Justifying the Donino.

First off... it was tongue in cheek. ;~) Point was buy it... enjoy it... if it turns out that you use it a lot and it's a quality tool you'll forget what you paid for it. If you use it and it's junk you'll never forget what you paid. If you don't use it and stumble across it years later you may not even remember buying it...

Yes, price is an issue. Everyone has a price point/budget that comes into play when making purchases. In my woodworking club there are guys who drop many thousands without blinking an eye and there are guys who agonize over seemingly trival and relatively inexpensive items. Most fall somewhere in between.

Over time I've had occasion to purchase tools, including stationary tools, that were of no clear use to me at the time but they struck my fancy. My

1905 Crescent 36" bandsaw is the largest such purchase... stands about 8 feet tall! To me it is just way cool! I bought it because I liked the idea of having a 36" bandsaw not because I needed it--though I can think of things I could do with it that would be difficult or impossible on my 18" saw. One of my female friends, as a way of busting my chops, refers to it as my "big tool." Maybe that was the real justification. ;~)

"It's cheap" led me to buy a LOT of stuff in January 2004 when Woodworker's Warehouse went out of business. The last couple days things were selling for a few pennies on the dollar, e.g., I think I paid $1 for a table saw side table that I set up as an out feed table and a buck a piece for things like shaper rub bearings. Some of that stuff is still brand new in the wrapper all these years later. While rearranging the drawer for my shaper stuff this evening, to make room for three new cutters, I came across a large ogee cutter that I forgot I had from the WW purchases. It's so big that 5/4 or

6/4 would be needed to see the whole profile. It's brand new in the box and here I am 8 years later and I have a project coming up where I might be able to use it... good thing I was rearranging the drawer or I might have purchased another one and paid real money for it! ;~)

Perceived need drives some purchases... existing tools could serve. Variety makes things more interesting... biscuits, pocket screws, mortise and tenon, nails... all could be used but corrugated fasteners and staples could work took. Gotta have them all. ;~)

John

Reply to
John Grossbohlin
Loading thread data ...

Well no damn wonder!

:-J is how I remember "tongue in cheek". :)

Good points all ... very different from my usual reason for buying, but certainly valid. Thanks.

Reply to
Swingman

Wellllllll I don't have to justify it but some do and think it is crazy to spent that kind of money when they can do it with a bench top mortiser, router, DP and chisel, chisel. etc.

I think that because the machine is relative expensive that most don't seriously consider it and therefore have no clue of how much time it will save them. For me it saves time and encourages me to use better building techniques.

Reply to
Leon

Well I used the Domino. ;~) That afforded me more time on there. LOL

Reply to
Leon

formatting link
know about it and just got my rejection letter from Festool last week, then needed a few guiney pigs to try one out. I actually believe I am going to pass on this one, I think it is going to be better suited for larger than furniture projects. Now if I were into door building, bridge building, timber frame building, etc I would probably jump all over it. ;~)

Reply to
Leon

Thank You! Can I build you something? I need to justify the cost of my Domino. LOL

Reply to
Leon

As I replied to Swingman that was a tongue in cheek post... ;~)

I know a couple guys who own Dominos. One has a commercial shop and a rack full of Festool tools... he makes money with his tools and as you implicitly point out time is money--that is all the justification needed when you are trying to put food in your mouth! That guy does first class work and is also the only guy I know personally, besides myself, who has a 36" bandsaw. It's always interesting to see the jigs and fixtures he creates to solve complex machining problems... a good source for ideas and inspiration.

The other guy I know is retired and has the discretionary funds to buy one. He had one project, a large dining room set, where he opted to use the Domino and it worked out well for him. I think his choice was mostly based on the fact that he could and that it relieved him of a lot of tedious mortise and tenon work--not a job for biscuits.

Me personally. I don't have one at this time but I wouldn't rule it out in the future if I concluded that it was the best tool for the job based on performance and speed. Shop time is the thing I lack most. The time thing is what prompted me recently to get a corrugated fastener so I could tackle a sizeable project for my son's Boy Scout Troop and to a lesser degree a future project. It also prompted me to order some shaper cutters for another project I'm doing for a friend. Without the cutters the job would have required a lot of set up changes and passes on the table saw and I'd have ended up with a less robust product. I'm not sure I'll use two of the three cutters again but for $70 they more than justified themselves for this project. The only thing that gives me time on the wreck is that fact that it takes time for automated jobs and programs to run that otherwise tie up my computer... I am proficient at time slicing during the day!

Reply to
John Grossbohlin

On Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:37:03 -0600, Leon

And considering those drawer fronts you pin attached with Dominos, it's also capable of adding a dimension of artistry to some projects. While possible with regular mortise and tenon constructions, stuff like that is not so often visible.

Reply to
Dave

I totally understood that, but I knew there would be others that didn't hence my reply. ;~) I think you just caught Swingman off guard, he has been going at it with a couple of others here. ;-0

And I totally agree, who can really justify the cost of a 70" vs 40" TV?

If you like it, want it, and can afford it, GET IT. :~)

Reply to
Leon

Exactly! In another post I covered the fact that it was those exposed Domino's on 3 other drawers that probably got me the big drawer job.

Reply to
Leon

"Leon" wrote

Rejection letter from Festool?? Those bastards!! LOL

You need to by the big fella. It will help with your upcoming catapult and trebuchet projects. ;-)

Reply to
Lee Michaels

I know!

Oh Noooooooo!

Reply to
Leon

Could be... I'm dismayed at how badly things deteriorate here at times... Why subject yourself to it...? I do this for fun, not to increase the stress level of my life. As a side bonus, useful answers and opinions can be found here at times! ;~)

40"? Geez... I watch TV in a window on my computer via a built in tuner. Typically have it sized to about 5-6" diagonally. Not much on TV that I need to see in detail and if I do I make the window bigger. ;~)

Yup!

Reply to
John Grossbohlin

Except that tweaking the odd asshats nose on occasion can actually relieve stress ... particularly those who have a history of posting nothing whatsoever related to woodworking.

Reply to
Swingman

Not at all, and nothing to do with it ... it was a legitimate query regarding an unusual, to me, take on purchasing tools.

(But I am still trying to figure out what some of us "need more practice" at?)

Reply to
Swingman

On Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:45:07 -0600, Leon

You know you're going to get one, it's just a matter of when. Think of what you could build with one? It could be a whole new category of building stuff. And considering what Swingman could do with one, you could get whatever you want in trade from him.

Reply to
Dave

Gotta feeling it will probably be me, and we'll swap, as you previously indicated.

But with the dude cutting mortises at the rate of 1344/day, it appears I'll probably have to schedule far in advance.

Reply to
Swingman

I can see that... my approach is to ignore them and move on. This as feeding the trolls just seems to make them grow...

John

Reply to
John Grossbohlin

Your approach makes infinitely more sense, and I often follow that ideal approach myself, when politics and climate are concerned ... it's just that, sometimes, the devil makes you do it! ;)

Reply to
Swingman

Wow.....somebody who finally understands the world of tools.

Our old friend on PBS probably sold more tools accidentally than any tool rep in the world today.

Nobody needs a PC 557 but there are millions sitting in shops around the world because of one guy and a thing called tool envy.

If everybody on this list fessed up about the drawer full of "magic" tools they bought and rarely, if ever used, we would have some pretty interesting threads on "my last dumb ass purchase".

If I had the money, I would have a shop full of Festool just because I want my estate sale to be interesting.

Reply to
Pat Barber

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.