# Festool Domino 700 vs Multi-Router + Mortising Machine



## trevarthan (Jan 14, 2013)

I'm interested in creating a lot of mortise and tenon joinery as quickly as possible. I've watched a lot of videos on the Festool Domino 700 and the older JDS Multi-Router. I'm mostly interested in making exterior grade doors at the moment, but I want to make furniture in the future.

Which should I get? Is the domino a toy for a toy shop? It seems... Erm... a little limited, maybe. You have to use proprietary store bought dominos. You trade speed for flexibility. And you wouldn't get the aesthetic appeal of a true through tenon. But are those really non issues when the speed gain is factored in?


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## AJH (Apr 11, 2013)

Get the Domino,You don't have to use the domino tenons, they are easy to make,I think shop made tenon are better fitting.
And you can use the machine for mortise making and cut tenon on your rails with bandsaw and table saw.
Bring the tool to the work instead of the work to the machine.So much faster and it's a well made tool very accurate.I don't have a multi router but I did talk to a local cab shop who's multi router collects dust now that his guys use the domino.
He also said the templets are pricey.
Before I bought a domino I was looking at multi router and rich line machines. I am glad I got the festool! Aj


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

trevarthan said:


> Which should I get? Is the domino a toy for a toy shop? It seems... Erm... a little limited, maybe. You have to use proprietary store bought dominos. You trade speed for flexibility. And you wouldn't get the aesthetic appeal of a true through tenon. But are those really non issues when the speed gain is factored in?


While I'm not interested in paying their prices, Festool tools seem to be really high quality. I would expect the domino tool to work quite well in a production environment.

Is it limited? Oh yeah. It's a one use tool: it cuts holes for loose tenons. Just like any one-use tool, there's not much else it's good for.

As to whether the trade-off is worth it... For me, personally, it's not. But then, I don't do much finish-quality work, and I'm more interested in the process than the result (which may explain why my results are often not very good. That might just be that I'm still learning, though). I'd rather take the time to cut real mortise and tenon joints, even if it takes five times as long.

But is the trade-off worth it for you? I have no way of knowing. It sounds like you want the speed of a powered cutter with the strength of a mortise and tenon. There are a lot of ways to do that, but the Domino is probably one of the fastest. If you cut your own loose tenons, you're not tied to their manufacturing, which would be my biggest concern, and it's not like a biscuit where it needs to be formed of some sort of compressed stuff that expands with glue.


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## trevarthan (Jan 14, 2013)

Video about home made dominos a few posts down: http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-how-to/make-your-own-dominos/

Just need a split fence for a table saw.

Compared to the multi-router, the domino 700 is cheap. So yeah, maybe I'll buy one, use it, and if I outgrow it for specialized jobs I'll always have it for quick stuff. The idea is growing on me.


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## WonderlandWoodworks (Oct 23, 2013)

*Festool Domino*

I have to say I have the Festool Domino and it is without a doubt my most valueable shop tool. I use it almost daily. The portability of it makes it awesome. In the less that one year since I got it I've gone through over 2700 tennons and it's still going strong. I can move it from room to room of my workshop very easily and I don't have to move my work to it. It's a great tool, yes it only does one job but it does it really fast and really well.


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## trevarthan (Jan 14, 2013)

WonderlandWoodworks said:


> I have to say I have the Festool Domino and it is without a doubt my most valueable shop tool. I use it almost daily. The portability of it makes it awesome. In the less that one year since I got it I've gone through over 2700 tennons and it's still going strong. I can move it from room to room of my workshop very easily and I don't have to move my work to it. It's a great tool, yes it only does one job but it does it really fast and really well.


I bought one today. Can't wait for it to arrive.


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## Rashed (Oct 15, 2012)

trevarthan said:


> I bought one today. Can't wait for it to arrive.


Enjoy it.


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