadow was traced.

As a final example, this built-in cabinet is in my master closet.  The mirror in the back is held in place by 5mm Dominos.  No, no, I didn't mortise into the mirror :)  The Domino holes are set back from the front molding enough to hold the mirror in place; should I ever move, I can pretty easily remove the cabinet and take out the mirror for transport (no mirror mastic!)

Oh, yeah, I use the Domino for joinery, too :)

Extra-Wide Domino Mortises

The Domino XL DF-700 ("Domizilla" is easier to say...) is out in Europe, on the way here, but doesn't prevent us from making nearly 2 ³/₈" wide (58mm) mortises with its tiny cousin the DF-500.

In this video, I'll show you how to create your own loose tenon ('Domino') stock from project scrap and plunge repeatable oversized mortises.

Why would you want oversized Domino mortises?  Many joints benefit from a larger mortise; best example is an apron-to-leg joint on a table.  Sure you could plunge 2-3 regular Domino mortises, but this technique gives you another option.

The video references a printable guide I put together to help calculate the size of an extra-wide mortise given a bit size and which offset cursor hair (the lines to either side of the center cursor) you use.  Here is a direct link to the PDF you can save and print at home: Printable Extra-Wide Domino Mortise Guide.

While this technique may seem more complicated than it is worth, I've certainly used it many times; using the Domino to plow a larger mortise is so much faster even with glancing at this chart than is pulling out your router, finding the upspiral bit and calibrating the edge guide.  Give it a go on some scrap like I did in the demo and you'll find it pretty easy.

Review of Domiplate Accessory for Festool Domino

Ron Wenner made an interesting accessory for the Festool Domino called the Domiplate. It acts like a fence attached to the bottom of the Domino giving you two offsets: one for 1/2" nominal sheet goods and another for 3/4" nominal sheet goods.

While you could use the flip-down fence in these situations, the Domiplate is rigid and won't drift plus they are pre-calibrated.

If you are making a lot of boxes of sheet goods (cabinet lowers or uppers) or are a production cabinet shop, you'll find great utility in a Domiplate that eliminates errors that can occur with the flip-down fence with multiple people setting it.

In this video, I'll introduce the plate, show what you need to use it (a couple bolts you need and likely already have) plus some demos.

To contact Ron with more questions or to place an order, write him directly at RonWenner@GMail.com.
Edit: Since the time of this review, Ron opened an online store for it and the new version of the plate is nicely anodized and laser etched.  If you're interested in it, give it a look at the Seneca Woodworking site.

Calibrating the Festool Domino Cursor

The cursor hairs on the Festool Domino are a user-calibrated part of the Domino fence. While the bottom of the Domino has a factory calibrated center line, you need to transcribe that line to the cursor hairs for accuracy when doing "pencil line" mortises.

This video shows you a quick way to do it on a new fence I received for my Domino.

So get your Domino, a T-10, some blue tape, and two chunks of scrap wood (maybe popcorn, too!) and let's calibrate that beast.

Domino Self-Centering Guide SCG-10

Awhile ago, I blogged some preview information about the forthcoming Domino Self-Centering Guide SCG-10.  The product has come out and looks very useful.

If you've followed my podcast at all, you've seen me use some third-party narrow-stock spacers that are fitted to the front of the pin-style Domino.  The pin model is harder to find these days so the fast pencil-free registration offered by the spacers hasn't been available for everybody.  The SCG-10 solves that problem.

In this video, I'll show you the product, how it fits to the Festool Domino body, and how to calibrate it easily.  I then do a series of demonstrations to show forming a 90º joint (like a rail/stile joint) using the SCG.  One demonstration shows using the SCG for its centering function and the other emphasizes the equidistant offset provided by the SCG and how you can use that to offset mortises.

The key to a Domino is getting your reference surfaces correct and these demos try to show that briefly.  If you want more detail on reference surfaces, you can catch the fourth episode of my sculpted Mahogany vanity series or you can look at the third video of my four-part Domino review.

The calibration procedure shown in this video isn't the same as the one outlined in the manual. The manual's procedure assumes the center line on the bottom of the Domino base is reasonably accurate.  For my Domino, it is considerably off, but I calibrated my cursor hairs exceptionally well.  The basis of my calibration is to use the cursor hairs to get it done in one try.

I think you'll like this product.  For a pin-based Domino user, it provides more flexibility than the narrow-stock spacers (of which I'm a huge fan), and for the paddle-based Domino user, well, now you can put your pencils down :)



Addendum:

In the comments, someone said that while viewing the last demo, the joint didn't look flush. Admittedly while editing the video (way late at night), I thought, "that looks bad", but I knew I had felt it and it was flush.  Well, that someone else noticed and asked, I went to verify.  Yes, it is flush on the top edge where I glided my finger, but the back had a gap...

The second demo was an impromptu idea while recording so I didn't prepare that stick, as was pretty obvious by the burn on that end of the stick.  In this picture, you can see how there's a visible gap near the back; burn is embarrassingly visible, too.

I cut that board in half, put the SCG-10 back on the Domino, set it to the width of the stock "plus a little" to offset the Domino and replunged.  This is the result.

The outside edge of the frame is very flush.

Here you can better see how flush the side is.  The surface has a small step mostly because the cross piece (one with the Domino 2 pictures ago) is at the limit of what I'll hold to plunge so I don't think I pressed as hard on the top fence as I should; it's minor, but usually I get the surfaces more flush.  Really, don't do pieces this small without using a holder.  :)