Dowels vs Bisquits vs Dominos

[Bigdog72]

What’s the best method between dowels vs bisquits vs dominos? Please factor in relevant costs when answering. Some of us are on budgets

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Don't have a Domino, so I'll answer between biscuits and dowels. Both, in my opinion, are used primarily for alignment, especially when gluing long boards edge-to-edge. Think desk or table top. I switched from dowels to biscuits years ago, primarily due to ease and speed. Biscuits are much quicker. They add almost no strength to the joint, but are great for alignment.

I see Dominos as more of a joinery tool (e.g. loose tenons). I still prefer to use traditional mortise & tenon joints, but that's just me.

 

[Canuck]

I have been using dowels (usually 3/8"x1 1/2) on most all of my projects for the last 14 years. Bought a DowelMax jig and find its quick and very accurate. I use it on all faceframes, apron to legs on tables, cabinet dust panels, rails and stiles on doors and cabinet sides and rear panels.

(I do use dowels for alignment for edge to edge long board table top panels.)

The Dowelmax jig was certainly not inexpensive. Paid about 2X the cost of my biscuit joiner. My biscuit joiner used mostly for cutting slots I aprons for using Z - clip tabletop fasteners, these days.

I have never had a joint fail.

Wayne

 

[Matt Furjanic]

Dominos for speed and strength, hands down. I have built chairs using dominos, and one Can actually sit in the chair before gluing - for alignment and testing purposes, of course. Many of my chairs were made over 10 years ago and are still as solid as the day they were assembled.
Cost of the domino jointer is a problem for the average woodworker, but if you can justify the cost, it’s a big time saver.

 

[Union Grove Saw & Knife]

Both, in my opinion, are used primarily for alignment, especially when gluing long boards edge-to-edge

I agree with this statement, especially with biscuits.

It really depends on what you are wanting to do with these. Are you looking at different joinery methods than what you are currently using? If so, a Domino would give you a little more structural value and serve great as loose tenons for breadboard applications and other loose tenon joinery. But, that convenience comes at a cost.

Dowels also serve as a structural component to a lesser degree but are great for alignment and holding things in place until glue sets.

If you are just going for alignment such as with table tops, etc. biscuits and dowels will work perfect for these applications and save your wallet from yelling at you.

 

[junquecol]

Billions, not millions of chairs are assembled with dowels. Says something about the strength of dowels. I wouldn't use a biscuit for any load bearing application. Yes, I own a biscuit joiner, two as a matter of fact

 

[mkepke]

Biscuits work fine in many loadbearing applications (like a full size door) but I wouldn’t use them in a high risk situation like a chair or a step stool. The ‘margin of error’ is too slim.

If the glue fails (eg bad glue up) you are left with a weak mechanical connection unlike a dowel or a tenon which will fail more gracefully.

-Mark

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I use both dowels and dominos. It depends on the application. If joining end grain with no stress, dowels work fine. If used for structural integrity dominos. In some cases, i still do old fashioned M&t joints as I just enjoy the process as no-one sees most joinery inside

 

[chris_goris]

They all have their purpose and limitations.
1. Dowels are good for end grain to long grain joints of small components where size limits or other factors dictate ( aesthetics for instance ) Vs a M&T joint. One could also throw pocket screws in the mix here as well, this is what I typically use, but my application is generally a smaller face frame cabinet joint. Depending on how many are used and the size, dowel(s) could be used for light structural use.
2. Biscuits in my experience are good for edge gluing as an alignment aid and nothing more. I wouldnt personally count on one for any sort of structural application.
3. Dominos, like dowels, are very strong but do 2 things dowels cant, one, you can use one domino in lieu of 2 dowels (faster) . secondly, one domino can align a joint in 2 directions, sliding and rotation of the joint . This ensures faces stay flush and planar when gluing (quality) . The domino tool expands on the dominos capabilities as far as applications with its (extreme accuracy) and (flexibility) allowing you to use a domino where a dowel might be difficult to installed repeatedly or accurately. Dominos are available in many sizes , length and widths and can be used from light duty to structural applications like doors.
So, to answer the budget question (targeting the domino mainly) , what do you need to make and can a joint be made alternatively?. Do you need speed, quality and flexibility foremost (think professional)?

