Festool 574432 Domino Joiner DF 500 Q Set

This is not as brainless as one might hope. Its important to pay attention to how you use it (push in the back at cord and hold straight/flush, check that its lined up before each plunge) but it is relatively fast and if marking the lines, very easy. I use auto spacer, but i sometimes run into issues. Lining up dash marks is faster with less double checking required.Do i regret small versus large? The smallest setting (4mm) is extremely problematic to be almost worthless. 5 and 6mm are my goto for most projects with counter tops and this goes up to 10mm which works on all my projects. Small was definitely the right size as I’m primarily working with 1/2”-3/4” material up to 2”.I needed the small adapter for my Festool dust extractor as Festool has two different hose sizes and I went large.I went oversize on my holes. I found that attempting to have too tight of a tolerance just lead to headaches. I always regretted too tight and never too loose. Of note, switching the hole width requires the machine to be on else to risk damage. This should be reflected in big flashing letters. Think about switching gears on a bike while not moving. When it moves, bad things can happen. I put painters tape on the switch to remind me and thankfully it didn’t bite me the one or two times I did it before reading.Unlike some other Festool products I have zero complaints. Drill bit switching is easy and I enjoy working with this tool. The big complaint is price, but it’s first to market and well thought out and well designed. When the patent expires, definitely check out other brands. Until then live with pocket screws, biscuits, or dowels unless you’re okay with this price.

This is one incredibly useful, excellent piece of equipment. It does something that no other tool maker has attempted, and Festool aced it.There are many ways to make two pieces of wood stay together, and with $50 worth of hand tools and incredibly perfect technique, you can definitely do without this tool. I bought it because it allows me to be highly accurate, extremely fast, and almost entirely eliminated ruining workpieces and having to spend extra money on more material to start over with parts of projects. I can assemble a project in 1-2 hours with the Domino that would have required I spend 20-30 hours with a mixture of hand tools and power tools to accomplish.The other thing this saves me is a huge amount of garage space. No need for me to own a bunch of tenon cutting jigs/sleds or a stand mortiser and a plunge router setup just for cutting mortises. I like that a lot.Pros:Saves timeSuper accurateAvoids ruining workpiecesHelps me save shop space on all of the tools I'd need to use to reproduce the functionality this hasCons:Cost enough to cause marital heartburn

Updating to 5 starsI’m still not happy about the condition of the tool when I received it but after using it a few times I feel like it deserves a 5 star review. It’s expensive but the build quality, design and functionality of this tool is AMAZING. This has become my new favorite tool and if you can afford one I would highly recommend buying one. You really have to use it to fully appreciate what it is. I have absolutely no regrets about buying it and after using it, I couldn’t imagine not having it. Also, the dust collection on this thing is far better than any other tool I own. I always wear a respirator when working in the shop but don’t feel the need to when using this tool. There is literally no sawdust escaping this thing.Original Review:This is one awesome tool but mine looks like it was already used. The body of the tool and handle on the fence are a little scuffed up. It’s true that this slight cosmetic damage could have occurred during shipping but the cutter also had sawdust on it right out of the box. I would recommend buying locally if possible.

As the Brits might say, a bit “fiddly” until one gets fluent in the set up. At that point, it becomes WOW! Unless you’re doing through mortises for show, this is WAY easier than even using a dedicated mortise machine. (I have one and I’ve used it a LOT.). Far more precise than biscuits. I’ve never been a dowel guy, so I can’t comment there. FAR more elegant than a pocket hole jig and yet still easier to use. Pricey for sure, AND you probably want the Woodpecker Mortise Match accessory tool. As a hobbyist that’s not afraid to invest in the best tools, this is REALLY cool. It’s a joy to use and you’ll be blown away at how quickly a cabinet comes together.

I think once you get far enough into the Festool world, it's easier to realize that the upfront cost for some of these things don't make sense, but that the overall value you get from the system means you don't really have to care about that too much. Case in point is the purchase of a domino - I think many people are taken aback by the price for the seemingly limited functionality (I know I was). But it's just so easy, so useful, and SO fast, that the tool can pay for itself in a couple of days of work. Occasionally, I have to fix furniture, and I can't tell you how many times a simple repair went from a 2 hour project down to 20 minutes.I really wish they figured out a way to have one machine do all the domino sizes supported by the regular domino and the domino XL. That would certainly add even more value. As it is, I decided to do the smaller Domino, and it has been a good choice. The couple of times I wished for XL, I could still pull off what I needed to do with multiple Dominos, whereas I've done a ton of projects that there is no way I could have used the XL. I fear one day I will need to own both, but if you are a general purpose user (i.e. you're not making doors, beds, and other large items on a daily basis), the smaller guy is probably the right choice.