Festool UCL Domino Jointer User manual
Domino JointerPage 1
Tool Description
This tool cuts mortises in the manner of a biscuit joiner. A drill-like
rotating cutter cuts a round-ended mortise. Each plunge creates
a mortise that is sized to accept a Domino loose tenon, creating
joints in stock.
General Tool Safety
PPE
• Always wear eye protection.
• Wear a dust mask were appropriate.
• Wear hearing protection.
• DO NOT wear gloves.
• If you are in doubt, ask a technician.
Safe working area
• Do not wear loose clothing.
• Remove Jewellery.
• Keep hair tied up.
Consider those working around you, inform them before starting the equipment so they can
use relevant PPE, ensure there are no trip hazards and reassess the area once all cables and
extraction hoses are connected.
Do not use a power tool while tired or rushed. A moment of inattention and incorrect use of PPE
while operating power tools may result in serious personal injury and or death.
Power Tool Use and Care
Do not put the power tool under undue force. It should be easy to cut into the material.
Check you are using the correct settings and ask a technician for help if needed.
Do not use the power tool if it makes a loud or irregular noise.
Do not use the power tool if the switch does not turn it on and off. Any power tool that cannot
be controlled with the switch is dangerous and must be brought to the attention of a technician
before further use.
Disconnect the plug from the power source before making any adjustments, changing
accessories, or storing the tool. This will reduce the risk of starting the tool accidentally.
Use sharp and clean cutters. If the cutting tool looks blunt, worn or chipped, bring this to the
attention of a technician before continuing. Properly maintained tools with sharp cutting edges are
less likely to bind (get stuck) and are easier to control.
Domino JointerPage 2
Check material condition before cutting. Remove any foreign objects such as nails or screws
from the material to prevent damaging the tool and its cutters. Do not use green or wet wood as the
water and sap content can damage the tool and its cutters.
Functional Description
A Domino Joiner is used to cut mortises in wood for oating tenon joinery. Mortise and tenon
joinery is one of the oldest and strongest methods of joining pieces of wood together. A rotating and
oscillating cutter sweeps across the workpiece to quickly and effortlessly cut a uniform mortise, in
which a Domino oating tenon is inserted with wood glue.
Item Name or Description
A Fence Body
B Motor Housing
C Auxiliary Handle
D Fence Height Gauge
E Mortise Width Dial
F Fence Height Locking Lever
G Power Switch
H Main Handle (barrel grip)
I Plug It® Power Inlet
J Depth Adjust Lever
K Depth Adjust Lock
M Board Thickness Gauge
Item Name or Description
N Fence Angle Locking Lever
P Fence Angle Gauge
Q Dust Extraction Port
R Baseplate
S Outrigger Mounting Slot
T1 Locating Pins (qty. 2)
T2 Edge Stop Dogs (qty. 2)
U Mortising Bit roat Opening
V Friction Pads (qty. 2)
W Horizontal Position Gauge
X Adjustable Fence Face
Y Fence Body Release Lever
Z Spindle Lock
Domino JointerPage 3
Changing the Mortising Bit
Different mortising bits are available for a variety of Domino tenon
sizes.
1. Using the provided 8mm wrench, pry up on the fence body
release lever, and slide the fence body off the motor housing.
2. Press and hold the spindle lock button. This stops the spindle
from turning while you loosen the mortising bit.
3. Loosen the mortising bit by turning it counter-clockwise
(standard right-hand thread).
4. Insert a new mortising bit and start the threads by hand to
avoid cross-threading.
5. Press in on the spindle lock while tightening the bit. Do not over tighten the bit.
6. Carefully reinstall the fence body onto the motor housing and push the fence body in until the
latch clicks. Make sure there is no sawdust
inside the guide tubes (hollow tubes) before
inserting the fence body.
Domino JointerPage 4
Dust Extraction
The Domino joiner is intended to be used with a dust extraction system. Using the machine without
dust extraction will cause it to clog with wood chips.
When installing a Festool dust extraction hose onto the dust port of the machine, it is easiest to
insert the hose at an angle and then push it on the rest of the way, as shown in the photo.
Plug the power tool cable into the front of the extractor and set to full suction and Auto.
If you need to make further adjustments to the tool, ensure the extraction is not plugged in so the
tool cannot accidently start.
Fence Adjustment
Fence Height. The height of the fence needs to be adjusted depending on the type of joint being
made and the thickness of the material being joined.
There are two features available for setting the fence height; the height gauge and the board
thickness gauge.
The Height Gauge shows the distance between the bottom of the fence face and the centre line of
the mortising bit. Use this gauge to set the mortise height relative to the surface of the workpiece.
The Board Thickness Gauge numbers printed on the gauge represent the thickness of the
workpiece (in mm) and the mortise height will be centred in the workpiece. Use this gauge for
setting the fence height based on the thickness of the workpiece without needing to calculate the
centre distance.
Domino JointerPage 5
1. Loosen the fence height locking lever by turning it
¼-turn counter clockwise.
2. To use the board thickness gauge:
• Raise the fence above the board thickness gauge.
• Slide the gauge in or out until the thickness of the
workpiece (in mm) is shown in the window.
• Lower the fence down until it touches the gauge.
• Tighten the locking lever.
3. To use the height gauge:
• Make sure the board thickness gauge is retracted
out of the way.