 

[JimD]

I use very few dowels but have used them. I do not have a good dowel jig, if I had one I might use them more. I think you can do a lot of what I use my dominos for with a good dowel jig but not as quickly. I also do not think you can get as much cross sectional area of dowels into a joint as I can with my domino. But they are more cost effective.

I also have a biscuit joiner and I use it occasionally. I used to use it for edge joints in table tops and it is pretty good at that but not as good as small dominos. It definitely does not make a structural joint and it is difficult to use on something like a face frame. So I don't use my biscuit joiner much any more. If I did not have the domino I would still use it for edge joints. It helps a lot on large glueups.

My favorite is my domino XL. You can do most of what the tool does with a plunge router, however. The joints should be just as good. It will just take significantly more time. I've done mortise and tenon joints this way. I first got a hollow chisel mortiser to speed things up then a domino. Domino is by far the fastest. It's compact size is also welcome in my 1 car garage sized shop. I have never purchased a loose tenon, however. I got a few with the tool and I liked them fine but I prefer to just make sticks of tenon material from scraps and then cut them to length when I have a project underway. I also make wider tenons when the project gives me the space. I think a lot of the "domino joints are weaker" theory is due to use of pre-made tenons that were too small for the joint being tested. No reason at all to do this, the tenons are very quick and easy to make. But the domino was one of the most expensive woodworking tools I've purchased and my only Festool. It works great and I'm glad I bought it but it doesn't do anything you can't do other ways. It just makes mortises quickly and accurately. I've used it to make 11 dining room chairs, a large dining room table, a couple coffee tables, a gate for my dock, several beds, a crib, and one dresser.

 

[McRabbet]

In the earlier days of my woodworking, I used a Stanley No. 59 Doweling Jig for joinery of aprons to legs (a good solution for long grain to end grain joints), but alignment and ease of setup was challenging (newer more expensive jigs would help), so I retired that means. I have used biscuit joinery solely for panel segment alignment and it works well, but I have seen some cases of wood swelling at those junctions in softer woods. I swear by my Domino DF500 that I have had for more than 10 years for a variety of applications -- loose tenon joints are very strong, the tool is very precise, allowance can be made for wood movement (thing breadboard ends) and so on. I've used it in place of dadoes or rabbets for connecting plywood butt joints, for panel glue ups, for strengthening rail to stile joints versus just cope and stick joints. A Domino is quick, accurate but admittedly expensive. My doweling jig and biscuit joiner languish in storage and I suspect they'll never get used again.

 

[Kelly]

I use the Dowel Max jig on most of my joinery. It is an amazingly simple but accurate tool that makes joints fast.
There are a few attachments that make angled joints and several other do dads but the basic jig is great, 3/8” or 1/4” drill holes.

 

[Rwe2156]

I rarely/never use dowels. IMO they are not a substitute for joinery especially in somethings like chairs. That said, one of the first pieces of “furniture” I ever made was a coffee table that was built entirely with dowels. It lasted 25 years til my son got it and left it in the carport for a few months - it delaminated and came a part like a peeled banana, but the dowels held.

I use biscuits on occasion they are my preferred (and only) method.

I had a Domino 500 for a while and ended up selling it. It wasn’t the game changer I thought it would be and I actually got better alignment with biscuits.

If I were looking for something to do real joinery it would be a DominoXL. IMO that’s a LOT of cash for a floating tenon maker which can be made with a router. It’s a production shop tool IMO.

 

[JMcanoe]

I built this for a PC biscuit joiner and found it greatly improved speed and accuracy. Worth $6 for the downloaded plans. https://www.woodstore.net/Accurate-Alignment-biscuit-Joiner-Jig-p/gr-00449.htm

 

[junquecol]

When using dowels, I use the router to drill the holes. Use a piece of 1/2" plywood. Using drill press, drill holes for guide bushings. Add an alignment fence to jig. Clamp to stock, and using up cut spiral bit, drill holes. Drilling from other side of plywood jig, drill mating holes. The reson for drilling from other side of jig is to compensate for any inaccuracies. Holes are a mirror image of each other.