Wood Shop Must Have Domino Joiner

A domino Joiner is a must-have for anyone who makes cabinet doors Face frames Or furniture I gathered all my cash and went to the hardware store to buy one I thought it would be about 300 bucks Wrong answer $996 dollars. I did not have $1000 to spend on a new tool. So in the spirit of this Instructable I went home and made my own. I am entering this in the contest because It fits the parameters perfectly

Step 1: Find a 1/4 " Router

I used a secondhand router because I wanted to secure mounting plate And I did not want to Install and remove my existing router. Making the joiner is simple in theory But the bit needs to be centered exactly on that wood your cutting, That way if you mess up And invert a piece It will still mate up with your other work, The rotor should be exactly 90° to the base And very securely mounted Check and recheck it must be square

Step 2: How It Works

You need to make a base for the router to attach to and a table to slide on it, The distance the table slides back-and-forth is the width of a domino Plus about eighth of an inch. The depth of the cut is controlled by where you place the router bit in the router, Of course it will be slightly over half a Domino's length

Step 3: Mark Your Joints

I mark the joints before I cut them, I do this because I set it up With the dominoes slightly to the outside edge The Mark also assures you're getting the cut in the correct place The line points to the cutter

Step 4: Clamps and Guides

The clamps are a must, They hold your work down and steady. The position of the guide determines where the router will cut your slot I chose to set mine fairly close to the edge. This is because sometimes I Use narrow rails and stiles Sometimes as small as a inch and a quarter wide. Several bases could be made for different applications

Step 5: Quick and Easy

In the photo you see it a & b side To cut the slots Make an end cut on the A side unclamp it and slide it to the B side flip the table 180 degrees and make the cut, The stock can be as long as you want. You will notice That it's almost impossible To make an incorrect cut It's also very fast

Step 6: Strong and Tight

The connection is very strong and very clean

Step 7: Non Corner Connections

For middle joints I simply remove the existing base And put a piece of stock the same thickness as my clamping base and manually do the cut with no auto stops If you wanted you could copy the other one for middle joints With the end stoppers removed

Step 8: Examples

These are a few of the doors I made For my rocketship camper The center panels need to be installed But that has nothing to do with the joiner You can see the Fit Is very tight If you have a good miter cut On the end of your rails You can't mess up. Total cost of this project was about 50 bucks. You can see the advantages Over number 10 biscuit It would overhang the joint