re: festool domino

Festool discussions tend to polarize woodworkers.

Often, I have found that those most opposed to Festool products have not used them, or have purchased them thinking that they’ll improve their woodworking skills, then put them aside when they realize the products, themselves, don’t change skills – tools provide alternate methods-of-work, nothing more or less.

A Domino is no more like a Biscuit Joiner than a Circular Saw is a Tablesaw. For me – and I’m not a Festool devotee, the Domino allows me to bring the tool to the work, rather than hauling the work to a stationery mortiser or Drill Press. And the simple fact is that every tool is a ‘one trick pony’ – a tablesaw cuts wood in a straight line, and why would anyone pay for a Powermatic when a spitting-image Chinese knockoff can be purchased for half the price…

Lastly, I’m not trying to sell anyone on Festool – they’re doing fine without my help; and while I do consider their accessory pricing… outrageous, everyone has their own value-proposition – we need only to justify it to ourselves.