• Raise or lower the fence until the pointer is pointing
to the desired height on the gauge.
• Tighten the locking lever.
Setting the Fence Angle.
Some joints require the fence to be set to an angle from
the mortising bit. The most common application is for
making a mitered joint.
• Loosen the fence angle locking lever by rotating it
counter clockwise about a ¼-turn.
• Rotate the fence face to the desired angle and tighten
the locking lever.
• The fence has detent stops at 22½, 45, 67½, and 90
degrees.
• Use the gauge pointer for setting the fence to angles
other than the ones listed above.
• For greater stability, the locking lever clamps down on
both the right and the left sides of the fence.
The table below provides some common mitre angles for easy reference.
Domino JointerPage 6
Mortise size setting
Setting the mortise width
The width of the mortise slot can be increased to permit some side-to-side exibility in the tenon
position. The mortise width dial has three positions. In the standard (smallest) position, the Domino
tenon will t snugly into the mortise slot. In the middle position, the mortise slot will be 6 mm wider
than the Domino tenon. In the widest position the mortise slot will be 10 mm wider than the Domino
tenon.
Setting the Mortise Depth
The mortising depth determines how deep into the workpiece the mortising bit penetrates. This
needs to be adjusted for different sized tenons. In most cases, the tenon should be centred across
the joint, and the depth of the mortise should be ½ the length of the tenon.
1. Press in on the depth adjust lock.
2. Move the depth adjust lever to the stepped position of the
desired depth.
3. Release the depth adjust lock.
However, in some cases you may want to have more of
the tenon in one piece than the other (lower Domino tenon
pictured below). In this case, the sum of the two depths must
equal the length of the tenon. (In the offset tenon example
below, the Domino tenon is 40 mm long, the left mortise is 28
mm deep, and the right mortise is 12 mm deep.)
Domino JointerPage 7
Turning On & Off
The power switch for the Domino joiner locks into the “On” position when activated. When working
with the tool for the rst time, it is recommended that you become familiar with the operation of the
switch before you plug the tool into a power outlet.
To turn the joiner on, push forward and down on the power switch. To turn the joiner off, press down
on the back of the power switch to release the latch.
Housekeeping
Before starting any cleaning, disconnect the tool from the power supply.
You may need to intermittently stop operations to clean away dust build from the area of work and
the tool.
The tool should be cleaned after every use. Use a vacuum with the brush attachment for the
outside of the tool. For safe and proper working, always keep the machine and ventilation slots
clean.
Never used compressed air to clean the tool. This will cause dust to be pushed into the atmosphere
for you and others to breath in as well force dust into the motor and xings of the tool.
Ensure the tool and accessories are placed back where they belong.
Do not leave tools out. If you are unsure where tools are stored, please speak to a technician.
Induction nished
Below is an insight into just some of the ways the Domino Jointer can be put to use.
Familiarise yourself with the tool and ask a technician to assist you with your particular set
up needs.
Use this link to see video set ups
https://youtu.be/sD2QxrwuvJk
or type ‘Getting Started with the Festool Domino DF 500 Joiner’ into YouTube.
Domino JointerPage 8
Edge joining boards
Edge joining boards is a common method for creating wide boards from a series of narrower
boards. The Domino tenons add strength to the joint and help with aligning the boards to be ush.
Butt the two pieces of wood together and mark with a pencil were a series of mortise holes can be
made down the length of the wood.
The rst tenon is used to register the two boards horizontally and is milled at standard width. The
remaining tenons align the board ush and may be milled away with an oversized width.
Mortise into the face of board material
Creating Butt Box Joints will require you to mill into
the face of a board. Consider your plunge depth
as not to fully penetrate the wood. You may need to
use the support bracket and reset the angle of the fence.
Domino JointerPage 9
Machining Tenons
Machining the Captive-Side Tenons
• Choose a Domino tenon size to be less than
or equal to 1/3 of the board’s thickness.
• Set the height of the fence so the Domino
tenons are in the centre of the board’s
thickness.Set the mortise depth.
• Clamp the Captive boards at to your
workbench.
• Grasp the Domino joiner by the auxiliary
handle, hold it rmly down to the workpiece,
and slowly plunge the cutter into its edge.
Machining the Cap-Side Tenons
• Don’t change the fence height from the
previous operation. It is used to register the
mortise placement from the edge of the board.
• Install the Base Support Bracket
• If necessary, change the mortise depth setting.
• When plunging, hold it rmly against the face
of the workpiece.
Domino JointerPage 10
Mitre Box Joints
Generally, mitre box joints are fairly weak because the joint
is predominately end grain to end grain. Tenons signicantly
increase the strength of the joint and make it easier to
assemble and clamp the pieces.
For thinner materials, keep the mortise close to the inside
corner. This minimizes the chances of boring all the way
through the workpiece.
For very thin materials, it may be necessary to shorten the
Domino tenon length.
For thicker materials, stacked mortises can be used as shown in the picture below.
Setup and Machining
• Tilt the fence to the appropriate angle.
• Lower the fence to the desired height. Note that the mortise should be close to the inside corner
to avoid penetrating through the workpiece.
• Tip: Before milling the mortise, double check your depth settings to ensure you don’t cut all the
way through.
• Plunge the joiner as shown below.
• The stacked mortises are used for thicker stock.
• Grasp the joiner by the auxiliary handle for best control.
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