A month back I completed a commission, which was a large European oak dining table. It seats 6 people and has a glass top.
The pictures above so the sequence from start to finish. The tool I wanted to test on this project was my Festool Domino Cutter. I have had it a year or so and used it for various operations but all fairly mundane, such as solid corner post and cabinet construction.
When I was designing this table I was considering joints and going through in my head how I might do it. Because of the size of the table and weight i didn’t even consider the domino at first. After a few mock ups i decided to try the domino and cut a test joint. Even with the joint dry it was so strong and went together with ease. That was it i was going for it. I decided on a layout for the domino’s using the guides and scales on the machine (why make it difficult)
Joints cut I put it together dry and clamped it down. What a joint, really strong and no play whatsoever. I cleaned up all the timber prior to gluing and got some help to glue up. It wasn’t really needed but it was a precaution. Whenever glue goes on things tend to behave differently.
This is a substantial oak table with a glass top and the Domino joints in this are perfect. It is definitely a tool which can perform and produce really strong joints. It has proved to me that this tool will be used a lot in the coming year.
One last thing it is very neat in terms of not producing dust and shavings when using a extractor. There is no waste in the air or your lungs
