Post by henrun on Nov 25, 2018 16:30:10 GMT -5
Ok, initial impressions after first day with the DDF 40, a mixed bag of good and not so good:
Build quality is excellent.
Switching drill bits is very easy thanks to the new mounting holes and forward position locking of the drill bits.
On/Off switch is great as there is no rocking the machine switching it on/off. Easier to hold still.
BUT, levers and stops are plastic and feels a bit fiddly.
When plunging, the depth stop gives a little which feels cheap and I question the longevity. Also there is no depth gauge for plunging so initial and on the fly changing is fiddly as you have to measure the depth each time plunging the drill bits.
Plunge is _noticeably_ slower than the DD40G with the 8mm bits in MDF. It is quite slow at times and it isn't easy to gauge when you hit full depth since the depth stops are a bit mushy. Front/horisontal plunging feels very solid with the machine grip and I can plunge confidently and with more controlled force than the older model or the Domino. Vertical plunging is not as nice and it is hard to tell when you are done, as mentioned.
The adapter for the template/rails acts as a support for vertical plunging and is solid... ...but it seems to unscrew itself when the machine is running and during the first hour I had to retighten one (and the same) side twice as the adapter started working itself loose!
I blame it on working Sundays and due to the sheet goods being slightly undersized forcing me to flip the top/bottom and out/inside joints to reach the intended width and height of the boxes but in my head I was still joining the pieces the regular way...
I was about to call it a day after barely getting the first box joined up (closed box with interior chambers) but then I decided to do the other one while I still had it fresh in memory and that box came together in ten minutes - just like with the Domino, on the fly off the cuff joining.
All pieces came together very nicely, square and precise.
I think I will warm up to the DDF 40 but the first half hour almost had me popping a vein in frustration as I had to reshuffle all the pieces in my head while trying to learn the machine.
Will it replace the Domino DF500? Don't think so, my Domino is so old so selling it makes no sense and it still has advantages for small stock and some types of joinery but the DDF 40 will probably edge out the Domino for the bread and butter joinery.
I had to register the DDF40 against the interior wall of a box for the front plate (or else the side panel holes and the front panel holes would interfere with each other) which was easy though I had to take off the vac nozzle for one side as it is mounted to one side.
A little fiddly to do but at least it can be taken off to register against a side panel/wall. I am thinking of ordering a spare vac nozzle as I am not sure the plastic tabs will manage repeat removal without something wearing off in the process eventually.
I like the machine a lot though I do feel it is slow and requires more force to plunge 8mm drill bits in mdf than I like. The Domino plunges at least twice as fast - if not faster! Haven't compared to the older model though I could do that quite easily next time.
Also for furniture making the Domino does things the DDF 40 simply cannot do.
Quality of cut is great with the DDF 40 and holes are clean and no burning of the bits.
Build quality is excellent.
Switching drill bits is very easy thanks to the new mounting holes and forward position locking of the drill bits.
On/Off switch is great as there is no rocking the machine switching it on/off. Easier to hold still.
BUT, levers and stops are plastic and feels a bit fiddly.
When plunging, the depth stop gives a little which feels cheap and I question the longevity. Also there is no depth gauge for plunging so initial and on the fly changing is fiddly as you have to measure the depth each time plunging the drill bits.
Did I miss something? There is no scale as far as I can see.
Plunge is _noticeably_ slower than the DD40G with the 8mm bits in MDF. It is quite slow at times and it isn't easy to gauge when you hit full depth since the depth stops are a bit mushy. Front/horisontal plunging feels very solid with the machine grip and I can plunge confidently and with more controlled force than the older model or the Domino. Vertical plunging is not as nice and it is hard to tell when you are done, as mentioned.
The adapter for the template/rails acts as a support for vertical plunging and is solid... ...but it seems to unscrew itself when the machine is running and during the first hour I had to retighten one (and the same) side twice as the adapter started working itself loose!
Also you have to remove the adapter if you are working mid panel as the adapter has a protrusion which makes it awkward to use without the template rail (which is too fiddly and slow to work with) when you are spacing shelves with an intermediary scrap piece.
Without the adapter it works just as well as with the Domino and very precise. This not really an issue as it is easy to take off and morking a row of shelves is of course more precise registering from the machine base off set which is 10mm so calculations are easier too.
Not having the base plate sticking out as the older model is nice. After a while I could start using it the same way I have been using the Domino DF500: no markings on parts, just reference off the sides and for some boxes I used the stop pins and for some I used the fence/base side. Not a single piece was off when mounting the first boxes*.
Just as easy as with the Domino but with them cheap dowels instead. 
* Well, I did put the holes on the wrong side on my test piece - with a bonus of not checking the turret stop which was on the wrong setting so height was off too, followed by a pair of through the material holes - followed by a pair of wrong reference holes...
Basically I did all the noob mistakes on my two test pieces despite owning the Domino and having owned the DD40G. Working Sundays is bad karma.
I blame it on working Sundays and due to the sheet goods being slightly undersized forcing me to flip the top/bottom and out/inside joints to reach the intended width and height of the boxes but in my head I was still joining the pieces the regular way...
I was about to call it a day after barely getting the first box joined up (closed box with interior chambers) but then I decided to do the other one while I still had it fresh in memory and that box came together in ten minutes - just like with the Domino, on the fly off the cuff joining.
All pieces came together very nicely, square and precise.
I think I will warm up to the DDF 40 but the first half hour almost had me popping a vein in frustration as I had to reshuffle all the pieces in my head while trying to learn the machine.
Will it replace the Domino DF500? Don't think so, my Domino is so old so selling it makes no sense and it still has advantages for small stock and some types of joinery but the DDF 40 will probably edge out the Domino for the bread and butter joinery.
I had to register the DDF40 against the interior wall of a box for the front plate (or else the side panel holes and the front panel holes would interfere with each other) which was easy though I had to take off the vac nozzle for one side as it is mounted to one side.
A little fiddly to do but at least it can be taken off to register against a side panel/wall. I am thinking of ordering a spare vac nozzle as I am not sure the plastic tabs will manage repeat removal without something wearing off in the process eventually.
I like the machine a lot though I do feel it is slow and requires more force to plunge 8mm drill bits in mdf than I like. The Domino plunges at least twice as fast - if not faster! Haven't compared to the older model though I could do that quite easily next time.
Also for furniture making the Domino does things the DDF 40 simply cannot do.
Quality of cut is great with the DDF 40 and holes are clean and no burning of the bits.
