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Festool domino df 500 alignment question

N

NickM

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This sort of issue has been covered before, but I think I have a new question.

When I use the line in the acrylic "window", the side-to-side alignment is slightly out (a little more than the thickness of a pencil line).

I've tried adjusting the acrylic window, but mine seems to "self centre" when I tighten the screws. Examining the screw holes, there seems to be a very shallow indent (is counterbore the right term?) that the screw head fits into. Although the screw holes are big enough to give some lateral adjustment, the acrylic part moves back to its original position when the screw heads drop into the counterbore.

Has anyone else encountered this?

I'm wondering about carefully boring out the screw pocket a bit to remove the counterbore so the screw heads don't affect the alignment. I thought I'd ask before I do anything.

I think the tool will feature in the chair project I'm starting to think about and I need to get the alignment sorted.
 
I'm not at all familiar with the tool, but what you describe sounds like a counterbore.

Could you try fitting a washer under the screw head (one that's larger than the diameter of the counterbore) to prove whether you could align it correctly if that counterbore wasn't there?
 
Thanks Al. That did cross my mind. I'll see if I've got some suitable washers.
 
I should have added that the instruction manual does refer to calibrating the "sight screen" in this way, which is why I'm a bit flummoxed!

IMG_3477.png
 
It's not an issue if you make the mortise wider than the domino by dialling the width to the middle setting on the machine. All you need then are a pair of pencil reference marks on each bit of wood to get the joint aligned perfick - Rob
 
Agreed Rob, but some of the joints I'm planning on doing need to have tight dominos I think so I'll have little to no adjustment.
 
Hmmm. Clearly calibration is needed I would say. Mine is dead on perfectly aligned and generally I try to avoid the side to side adjustment unless I am putting in a lot of doms.
 
AJB Temple said:
Hmmm. Clearly calibration is needed I would say. Mine is dead on perfectly aligned and generally I try to avoid the side to side adjustment unless I am putting in a lot of doms.
Click to expand...
Yes, it needs calibration (tiny adjustment - width of a pencil line or perhaps a fraction less), but the way the screws fit into the acrylic piece means it isn't adjustable!

It shouldn't be hard to remedy though.
 
Nick, I attached a photo of my DF500 showing a closeup of the acrylic window with one of the screws removed. It isn't too clear in the photo, but the mating surface on the acrylic plate is flat, as is the bottom of the screw. Please ensure the screws in your DF500 are flat bottomed, and not countersunk.

DF500-1.jpg

Here is a link to a great alignment YouTube video by Paul Marcel (Half-Inch Shy) that gives a better demonstration on how to check the alignment of the acrylic plate.


Also, in case you don't already have them, Rick Christopherson created a series of supplemental manuals for some Festool items. These manuals are free and Festool has adopted them as the missing manuals that should have been included with these tools.


My DF500 was perfect out of the box, but I have helped several friends with theirs using Paul Marcel's method. This also works with the DF700.
 
Mike, thanks for taking the time to respond and take a photo of your machine.

I actually think yours looks the same as mine. The red arrow on the photo below shows what I think is the edge of the counterbore I'm referring to. The screw head sits down in that and, because it's a tight fit in there, can't move. If I take my sight screen off and hold the screw down into the hole it doesn't move at all.

Image.jpg

Thanks for sharing the video and the supplementary manual. The extract I posted above is from the supplementary manual. That and the video, and some other videos I've watched, suggest this piece should be adjustable, but it definitely isn't on my machine as things stand.

I'm going to look for some suitable washers to test my theory, although I don't know if the screws are quite long enough for that. If that doesn't seem suitable as a permanent fix, I'll have a go at removing the counterbore in the screw pocket. The sighting screens are relatively (in Festool world!) cheap to replace so I don't think I have too much to lose.
 
If you need a slightly longer screw (or one with the head turned down to a slightly shorter diameter), let me know. I've got a fairly large collection of metric screws (mainly hex socket cap screws). I've also got a lathe that would only take a few seconds to make your existing screws have a slightly smaller head with more space around them in the counterbore.
 
Thanks Al. I've also got a (rarely used...) lathe so I guess I could have done that too!

Anyway, I think I've solved the problem. I couldn't find any suitable washers so decided to remove the counterbore. I've got an assortment of end mills (they came with the lathe) so put one in the pillar drill and very gently milled out the hole. It's hard to show in a photo, but the hole on the left has been machined to give it a flat bottom, giving the screw some wriggle room.

IMG_3478.jpeg

I did the other hole and then did some test cuts. This was the first try.

IMG_3480.jpeg

It's probably just over 1mm out, meaning c.0.5mm adjustment required. As you're looking at the domino mortise, the mortise needs to move to the right. That means the plastic guide needs to move to the left. After a few tries, I decided I needed to move it as far left as it goes (we're talking tiny amounts of movement here).

The fourth try was good, and another cut was the same.

IMG_3485.jpeg

Thanks for the input on this.
 
I bought a secondhand df500 a few years back and have been disappointed by its inaccuracies and its been set aside in favour of my good old biscuit joiner. Thanks to this thread I might take a second look at the domino if an idle moment presents itself.
 
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