Domino Bits

[Chet]

Submitted on the old forum by Coop

I’ve had my Domino no cutter for about 2 years and have made 100 cuts with this bit. Tonight while cutting more in cypress, it seems that it took more pressure to plunge the bit into the wood. One, can these bits be sharpened and two, is that about the life of a bit? 

Follow up posts

1) I haven't heard of people sharpening them, you may want to contact a sharpening service that also does router bits to find out. The type of wood has an affect, really hard woods will dull more quickly, but 100 seems really low. I know CMT used to have domino cutters at about half the price from Festool.

In the reference section you will find a few sharpening places.  Here is the link:

kevswoodworks.freeforums.net/thread/325/tools-information-set-maintenance

2) Yea 100 doesn't sound like a lot. If you had said 1000 I would be thinking yea maybe. I would think that any place that can sharpen drill bits could sharpen the domino cutter. Have you tried one of your other bits in a scrape of the cypress?

3) The bits will certainly dull but, I'm not sure that sharpening is the logical answer.  30 bucks every few years to replace a bit isn't too bad.

I am surprised that your number of cuts is so low!  For the record, I think I still have my original cutter in mine and I've made a few more than a hundred cuts.

4) Thanks guys. I found the problem. I went To change to another bit and saw that the silicone lube that I had put on the two bars the head rides on (i’m Sure there’s a better description) had built up some gunk on them and it wasn’t the bit after all. I cleaned the lube off with WD-40 and all is well.

5) That sounded like a pretty short life span for that bit!

Glad you found the issue!

6) Ken, use a silicone spray to lubercate things like that. I would think about cleaning the WD40 off with some mineral sprits and then hitting it with. silicone spray. Other wise you will be getting all sorts of crud on your machine.

7) I did just that. I have a tube of silicone lube that I won’t use again for this app. 

8 ) What kind of silicone spray?

9) The one I have is called 3 in 1 professional silicone spray.  Same company that make the little cans of 3 in 1 oil your mom used to oil the parts on her sewing machine.