Festool Domino Machine Instruction Manual - page 68

slots in the underside of the top.  And, 

you have to be able to slide these dove-

tails more than 750mm without binding.  

So, leave the through dovetails unglued.  

If your slot centerline is off a little bit, the 

pins will slide in the tails to accommo-

date.  If they were glued, you would 

be......had.

Above is a trial fit.  Everything 

fits perfectly and the skirt as-

sembly can slide snugly all the 

way to the end of the female 

dovetail slot.  Don’t mount this 

assembly until after you have 

cut away a bit of the end of the 

male dovetail so the assembly 

will fit with the faces of the side 

skirts exactly flush with the in-

side mating center of the table 

top plates.  That way the skirts 

will come together tightly as 

the table halves are pushed 

together when the leaf is 

stored.

Break the edges on the ends and under-

side of the skirt pieces so they will have a 

nice feel to the hand.  Sand and fully fin-

ish the skirts and table top plates before 

assembly.  Fully finishing everything in 

the flat makes sure all surfaces are 

sealed, even the male dovetail and inside 

the female slot.  That will reduce the 

movement of the top and also ensure that 

what movement needs to take place over 

time can happen easily.  

When you do assemble these compo-

nents, be sure to wax the female slot and 

male dovetail.  If the slide fit is too tight 

once the pieces are finished, just take a 

hair (no more than 0.1mm) off the width 

of the male dovetail.  That should loosen 

things up enough to keep it a snug, slide 

fit.

Next we will build the interior frame on 

which the table/skirt/leg assemblies will 

slide on steel ball bearing drawer glides 

and which will also hold the butterfly leaf 

mechanism sliding dovetail slots.  

The frame is a simple box section made 

up of two side rails the same as the net