Domino and Biscuit Joiner
#11
For the Domino owners, does anyone have a biscuit joiner that they still use after they got their Domino? I have a Dewalt joiner and I'm debating selling it. I can't think of anything where I would need that instead of the Domino. Am I missing something?

I would just keep it for a while, but woodworking tools are selling well right now.
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#12
Mike Farrington on youtube has and uses both.
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#13
I have the Dominos, and still use my biscuit joiner. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority, but I find it's useful and actually not worth much as a used tool.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#14
I have a Domino and have not used my full size biscuit joiner since. However I also have a small Ryobi biscuit joiner that gets used regularly. R-1 and R-3 biscuits are the perfect size for indexing miters. That reminds me, I need to put a PC joiner in the swap and sell in case anyone wants it.
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#15
Time to ruffle some feathers. You don't need a biscuit joiner if you have a domino joiner. Sell your biscuit joiner so it can be put to good use by someone who does. Use the proceeds to buy more tenons.
Yes

Simon
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#16
(01-29-2021, 09:28 AM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: Time to ruffle some feathers. You don't need a biscuit joiner if you have a domino joiner. Sell your biscuit joiner so it can be put to good use by someone who does. Use the proceeds to buy more tenons.
Yes

Simon

I don't own a Domino but I would keep my biscuit joiner even if I did.  The biscuit joiner is my go to tool for aligning beveled and mitered edges.  That would be very difficult to do with the Domino on small sized parts.  Installing faceframes onto cabinets is another application where the biscuit joiner shines.  Gluing up panels is another application where the biscuit joiner works great.  So would a Domino in that application but the biscuit joiner inherently allows for some lateral adjustment of the parts where the Domino doesn't, so cutting perfectly matching slots in mating parts isn't required.  

John
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#17
John, Every application you mentioned is what a domino joiner can do. The joiner has three settings to control the fit unlike a biscuit joiner (loose only).

Beveles and miters on small parts are super easy. Bring the parts to the machine....you can find people bolting the machine to a jig for that. The precision is unbelievable like a mafell dweller. 

A domino joiner can do everything a biscuit joiner does, but not the way around is my point. Don't compare the two machines based on what they SEEM to be able to do, but on what they can actually do. 

Simon
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#18
(01-29-2021, 10:41 AM)jteneyck Wrote: I don't own a Domino but I would keep my biscuit joiner even if I did.  The biscuit joiner is my go to tool for aligning beveled and mitered edges.  That would be very difficult to do with the Domino on small sized parts.  Installing faceframes onto cabinets is another application where the biscuit joiner shines.  Gluing up panels is another application where the biscuit joiner works great.  So would a Domino in that application but the biscuit joiner inherently allows for some lateral adjustment of the parts where the Domino doesn't, so cutting perfectly matching slots in mating parts isn't required.  

John

Way back when, I wanted the PC joiner because you can swap to the smaller blade to use the small biscuits.  I ended up getting the DeWalt one on a trade, so I never went that route.  Although I haven't used the biscuit joiner on small parts, I would think the short 4mm cutter on the Domino could do the same.  From everything I've seen, it seems like the 4mm cutter was not part of the original design.  My case doesn't have a spot for it, which is unlike Festool.  Although I just got the Domino, I think it was old stock because nothing mentions the 4mm cutter in the instructions.

I only used the biscuit joiner on the top edge of the cabinet face frame to make alignment easier.  I would then use pocket holes for the rest.  I could see how using the biscuit joiner would work well for the rest once the offsets were calculated.  Maybe it was just laziness on my part, or some thought that I would need to be able to remove the face frame for some reason (not sure why on that one).  I think the Domino would be about the same ability for this task.

Panel glue-up is where I really use my biscuit joiner quite a bit.  It's irritating that about 1/3 of the #20 biscuits I get are too thin and don't hold the alignment well.  It doesn't seem to matter which brand.  I just go through until I find ones that are thick enough.  I could retain the joiner for this task since the biscuit joiner is quite sufficient for this and biscuits are cheaper.

As far as lateral movement, there's a setting on the Domino to allow wider cuts.  The book recommends for multiple dominos that you cut all but one slot wider on one of the boards.  This allows for a bit of difference between the distances on each side.  I could cut all of them on one side wider to allow for lateral movement.  The standard cut does seem to allow a very tiny bit of lateral movement as well.

The cost difference is significant, of course, so I'm thinking I could recoup some cost by selling the biscuit joiner.  I've been using the Domino for a whole two days, but I really like it so far.

One item I thought I might want to keep the biscuit joiner is routing slots for z-clips to attach table tops to aprons.  There area other methods, but I've been using this one for a while, and like it.  I did some experiments and was able to accomplish this task with a wide cut with the 4mm cutter.
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#19
(01-29-2021, 06:19 AM)fredhargis Wrote: I have the Dominos, and still use my biscuit joiner. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority, but I find it's useful and actually not worth much as a used tool.

Yeah, if I couldn't get more than $100 for it with the pile of biscuits I have, I wouldn't bother.
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#20
The 4 MM cutter is handy, no doubt about it. Possibly it's the one size that could make the biscuit joiner obsolete. But on the used market the joiners aren't worth all that much since the BS about the strength of the biscuits broke out....and with a pile of biscuits it can still earn it's keep.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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