Hot take: my domino cutter let me down on a butcher block countertop

I was working on a butcher block countertop install last Monday, putting together a big L-shape section for a kitchen. I've been using the Festool domino joiner for like 3 years now and it's always been solid, but mid-cut on one of the mitered corners, the bit just slipped and started chewing up the wood. It made this horrible grinding noise and blew out a chunk of the face grain about 2 inches long. I had to stop everything, pull the bit out, and realize the collet wasn't tightening right anymore. Ended up having to scrap that piece and recut a new one from a $120 board I had in the shop. I think the dust over time got into the tightening mechanism or something, because it just wouldn't grip. Has anyone else had their domino go wonky like that or am I just unlucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

hill.jade10d ago

Murray is right about that grinding noise being awful. I've had tools do that before and it's like a physical punch to the gut when you know you just ruined an expensive board. Dust buildup in collets is a sneaky problem too because it happens gradually, you don't notice it till it's too late. That $120 board hurts extra bad because butcher block has gotten so pricey lately, and having to scrap a whole piece over a collet issue is just insult to injury.

murray.cole10d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, a $120 board? For a single piece of butcher block? That's wild. I mean I know the good stuff isn't cheap but that's a pretty pricey mistake. You must have been furious watching that bit tear through it. I've had dust clog up a collet on my router before but never bad enough to fully let go mid cut. That grinding noise alone would have made me sick to my stomach.