5 TRICKS to make the Festool Domino even FASTER and more efficient || TOOL HACK

In this video, you will see my 5 favorite tricks to make the Festool Domino even faster and more efficient. You can apply a few of these tool hacks to a standard biscuit joiner or dowel maker, too.
My favorite trick is to put the Domino upright in a vise and take the workpiece to the Domino. Check out the Domino Station: bit.ly/domino-station
I bought the Festool Domino way before I had any affiliation with Festool and even before I shared my work online.
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#festool #domino #woodworking #diytrick #jig #workshop #joinery

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks for watching! If you are interested you can find the Domino Station here: bit.ly/domino-station

[@texascarpenter]

Check out our KZbin; texascarpenter for the best Festool Domino 500 hack 👍🏼

[@FiveFifteen]

Hi, great video. thanks! would you consider selling the cnc plan/file for the jig, as opposed to the jig itself? I would also be interested in one for your shooting board as well.

[@swolleneyes]

would love to purchase the jig or purchase plans. will you have either available again?

[@walkingconifer]

is this sold out?

[@steveh8724]

Another tip you illustrated the need for, but didn't say, is that when making domino pockets of different depths (ie 15 mm and 25 mm), always do the shallower mortises first (ie the 15 mm). If you set you Domino to the 15 mm depth and then accidentally plunge into the wrong piece, you can recover because you can re-do the mortise to the corrected (deeper) depth. But as you almost showed, if you start with the deeper mortise setting and choose the wrong board, you may ruin that piece by accidentally mortising through the entire thickness...

[@BauWoodworks]

Hey Steve, yes that is indeed a very helpful tip! Thanks for mentioning it. I will definitely start doing it your way 😉👍

[@aigretbenoit]

@@BauWoodworks just use 5x30 dominos and rout both at 15

[@pf5658]

Simply some of the best information I’ve seen for the Domino. Even better than I’ve seen from Festool themselves. Also straight to the point without any useless and unnecessary babbling. Thumbs up for me.

[@BauWoodworks]

Thank you sooo much 🤗 Really makes me happy to read your comment! Have a great day 👍

[@cristianodallacasagrande8657]

Very good descriction

[@oliverr6159]

Thank you! This is the best video on how to get your domino aligned properly with ease! Exactly what I was looking for!

[@BauWoodworks]

That's awesome 🤗 Thank you so much for the feedback 👍 Have fun with your Domino 😉

[@steveh8724]

Yet another tip, when you are doing 3 dominoes across the width as in your first example, you can use the spring pins to place the first and the 3rd mortises in the same distance from their respective ends. Start from one side as you showed and use the black registration pin for the first mortise, then use the extension to make the center mortise. But then use the other black registration pin to make the 3rd mortise referenced from the OTHER edge. This way you don't have to worry that the mortise will be so close to the edge.

[@BauWoodworks]

Yes that is also pretty handy! However this only works if your workpieces have100% the same width. I like to use the black pin starting on the show edge of the workpiece and then use the extenios wings. This ensures the fronts are flush. But maybe I am overthinking this 😅 Thanks for sharing 😀

[@willemleroux8428]

Love your video with great tips. Mind your fingers with some of the cuts, it is easy to make a mistake with the depth. Very important too switch your width selector only when the router is running. It will get damaged in the long run.

[@buttonz3]

Nice video! Those tips will really help out. Also, thank you for lowering the volume when your tools turn on. Some channels don't go that.

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks for your feedback! I initially started to turn the the volume for myself when I was editing the videos and realised it must be a pain for the final viewer too 😉

[@tworiversworkshop6111]

Thank you for producing such a good, easy to follow video. Well done!

[@BauWoodworks]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much!

[@davidsmith3334]

Hi just found your channel while searching for advice on festool df500, I'm thinking of getting one after watching your video it made my mind up its on order. Thanks

[@russ8657]

Genius! Thank you!

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks mate!

[@ellieagnew15]

Needed this video today! Thank you!!!

[@zacherygore4970]

Flawless operation

[@jangerth9763]

Hi, for mid Panel joinery, I use a plain work surface and the base of the Domino for the mid Panel. Not using the fence at all, so I don't have to adjust it. I also like to cut some leftover board to the length of the clearance between side and mid panel. I put it flush to the edge of the top/button panel and use it to register the Domino against. That way you don't have to measure or draw any lines and get the same distance every time.

[@Tilburger72]

Great tips. I don't own a domino yet but the more I see video's like this............ 🙂 Thanks for sharing

[@cohesive3482]

Excellent tips! Thanks for sharing.

[@BauWoodworks]

Glad you like them! Thanks for watching and happy woodworking 😉👍

[@scottcallan3897]

Another great video, thanks for all you do.

