Festool Domino DF 500 Supplemental User's Manual - Operation

10 

Domino DF 500 Tenon Joiner 

Operation 

Overview, General Notes, and Tips 

Getting Started 

Because the look and feel of the Domino joiner may already 

be familiar to you, or similar to other tools you may have 

used in the past, you might be tempted to forego a basic 

introduction to using the tool. However, unlike other tools of 

similar look and feel, the Domino machine is extremely 

precise in its operation. For this reason, it is recommended 

that you spend some time practicing using the Domino joiner 

before you begin using it for your fine woodworking projects. 

For best results, observe the following tips: 

► 

Always secure the workpiece firmly. 

► 

Hold the Domino Joiner firmly by the handles and keep it 

flat against the workpiece. 

► 

Plunge the mortising bit into the workpiece with a slow and 

steady pace. 

Choosing the Right Domino Tenon Size 

Because the Domino system is a form of the classic mortise 

and tenon joinery, it should follow much of the same 

guidelines of mortise and tenon joinery. Here are some 

guidelines to assist you in making your choices: 

► 

When the strength of your workpieces is comparable 

to the strength of the Domino tenon (e.g. general 

hard woods) then the thickness of the Domino tenon 

should be approximately 1/3 the thickness of the 

workpieces.  

► 

It is acceptable to use a tenon that is slightly thicker 

than 1/3 when the width of the Domino tenon is 

relatively narrow compared to the width of the joint. 

This is why 8mm Domino tenons are the most 

common for joining ¾-inch lumber.  

► 

For softer woods, such as pine, the joint will be 

stronger when the tenon is 1/3 or slightly less.  

► 

For plywoods, especially low-grade construction 

plywoods, the Domino tenon is much stronger than 

the surrounding wood, so it is best to maximize the 

strength of the substrate by minimizing the 

thickness of the tenon. 

Domino Tenon Placement Guidelines 

There are no steadfast rules on where tenons should be placed, 

especially when they are used for alignment purposes. For edge 

joining boards, a typical placement might be 6 to 8 inches apart. 

However, when tenons are used to strengthen a joint, you might 

be tempted to place the tenons too close together. This can 

actually weaken the joint by removing too much of the substrate 

material. 

► 

A wide mortise weakens the substrate, so it is better to have 

several narrow mortises with uncut space in between, than it 

is to have a single wide mortise with several tenons side-by-

side. 

► 

When placing several tenons close together, leave at least 

twice the tenon thickness between mortise holes. As a 

general rule, this means the minimum tenon spacing should 

be about 10 mm to 20 mm, but they can be spaced much 

wider. 

► 

When creating stacked mortises for extra thick lumber, an 

extension of the “1/3 rule” mentioned above still applies. 

Specifically, the distance between mortises, and the distance 

between a mortise and the wood surface should all be equal 

to (or larger than) the thickness of the tenon.  

Plug-It

®

 Power Cord  

The Domino joiner comes equipped with a removable 

Plug-It power cord. To install the power cord, insert the 

cord into the inlet on the tool with the key and keyway 

aligned, and twist the locking ring. Reverse the 

procedure to remove the cord. 

Note: Turn the outer locking ring ¼-turn to 

fully engage or disengage the cord. If the lock 

is not fully engaged, the cord may fall out of 

the socket.