Which Joinery Technique is Best for My Project? ft. Festool Domino, Kreg, Mortise and Tenon, Biscuits & More
Hey Guys,
I really wanted to look at a problem we have all probably had, which joint is right for my project and budget? What I really wanted to do is compare popular joinery techniques and test speed, consistency, and strength. I looked at the Festool Domino, the Kreg K5 system, Biscuit joints, hand cut and machine cut mortise and tenon joints. I looked at them from the perspective of a professional batching out pieces and a hobbyist throwing together one piece of furniture to see how it would scale.
I timed making each joint at the speed I would use to ensure reliable and consistent results. I tested strength with a force gauge on identical joints with identical placement of the load, and I tested consistency by the eye test really. All of the results and methods can be seen in the video below, but here is a table summarizing my findings.
The results
Joint | Tools | Price | Time Per | Time 8 Pieces | Time 100 Pieces | Hobbyist Labor | Production Labor | LBS to Break | Hobbyist Cost | Production Cost |
Hand Cut M&T
|
Hand Saw | $28 |
28
|
224
|
2800
|
$56
|
$700
|
118lbs
|
$102
|
$746
|
Square | $8 | |||||||||
Chisel | $10 | |||||||||
Machine Cut M&T
|
Router | $98 |
6.92
|
55.36
|
692
|
$14
|
$173
|
170lbs
|
$805
|
$964
|
Table Saw | $600 | |||||||||
Dado Stack | $93 | |||||||||
Biscuit Joints
|
Biscuit Cutter | $70 |
1
|
8
|
100
|
$2
|
$25
|
38lbs
|
$78
|
$101
|
Biscuits | $6 | |||||||||
Pocket Holes | Kreg Kit | $150 | 1.23 | 9.84 | 123 | $2 | $31 | 120lbs | $152 | $181 |
Floating Tenon
|
Domino 500 | $990 |
1.5
|
12
|
150
|
$3
|
$38
|
238lbs
|
$1,373
|
$1,408
|
Bits and Tenons | $315 | |||||||||
Dust Extractor | $65 |
Affiliate Links for Tools Referenced
Floating Tenons (Domino Joinery)
Domino 500
https://www.festoolusa.com/products/domino-joining-systemhttp://amzn.to/2DnoRWU
Festool All the Tenons all the bits
https://www.festoolusa.com/accessory?mainchapter=DOMINO+joining+systemhttp://amzn.to/2Dl1LQJ
Fancy Festool Dust Extractor (its amazing!)
https://www.festoolusa.com/products/dust-extractionhttp://amzn.to/2FWH3Zn
Cheapy Shop Vac (the Domino requires dust extraction)
Hand Cut Mortise & Tenon
Dozuki Z Saw
Chisels
Square
Machine Cut Mortise & Tenon
Bosch Jobsite Saw (Takes a 15/16” Dado stack)
Bosch Colt Router Palm Router
Dado Stack
Freud 8’ Dado Stack
Biscuit Joint
Biscuit Joiner VonHaus (Brand Doesn’t matter)
Biscuits Porter Cable
Pocket Holes
Kreg K5 and everything you’ll need
Overall I can TOTALLY see why you see so many pieces of pro furniture made with the Festool Domino and Kreg Joinery. The strength of each of these joints would only be stronger in a better wood species or plywood, but I think this is representative although not scientific proof of the results. The one clear observation about the Domino vs. the Kreg jig is the way that a domino joint fails is much more graceful and repairable than a Pockethole joint, but the cost is significantly higher.
If you enjoyed this test and this video be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my channel,
I will be following up this video looking at some viewers choice options including the beadlock system, dowels, half laps and a few others.
Thanks for watching and remember,
Keep your tools sharp, and keep your mind sharper
By Rick
WoodWorkLIFE

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