Festool Domino Machine Instruction Manual - page 62

ble top on hinges that allow it to auto-

matically deploy and line up with the rest 

of the table surface just by lifting one sec-

tion of the leaf.  In order to line up prop-

erly the pivot points where the 

leaf folds and the pivot points 

for the deployment mechanism 

must be in exactly the correct 

locations relative to one an-

other and to the top of the ta-

ble.  Lining those up is what 

generally makes this kind of 

table tough to build.

As we will discover as we pro-

gress through this project, 

here the deployment mecha-

nism pivot points are set in 

vertical sliding dovetails and 

the leaf attaches to that 

mechanism by screws placed 

up from the bottom.  What this 

allows is for all of the critical alignment to 

take place 

after

 the table is constructed, 

not before as is required by the conven-

tional construction methods.

One of the last steps in the construction 

process is to invert the completed top and 

leaf assemblies and align them the way 

they will be when the leaf is deployed.  

Then the table mechanism is placed up-

side down on the aligned top and leaf as-

sembly.  When everything is 

square the pivot mechanism 

(red arrow in this photo) 

slides in the dovetail groove 

until it is snug to the under-

side of the leaf.  At that point 

the leaf is screwed to the 

pivot mechanism and the 

dovetails on either side are 

pinned in place so the pivot 

point can no longer move.

This results in the pivot points 

being properly aligned so the 

leaf will deploy as it should 

without any measuring or 

guesswork on the part of the 

furniture maker.  Nifty and 

dead on accurate.

The leaf is guided up and over the table 

skirt by the slides (green arrow) shown 

above which also are set in sliding dove-