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks for watching and glad you enjoy it 😁

[@monsieurjfgingras]

You master the art of getting to the point. Solid work.

[@BauWoodworks]

Thank you! That really makes me happy to read!

[@CarmoniusFinsnickeri]

The cut you do at 4.50 is a quite unstable set up. Small area for the machine to reference and balance on and also small area for the fence to reference and balance on. That cut could easily tilt a few degrees without noticing. For those cuts I prefer having the material flat on the bench, fence points down over the edge and use the festool support bracket (or tso bigfoot) for the machine so it can stand stable on it's front surface without help from the fence. Nice jig for working quick on small parts.

[@BauWoodworks]

Yes, you are right. That is absolutely the way to go and produces much more consistent results. Sometimes I am lazy and hope to get away with it 😅 Thanks 😉

[@ryanmaly]

I just got a domino a couple weeks ago and this is great info! Awesome job explaining different ways to use it. 👍

[@BauWoodworks]

Awesome! Congrats on your purchase. Hope you'll like it as much as I do and I am glad my video had a value to you 🙌

[@texascarpenter]

Check out our KZbin; texascarpenter for the best Festool Domino 500 hack 👍🏼

[@dandeflavis7004]

I have found using a fine point or .07 or smaller mechanical pencil helps a lot, the center line on the domino plate itself is a really fine line so a thick mark can cause misalignment of the domino or panel. I also try to use the stops as much as possible.

[@BauWoodworks]

Yeah a mechanical pencil is my favorite, too 👍 Great tip!

[@IvanTheUndertaker]

Or a marking knife

[@sufyii5792]

Very well explanation and great tips, many thanks.

[@BauWoodworks]

My pleasure! Thank you!

[@paulyanney3151]

Very helpful thanks!!

[@BauWoodworks]

🤗👍

[@danielrybin2006]

YYYAASSSS this the video I’ve been WAITING for!!!! Thank you !!!!

[@BauWoodworks]

Hehe I thought you might like it 😉 hope it helps you to get the most out of the Domino 😉👍

[@texascarpenter]

Check out our KZbin; texascarpenter for the best Festool Domino 500 hack 👍🏼

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

Great tips!

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks Angie!

[@ThePotatoDoes]

Great stuff. Really helpful video 👏🏻👏🏻

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks mate. Really makes me happy to read 🤗

[@TinyBasementWorkshop]

Great video 😊👍🏼 gives me another few reasons to buy this tool 😉😁

[@BauWoodworks]

Hehe 😉 It really pays for itself when you use it frequently 👍

[@lucwillemsens1901]

Really excellent as a video

[@hansjorgratzek2251]

Beste Erklärung im Netz, super

[@BauWoodworks]

Vielen lieben Dank. Freut mich wenn es gefällt 🤗

[@MrMnchstr]

Very helpful.

[@BauWoodworks]

Great :)

[@farrierss1724]

Nice job!

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks 🤗

[@roberthiday3342]

I am glad to have found you. Nice video. I subscribed and will be watching your content. thanks. UPDATE: Got your vice work station in the mail today. Excited about putting it to use. Looks very well made.

[@BauWoodworks]

That is awesome! Thank you so much Robert 🤗

[@roberthiday3342]

@@BauWoodworks I have been using the 'vice work station' to make some drawers and really like the efficiency of it. Appreciating it more all the time.

[@jochippyy]

Very helpful video thanks. I have the domino xl but I am having problems getting face joints flush. I have triple checked everything I can think of, where am I going wrong?

[@BrendanFalkowski]

Love the trick for setting screws to allow movement. Happy to never do that on the router table again.

[@BauWoodworks]

Yeah, that's pretty neat. I am not a big fan of plunge cuts either 😅

[@brianmosse]

Superb training, Video so clear and info packed, you got yourself a subscriber in the Bahamas mate.

[@BauWoodworks]

Thank you so much for your feedback and sub! Greeting to the Bahamas! 🌞🕶

[@texascarpenter]

Check out our KZbin; texascarpenter for the best Festool Domino 500 hack 👍🏼

[@dkamhaji]

Hi can I ask you what kind of plywood are you using in this video? Looks fantastic. Thanks

[@2brothersgaming183]

When you have 3 million subscribers, remember this comment! You’re gonna go far!

[@BauWoodworks]

Haha thanks 😍! That sounds great and I will think of it (if I should make it) 😁

[@WasimBarri]

An excellent video. So impressed I've ordered the Domino station which seems like a great idea. I've just made a small box and had to move the clamps multiple times which became very tedious. I guess I could have made this myself but you have priced it appropriately and it would have taken some time to make.

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks, John! Yeah it really make life easier with the small parts. I've used it to make a bunch of drawer boxes for my new router table and it was soooo fast 😀 I'll ship your order asap!!!

