What are the Best Festool Domino Alternatives?
The Festool domino has numerous cheaper alternatives like a doweling jigs, biscuits, pocket holes, and traditional mortise and tenon joints. The best all around alternative is a doweling jig which will give you same functionality as a Festool Domino but at a much lower cost. A doweling jig will provide you with a perfectly centered guide to drill holes in both workpieces which then you can insert a dowel to align and join to another board. The Festool Domino is not a tool that is required to start woodworking. The main reason it was developed was to provide a very quick and easy loose mortise and tenon joint that would otherwise take a significant amount of time to produce with traditional methods. Since the Festool Domino can be used in many different situations you have numerous alternatives, but the best alternative is a doweling jig.
Best Festool Domino Alternative for Panel Glue Ups
If you are consistently doing panel glue ups for woodworking projects the best alternative to the Festool domino is a biscuit joiner. The main goal in a panel glue up is to ensure each workpiece remains flat in relation to each other while gluing and clamping which is where a biscuit joiner excels. A biscuit joiner will give you perfect alignment vertically on your workpieces quickly and with minimal effort. Typically, a biscuit joiner is under $200 and many manufacturers offer quality tools. If you choose to purchase a biscuit joiner you could also use it to attach face frames to cabinets or cut slots to attach Z clips to table tops. The only downside is that a biscuit joiner is limited in what it can accomplish.
If you are not looking for a dedicated biscuit joiner for glue ups, you may want to purchase a doweling jig. Doweling jigs are usually considerably cheaper than biscuit joiners but offered the same benefits of aligning workpieces for edge glue ups. The only downside of a Dowling jig versus a biscuit joiner is the time it will take to drill the holes in the workpiece. I personally have used a task doweling jig to align glue ups for furniture and table tops with great results. The main reason why I personally have not purchased a biscuit joiner is because the majority of my woodworking is not panel glue ups.
Best Festool Domino Alternative for Cabinet Construction.
The best alternative to a festival domino for cabinet construction is pocket holes or a pocket hole jig. Most woodworkers frown upon pocket holes due to them being used for all types of joinery, but this is where pocket holes were designed to be used and work great. A quality pocket hole jig can quickly join face frames for cabinets as well as plywood for cabinet carcass construction. There are numerous manufacturers of pocket hole jigs ranging from small handheld jigs to production level equipment. I personally have a Kreg K4 Pocket Hole System as well as a Porter Cable Production Pocket Hole Cutter which can be compared to a castle pocket hole cutter. I have used both pocket hole systems to create face frames as well as cabinet carcasses for some of my projects and the results have been amazing. If you are consistently making cabinets I would recommend a pocket hole cutter over a festival domino as it is a more efficient joinery method and will save you time and money.
Festool Domino Alternative For Furniture Building.
If your woodworking primarily consists of building furniture you may want to look into traditional mortise and Tenon joinery or a Dowling jig. Mortise and Tenon joinery can be accomplished by using traditional hand tools which would require a very high skill level or done on tools that may already be in your workshop such as a table saw or router. A doweling jig operates similar to the Festool domino but rather than a wide tenon you would use dowels cut to size. I personally would recommend a doweling jig over traditional mortise and tenon joinery for beginner to immediate woodworkers like myself. The skill required to perfectly cut and measure mortise and Tenon joinery can become very difficult and time consuming whereas a doweling jig is a quick in simple process.
Still thinking about the Festool Domino?
I know you are looking for alternatives to the Festool Domino but you may be in a situation that buying either the Festool Domino DF 500 or the Domino XL DF 700 would make financial sense. If you’re a professional woodworker or producing a lot of furniture for clients, a domino jointer may save you money and increase your profits. Also, if you do woodworking as a hobby, but your time is valuable the domino jointer may benefit you and minimize your time building a project. The Festool domino joiner excels at making precise loose mortise and tenon joints in a short amount of time with minimal tool setup. If you are consistently using a doweling jig or pocket holes to assemble furniture or you are looking to produce more intricate designs, the Festool Domino DF 500 or Domino XL DF 700 would be a perfect addition to your workshop. The Festool Domino Joiner is not necessary by any means but it will save you noticeable time in comparison to the alternatives. If you are debating between the Festool Domino DF 500 or Domino XL DF 700 you can check out this article here where I compare the two in detail.
Top 7 Festool Domino Alternatives
1.) Task Premium Doweling Jig
If you are looking for a low cost alternative to the Festool domino a simple Doweling Jig is a good choice. I personally used the Task doweling jig extensively to build small to medium sized furniture before using the Festool domino. With a doweling jig you will be able to use it similar to a biscuit jointer for panel alignments, cabinet frames, and simple furniture construction. The only downsides with a doweling jig is the limitations on thick materials and you will need a drill press or drilling jig to make corresponding holes in flat panels. If you are just starting out woodworking the Task doweling jig is a perfect alternative to the Festool domino.
Pros:
Low Cost
Self Centering
Easy To Use
Cons:
Limited Functionality
Requires Drill & Bits
Time Consuming
2.) Grizzly Dual-Spindle Doweling Joiner
If you are looking for the same functionality and speed of the Festool Domino, the Grizzley Dual-Spindle Doweling Joiner it's probably the best option as an alternative. The Grizzley doweling jig is very similar to the much more expensive Mafell duo dowelling jointer or the Triton duo dowel jointer but at the same price of a biscuit jointer. The Grizzley is able to drill two dowel holes with little effort similar to the Festool drilling a mortise but the quality and precision of the Festool makes it a superior tool. From the reviews of the Grizzley it has the same ease of use and could be a suitable alternative to the Festool Domino.
