I've never used a domino. I don't think I've ever even seen one irl. But the appeal to me as a hobbyist has never been time savings but rather the accuracy and certainty that the joints will be near perfect without having to manually adjust each joint individually.
I have one and use it several times a week and you are not wrong. But I also still use old fashioned mortise and tenon which I favor for exterior doors. On interior work often comes down to how many joints need to be cut, six doors or less and I use the domino but more than that it's faster to set up machinery like a shaper or mortiser.
We have heard from so many RU-vidrs that "the Domino is really used to help with Alignment during the glue up". Absolutely it looks like it does help. For me, based upon this time study, I need to practice cutting my M&T joinery! 😅❤
It's not just cots ; it's also User Experience. Not as in how much experience does the user have, but in how pleasant the experience is. This is a huge factor in people's acquisition decisions. If on top of it, the expense enhances the repeatability and the accuracy of the work, with minimal effort, you have a significant value proposition. Last on the list is the aspirational, brand-related factor : "I use a Festool Domino" has a similar appeal to "my daily driver is an Audi", even if you get nearly as good a car in a Honda, for much less moolah. And these factors may be even more true to hobbyists. Professionals make existential decisions all the time ; hobbyists can afford to make irrational, emotion-driven decisions, and that's something we need to understand and not criticise, even if the gadget purchased, could end up living mostly in its original box.
When I first started woodworking in the early 90s plate joiners (biscuit) were all the rage. I read the influencers of the day who insisted that I could shorten my learning curve by buying, what was then, an expensive tool. I was instantly disappointed. Why, because I didn't know what I was doing. At that time, I was only interested in power tools. Today I have a shop full of nice machinery and power tools. But I had to learn hand tool skills before I ever learned how to make my machinery work well. I believe anyone new to woodworking should learn as much as they can with basic tools and techniques before investing an expensive system that promise to save time.
One thing that might be useful for the calculator is building in a (potentially optional?) salvage/resale value for the Domino. If it holds its value from new to used, then the high cost can be somewhat justified as "I'm really just renting this over a long period of time". But great job on this video!
This is an awesome video! I'm a big fan of power tools, saving time, and trying to avoid mistakes. My wife, on the other hand, is not a big fan of me not spending money on tools, so I can do that math in my head. 🤣
You are not limited in tenon width with the domino once you start making your own tenon stock. I rarely use a standard width, I keep mine switched over to the expanded wide setting and sometimes use double plunges to get the appropriate width. When I need tenon stock, I run a large batch and keep it on hand. For a common size like 10mm I will typically have four widths on hand, regular, 1st expansion, 2nd expansion and double plunge.
Great video! Out of curiosity, you made a video about a year ago which tested different joints. Wouldn’t it have been better to compare the domino to a drill and dowel joints? That would’ve been more of a fair comparison, there are tonnes of 3D print jigs for this purpose.
I'm okay with my Festool domino, igooo Dual-Spindle Doweling Jointer, mortise, and tenant solutions, including Sharper Origin. However, the domino is my go-to tool.
The single application (mortise and tenon joint) does not speak to all applications. The domino can substitute for a plate joiner, or router if you prefer, for panel glue-up alignment. It can also substitute for a rabbet or dado regarding cabinet assembly. Additionally, this "review" was exclusively with the small domino whereas the larger domino can make all of the same size joints as the small one and then several that are considerably larger. Beyond that, the domino eliminates the math regarding sizing, since you can cut your rail and stile to the exact dimensions of those pieces and not worry about messing up shoulders when making the tenons (how much time was allotted for remaking parts?). I'm a hobbyist and have the larger domino along with the Woodpecker Mortise Match auxiliary table, which makes repeated mortises, especially on angles, a breeze. I wouldn't want to do without either.
@@riba2233aren’t you the guy who was harassing me on every platform and DMs because you didn’t like my choice of sponsor? Guess what? I’m still using the service and I still like it. I think you would greatly benefit from some therapy as well.
@@riba2233aren’t you the guy who was harassing me on every platform and DMs imaginable bc you didn’t like my choice of sponsor? And then subsequently threatened to blackmail me for some reason? I’m still using their service and I still like it. I hate to say it but you might benefit from therapy. I know a place.