[@texascarpenter]

Check out our KZbin; texascarpenter for the best Festool Domino 500 hack 👍🏼

[@NicoSmets]

9:05 your tick marks are a millimetre offset. Could it be that your scale window in the plate is not calibrated?

[@BauWoodworks]

You have a pretty good eye 😅 To be honest I made a couple of these joints for the video and on one of them the domino slipped on me. The scale is calibrated just fine. It was my error and I did not realize it until I saw the video in the editingn process. Then I was too lazy to make it again 🙁

[@NicoSmets]

@@BauWoodworks But did it slip on 3 domino's in the same manner? :0) I have become a tad sensitive to this kind of alignment. I find this kind of alignment between 2 boards to be less than trivial, even when using a domino router. Note that the plastic scale does have to be user calibrated. It doesn't come perfect from the factory. I have calibrated mine a few times, but some tolerances always seem to creep into the result. I could make the holes a bit wider, but I would like to avoid that, I'm not really sure why :0) I just expect to be able to make it perfect the tight way. Another point: I notice you get perfect results using the side arms, on tight setting. That's great. But that doesn't work for me. I find the side arms to be a little unprecise, and the manual also states to use oversized holes when using the side arms (probably to mitigate this inaccuracy). I might sound a little pedantic here, but I sure like my edges lining up perfectly. :0) Thank you for sharing your knowledge. This kind of content on KZbin is really great.

[@saiiiiiii1]

I also noticed this. I'm wondering what works best for you now. I'm also wondering if I reference of a wider domino hole, I also lose my wiggle room in this direction, because the hole after the wide domino hole gets two times the wiggle room in one direction but no to the other. Hope this makes sense to you.

[@ebenezerwoodworking3616]

Very good video. I did notice that you changed the slot width on the machine while it was off. My instructions say you should change that switch while the machine is running.

[@BauWoodworks]

Yeah that's true. But I cannot talk while the machine is running 😅

[@rgrubicon2314]

When do you plan to have the domino jig back in stock? Thanks for the helpful video.

[@saschavolling7808]

Hallo fabi cooles Video sehr interessant jetzt weiß man wo man drauf sparen muss sehr informativ danke dir

[@BauWoodworks]

Nun ja das ist eine echt tolle Maschine und sie macht wirklich Laune. Aber nur weil das nötige Kleingeld fehlt sollte sich niemand abhalten lassen in die Werkstatt zu gehen 😉 Von demher frohes Werkeln 😁😉

[@bronco9973]

Thanks! When will the Domino Station be available again?

[@jamesmoore814]

Great video! Do you have a Domino Station jig for the XL 700?

[@BauWoodworks]

Thank you James! Unfortunately I do not. I don't habe a DF 700 and therefore it is difficult to make a Station for it. Maybe I will add it in the future 👍

[@timcorbett9629]

When doing shelves, I simply fold the shelf up along the line I need to line up, clamp it, and let the base of the domino reference 10mm both directions. No math or measurement required.

[@BauWoodworks]

Nice! That is a smart, fast and efficient way to do it! Thanks for the tip!

[@roberthiday3342]

I have been to a Festool class (sedge) and that is the technique that he teaches. I like both methods.

[@RobyWanKenobi]

Looks like you can place the domino in with the controls facing to or away from the operator, is this correct?

[@DerberAlter]

Thank you for this video. Really helpful. But are you are sure that you are referencing the right side at 7:31 ... I could be wrong, but I think it should be the opposite site. Please correct me, if i'm wrong.

[@Minden1759]

Any idea when this will be back in stock on your website?

[@nosby30]

Man that’s the best video on KZbin about the domino. I just bought mine and checked almost 50 videos none close to yours 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@BauWoodworks]

Thanks Bryan! I am glad you enjoyed it. I wish you great fun with your new Domino 💚😉

[@mazdaq1981]

Trying to get my head round something - if you're using 18mm ply, why is the thickness gauge set to 20mm? Does it matter that the dowels are off-centre in terms of the board thickness?

[@shapeit9153]

Would you consider selling the cnc files as I'd like to use the jig sooner than the 60 day shipping time by boat?

[@BauWoodworks]

Hi there, The files are pretty messy, purely metric and hence I don't feel comfortable sharing them. I hope you can understand... The shipping times vary a bit right now but usually it is significantly faster than the max time of 60 days...

[@KickaHippyPK]

Almost at the big 5k!!!! :O Congrats man! I'm so happy for you!!!!!!!

[@BauWoodworks]

Hehe slowly getting there 😀 Thanks man!

