Festool 574447 XL DF 700 Domino Joiner Set

I have quite a few Festool tools: large router, large circular saw, this Domino joiner, sander, vacuum, guide rails, clamps, etc.) Some have design shortcomings ( notably the router, which I would not buy again. ) All the tools I have are high quality (and all are expensive), but this one stands out as superb. It is not doing an easy task, making deep precise oblong holes in hardwood, but it makes those mortises with astonishing ease and precision. It does softwood too, but that is less of a challenge. I debated a long time between the larger and smaller Domino but bought the larger one. I would still buy the larger tool, though I have never used the smaller one so you should read reviews of people who have. But it is crucial to hold the Domino tool fixed; the mortise will be too small if the bit side-to-side churn deep in a hardwood hole moves the machine at all. The big, sturdy Domino holds its ground (there is no provision for clamping it; it is more like a biscuit joiner in that way) , but the handles and balance are absolutely perfect. I am 69 and have had hand surgeries so I worried I could not handle such a large machine, but have absolutely no trouble. In fact, it might be easier than a small machine provided you can clamp your work firmly. It has been awesome in every case so far, but when I use the 8mm cutter on thinner wood it needed a trick to get the depth right ( how far below the reference surface the mortise gets cut. ) The minimum depth setting is 10mm, and you can't physically go below that, so I had to use a shim on top of the workpiece to get a shallower depth. You have to separately buy different size cutters, and I bought bulk tenon stock and cut the lengths I need. I could not have considered affording this beast for the first 60 years of my life, but it is a heck of a tool. It rather encourages overkill I suspect :).

It took me a while, but I finally pulled the trigger on getting a Festool Domino. I went back and forth on the 500 vs the 700 and finally decided on the XL 700. Most my work is in the mid-size range of home furnishings. But lately, i have had some larger custom work for doors and dining sets and having the option to go as small as 8 mm and as large as 14 mm when needed is great. The 8mm domino is as small as I need to go for most of our work. The weight of the 700 is not so much heavier than my old biscuit joiner (that I has since set on the back of a shelf). One thing to keep in mind is that you should connect the domino to a vac system (preferably a festool dust extractor) for best results. All that material that gets removed by the rotating bit, needs to get pulled out of the hole immediately. Thinking of buying the connectors now to save time for piece I need to ship disassembled as I currently use threaded wood inserts with furniture bolts. I am very pleased with the quality and performance of the product and now understand why they charge what they do. I would recommend that you also buy the a domi-shim from Seneca Woodworking if you work with imperial measure stock often.

Oh my it's expensive. Very expensive. But it's Festool, and it's designed and built by employees who are much better paid for their expertise than your typical Chinese built tool. The quality is almost impeccable. My only complaint so far is the adjustment nobs for the height and angle adjustment are plastic and feel like they may eventually break off. Once you own this tool, it really opens your eyes to new possibilities for building typical projects in a faster and more efficient way. I like to joke that the more I spend on tools, the less money I make on my projects. It's true, since I charge by the hour, but hopefully my lower pricing will lead to more business!

I looked really hard at both the 500 and this bigger 700 XL because the price difference isn't trivial. I decided to go big (700 XL) and then also buy the Seneca bit adapter so I can use Domino 500 bits. Ultimately I now have the full mortise range that both machines offer. Note that the 700 XL is a big and reasonably heavy machine for a hand-held tool. The pros to the weight/size are stability. The cons are also with the weight & size - it's a little more onerous if you're mainly making smaller joints (which I have to date). I think the size is a bigger pain than the weight because I'm often using narrower stock and I find myself constantly shifting the machine around to confirm I have it lined up correctly. I think I would have been happy with the 500 machine for 90% of what I'm doing. But the ability to do the bigger joints was the kicker for buying the bigger machine. Read all the other reviews about the precision and capability of both machines because they are true. That's why I still give it a 5 star review. In the end this is a quality machine that has greatly improved my ability to create quality pieces of furniture.

The only way to do the job is the right way. Now people are going to be sitting on this bench and I don't need them falling on the ground cause end grain on a 90 degree waterfall is not a strong joint. Other things like biscuits are just for alignment and dowels could be possible but a lot of work to align them for frequent builds. If you want a quality edge that flows with continues grain there really isn't another tool in the world that makes it as easy as the Domino. Buzz buzz glue set.... done, in minutes... wow.... this beautiful bench, I can't stop looking at it.