Pros:
Similar Functionality Of Festool Domino
Adjustable Depth Settings
Quick Joinery
Dust Extraction Port
Cons:
Lower Quality Tool
1 Year Warranty
Limited Strength Dowel Joinery
3.) Kreg Foreman Electric Pocket Hole Machine
If you are looking for the time savings alone and don't care about traditional M&T joinery then the Kreg Foreman Electric Pocket Hole Machine is it the perfect alternative for a Festool domino. The Kreg Foreman has an adjustable fence to allow for various thicknesses and can quickly drill pocket holes in your work piece with little effort. I believe the Kreg Foreman is able to create joinery much faster than the Domino, but you are limited to pocket screws and the ugly pocket holes. The Festool Domino is a premium woodworking tool that is capable of more uses but the Kreg Foreman does an extremely good job of drilling pocket holes quickly.
Pros:
Quick Pocket Holes
Dust Collection
Ease of Use
Cons:
Stationary Joining Machine
Limited To 1.5 Inch Thick Workpeices
4.) Dewalt Biscuit Jointer
If you are looking for a power tool that quickly helps the line large panel glue ups the best alternative is a plate joiner or biscuit joiner. The Festool Domino specializes in loose tenon joinery which is overkill when used for alignment purposes that only need simple biscuit joinery. The Dewalt biscuit jointer doesn't have any extra features and it really only does one thing, cut shallow slots for biscuits. The biscuit joiner method is the prefect solution to glue two wood pieces on their edge quickly without precise marking or tool setup. For the Domino it would require you to change to the correct domino tenon cutter, set the width of the mortise to larger setting and mark on each piece of wood the precise location of the mortise. Biscuit joints are an alternative to the Festool Domino's loose mortise and tenon joint but only in a few use cases.
Pros:
Precise Panel Alignment
Dependable & Quality Tool
Quick and Easy to Use
Cons:
Weak Biscuit Joinery
Limited Depth
5.) Kreg 720Pro Pocket-Hole Jig
If you are looking to a more affordable Kreg Jig the 720Pro is a great tool for the money and a great way to get into woodworking. I purchased an earlier version starting out and it quickly became an essential tool in my shop. I still use the Kreg jig to this day for some specific occasions even though I have the Festool Domino. The Kreg 720Pro uses a specialized drill bit in your hand-held drill to create the pocket holes in various material thicknesses. The only big downside of the Kreg 720Pro is the length of time it takes to drill the holes and reposition your workpiece. If the Kreg Jig will only see occasional use its the best value for pocket hole joinery, but if you plan to build larger projects or as a business the Kreg Foreman will help you get your work done faster.
Pros:
Affordable Pocket Hole Jig
Portable & Small Footprint
Easy to Use
Cons:
Limited Joinery Uses
Time Consuming
Awkward For Large Workpieces
6.) Milescraft Joint Mate
If you want the most bare bones alternative to the Festool Domino you could pick up the Milescraft Joint Mate, which is the cheapest alternative to the Festool jointer. The Milescraft Joint Mate is a basic drilling guide that helps you align dowels. This is not the best tool available but its better than freehand drilling holes. The Joint Mate is not a quality tool since the fence and nearly all the components are plastic which can easily break. I personally would buy a more expensive doweling jig which will give you the best result for your money.
Pros:
Cheapest Joinery Jig
Portable & Simple Design
Cons:
Limited Uses
Poor Accuracy
7.) Rockler Beadlock
Rockler recently developed a new type of joinery method unlike any of the above alternatives. The Rockler Beadlock tries to combine dowel joinery with the Domino floating tenons. The jig allows you to drill multiple dowel holes with a handheld drill that are linked together allowing you to use a floating tenon that fit the mortise created with a drill. I think the Rockler Beadlock is a unique alternative to the Festool Domino but I wonder if the added effort of this type of joint make a significant difference in strength compared to simple dowel joinery.
Pros:
Stronger than Traditional Dowel Joinery
Affordable Joinery Jig
Cons:
Specialized Tenons
Limited Tenon Sizes Available
Time Consuming
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Festool Domino worth the money?
The Festool Domino is worth the high price tag if you value time and money. The Domino Joiner provides a very quick and easy way to cut mortises for floating tenons without large stationary tools and setup time. If you are in the business of building furniture the Domino will pay for itself in a short amount of time.
What is the difference between the Festool Domino DF500 and XL DF700?
If you couldn't find a worthy Festool domino alternative you may be questioning what is the difference between the DF500 or the XL DF700. I have a full article dedicated to comparing Festool's Domino joiners which you can read here.
Are Festool Domino joints stronger than pocket holes?
Its always a debate about joint strength but in this case the Festool Domino outperforms pocket holes. The domino uses mortises and loose tenons made of solid hardwoods, providing more strength and glue surface, whereas pocket holes rely only on screws and an optional glued butt joint.
What is the difference between the Domino and a dowel jig?
The main difference between the Festool domino joinery and a doweling jig or dowel joint is the surface area for the glue. Dowels only allow a very small surface area for glue to secure the joint whereas dominos provide 2 flat surfaces for the glue producing a strong joint.
If you have any questions, comment below.
Let’s talk about it!