[@foxwoodworking8759]

On 18mm I always use 5mm (5x30),the 6mm is not needed. With the 5mm you set the plunge depth to 15mm and use that for all plunges. Using 6x40 just increases the chance of blow through and costs more. The Domino is much stronger than plywood or MDF so can be less than 1/3 workpiece thickness without issue.

[@BauWoodworks]

Very good point! I will keep that in mind next time. Thanks for sharing 🤗

[@reinhardwallner1289]

Hallo Fabi. Bitte, wann wird es denn die Dominostation wieder geben?

[@Mike--K]

Hi Fabian, Are you still in business and will the Domino Station be available again?

[@maarteneswart]

Can we get a building plan for the domino station?

[@VenomBroly]

Does the domino can do holes of different sizes ?

[@BauWoodworks]

Yes for sure. You can change the bit size and there are different length of holes you can adjust on the machine.

[@VenomBroly]

@@BauWoodworks thank you very much

[@dacianuscatu]

Almost close for this reason I select 15mm first

[@saiiiiiii1]

I don't want to be a smartass, but I'm actually battling the same problem. The lines at 9:00 don't match up when assembled. What went wrong or is this just the limit of the machine in terms of accuracy?

[@BauWoodworks]

Hi there, To be honest I made these joints a bunch of times for a few takes and slipped or mixed them up. Was definitely not the machine's fault 😅

[@grumpywiseguy5992]

There was no mention of the narrow vs wide setting on the DF500. From the looks of the video, you used the narrow setting. For 6mm Dominos that works but with 5mm Dominos, the precision that must be maintained in the mortise hole placement is just not doable for most non professional woodworkers. Also, that precision, especially on the freehand version depends on the type of wood being used. 7 layer plywood catches on the bit and moves the hole around. One side can be set to narrow, and then on the other side, the first hole can be narrow as a registration hole, and the rest can be set at the medium setting. Press the dominos in the narrow hole side so that they don't wiggle around when assembling. Finally, this all looks easy enough, but for beginners, who you are targeting this video, these procedures are anything but easy. It takes a LOT of practice to get good enough with the machine to use it on finished pieces of fine furniture. I spent a lot of time practicing these procedures before doing my first wall unit, which had around 300 dominos in it.

[@BauWoodworks]

That's true I didn't mention the wider settings. But I don't use them for the dominos. I think the precision that is required to get it with the narrow setting is doable for everyone with a decent layout e.g. with a mechanical pencil. The dominos also have a small strip at the sides that digs into the wood and allows for a little error if the 2 slots do not line up perfectly. If your bit catches on the plywood layer a slower plunge rate might help or your bit is dull. Oh wow a wall unit with 300 dominos sounds like a heck of a project 👏! I would have most likely messed up a domino here and there with that many holes... How big was the unit in the end? Sounds enormous!

[@texascarpenter]

Check out our KZbin; texascarpenter for the best Festool Domino 500 hack 👍🏼

[@michael.knight]

Domino station looks pretty great, but could maybe do with some safety feature to prevent fingers getting near the cutter. If you accidentally set plunge depth too deep it's bye bye finger.

[@stevalty]

Are you still producing the Domino Station? What is the difference between your two router systems?

[@keanMechanic]

Keep your finger away from the bottom of the machine.😉

[@BauWoodworks]

Yeah you are right 😅

[@K2gjbcfcvjbv]

From safety perspective you should not put your hands near the cutter

[@BauWoodworks]

Yeah true. In that one shot my finger is indeed pretty close...

[@VK-se4zf]

At 9:04 the marks do not fit - why?

[@BauWoodworks]

Like I mentioned in other comments, i did this joint a couple of times for the camera and slipped or mixed up the pieces.

[@roeramataroria2159]

Can't see jack.

[@BauWoodworks]

Sorry

[@debandmike3380]

Just put your thin stock on a piece of thicker stock I don't understand the extreme measures you took.

[@andrepoon]

You’re not meant to switch the width setting whilst the machine is off!!!

[@BauWoodworks]

True!

[@AlAmantea]

A great video, but I do believe that the Domino Station you show here was original designed and is SOLD by Ramon Valdez Furniture several years ago. You should have given him credit for the design in your video, and frankly, theft of intellectual property is never a good way to try to make money. It is actually called the Domino Dock, for which he sells plans, and fully cut/ready to assemble kits from his website.

[@patricklewis1622]

I read your critique, it may or may not be true. I purchased Ramon's plans and after looking at his plans and comparing Bau-Woodworks design from the video I think Bau-Woodworks has some distinct differences in construction and use that I like better. Look at how you can work from the other side of the machine in the video, I think I will blend the two designs together. Great job Bau-Woodworks give credit if you think it is necessary to Raymon but you have improved it, in my opinion.

[@waynebooker498]

All I saw was man bun.

[@BauWoodworks]

😂