Domino jointer

The Domino is a loose mortise and tenon jointing tool manufactured by the German company Festool.

History and description

This tool, first on sale in 2006, cuts mortises in the manner of a biscuit joiner. Each plunge creates a mortise that is sized to accept a Domino loose tenon, creating joints in stock from wide. There are five cutter sizes (4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm) for five different Domino tenon sizes. Self-referencing pins allow the cutting of rows of evenly spaced mortises with no need to measure and mark. Mortise width is adjustable in three increments with the turn of a knob, and cuts can be overlapped for long mortises. Fence tilts from 0-90°, with stop positions at 0°, 22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, 90°.

Advantages

• Allows very quick joinery, useful in a commercial carpentry setting.
• Flat tenons resists torquing.
• Stronger than a biscuit

Disadvantages

• High tool cost comparative to other joinery methods
• Proprietary tenons (dowels) required
• Brushes (motor) and bits will wear out in time
• Noise and dust (dust extraction required)
• Mortises overcut (i.e. the mortise is visibly larger than the domino) reducing strength.

See also

• Biscuit joiner — general page on biscuit joinery methods
• Dowelmax — another loose tenon joinery system

References

External links

• — Manufacturer's official international website
• — the Domino page at the Festool USA site

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