Should You Buy a Festool Domino? An Honest Opinion

In this video we are talking about the Festool Domino. The tool many people swear by, and other scoff at, so we are talking about where and when we like to use it, and also where other tools might actually be better suited for the job. Come along as we explore using the domino in situation like panel making, box joinery (butt and miter joints), non-referenced mortises, and furniture leg miter joints.

TOOLS

SUPPORT

MUSIC
Puppy Love - Bad Snacks
A Caring Friend - Bad Snacks
Lulu - Underbelly

[senortj]

As a hobbyist, it was tough/impossible to justify the Domino, but now that I've had one for a year I can't imagine life without it. I have probably completed at least a half dozen projects I never would have started pre Domino. We all live within the iron box of the 24 hour day and the Domino allows you to get sh%t done extremely accurately and quickly. And if you find yourself not using it, you can sell it and suffer remarkably little depreciation.

[njmcliffe]

"Foureyes, proudly bringing the same precision to our Dad jokes as we do for our furniture." Love it.

[sailingeric]

I almost got one a couple weeks ago but I decided to spend a small fortune on a Sawstop #savethefingers

[HelloAnthony]

I've been using a trim router with a plunge base along with different types of jigs, bases, and attachments to make mortices for DIY dominos. I took delivery of a DF 500 a few days ago and what previously took me a significant amount of time took minutes with the Domino. I fall into the hobbyist camp, and at first I actually enjoyed the extra layout and thought that went into setting up for router mortices. But now that I've made several practice joints with the Domino, I can't imagine going back to my old ways.

[wushunsupacycle]

I'll say that as a hobbyist, I really have very limited time in my workshop. If a process like a domino can free up an afternoon's worth of work to keep my project moving, it's totally worth it.

[Rossco]

Maybe when my kiddos are grown and I'm retired I'll spend all day chopping dovetails and mortises... but in the meantime, my domino enables me to make the most of the couple hours per week I get in the shop. Cheers!

[joshuaroe]

“That’s why I watch movies on 1/4 speed” 😂 sooo funny!

[kellendil]

The annoying thing is the monopoly. Festool having the only domino means that esp in Norway, where only motek can sell festool-tools, the domino costs an arm and a leg.

[JaredRandal]

I’m a huge advocate of the DowelMax doweling jig. I’m really curious if you’ve heard of it or used it? I find it’s incredibly fast and accurate. I’d love to see a speed comparison between that and the domino. Just for viewers’ reference.

[holottawang]

I watch my YouTubes at x2. I wish there was a 3x.

[TimberBiscuitWoodworks]

Great video guys! That was a great breakdown of domino vs non-domino joinery, Really digging how you've broken down the processes here and shown examples for each.

[mattdotmac]

oh boi these intros just get better and better ♥️😂

[SpencleyDesignCo]

Nice work on the video boys! That intro really got me

[jhc]

Don't forget the hobbyists who get their enjoyment from buying tools!

[alfrejof]

I love the professionalism and cleanliness of your videos. Thanks for clearing all doubts and being as unbiased as possible!

[Tool-Meister]

Nice video. Biscuits and Dominos are not the same. I owned a two biscuit systems for well over 20 years and a Domino system for over 11 years. Biscuits add minimal extra strength to a joint. That little extra strength might be all you need but the correct domino adds substantial extra strength. I find little difference in installation speed with either method. I would never use a biscuit for a loose tenon application. They are however great for glue-up alignment. I’ve used both systems for reinforcing miter joints. Biscuits are often adequate for frames and such but Dominos are seriously stronger.

[Psychlist]

When attaching the chair panel to the side assembly, why not put the panel on a flat surface and reference off that? In that way, both your side panel domino and your seat panel domino can reference off the same reference edge? For the side assembly, you would still use a plywood fence like you showed.

This is assuming the bottom of the chair seat panel is flat, like the one you showed. No math needed, even if the panel sits back at an angle like you showed.

[TheAlogoc]

Maffel ddf 40 and Festool domino df 700 is Best combo

[nstrubhart]

Professional turned hobbyist here, I bought one about 6 years ago for a couple of jobs — paid for itself in one job. Now I just build furniture for myself and friends/family and I still use it a ton!

[aldosarmiento]

I think there’s also something to be said for the enjoyment of using the tool as well. As a hobbyist the few minutes time savings isn’t that big of a deal. However I do enjoy using a clever piece of machinery. Not to mention the dust collection is really good.

Nice vid by the way!