About this product
Key Features
Overview
The Festool Cordless 18V Domino Joiner DFC 500 E w/ 1066-Piece Tenon Assortment, Tool Only is a complete cordless loose-tenon joinery kit for furniture makers, cabinet builders, and finish carpenters. This is a joiner designed for cutting elongated mortises that accept Domino tenons, packaged with the tenons and cutters to use it across the full DF 500 size range. Model Number 578121-576794 combines the 578121 DFC 500 E cordless joiner with the 576794 tenon assortment Systainer3. Battery and charger are sold separately.
The Domino cutter spins and swings side to side at the same time. That pendulum motion cuts a clean, slightly elongated mortise in seconds, and the flat tenon that goes into it can't rotate. You get the strength of a mortise-and-tenon joint with the speed of a biscuit joiner, and parts stay aligned at glue-up instead of twisting under clamp pressure. Among cordless joiners, the Domino is the one that brings true mortise-and-tenon joinery to parts too big or too installed for a stationary machine.
The joiner itself is the battery-powered DF 500. Routing height adjusts from 3/16" to 1-3/16" (5 to 30 mm), the fence tilts from 0 to 90 degrees for miters, and the depth stop has presets at 1/2", 9/16", 13/16", 1", and 1-1/8" (12, 15, 20, 25, and 28 mm) that line up with standard tenon lengths. Built-in indexing pins register off the workpiece edge or a mortise you already cut, so repeat spacing doesn't need a tape measure. The motor runs at 18,500 RPM no-load and the tool weighs 7.5 lbs (3.4 kg) without a battery.
The assortment is what makes this the set to buy. You get 1,060 solid beech tenons: 450 at 4 x 20 mm, 225 at 5 x 30 mm, 150 at 6 x 40 mm, 100 at 8 x 40 mm, 75 at 8 x 50 mm, and 60 at 10 x 50 mm. All five cutters (4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 mm) are included, organized in a SORT-SYS3 Systainer with removable bins. That covers everything from 1/2" (12 mm) drawer parts up to heavy face frames and table aprons.
The tenons are embossed to spread glue and run slightly shorter than nominal, which leaves room for glue at the bottom of the mortise so joints don't push apart under the clamps. Bought separately, the joiner and the Domino DF 500 1,060-piece tenon assortment are two orders. Here they arrive together.
Dust control matters on a joiner. Chips packed in a mortise make tenons bind, and dust over your layout lines costs accuracy. The 1-1/16" (27 mm) port connects to a Festool extraction hose and keeps the cut clear while you batch parts.
Power comes from the Festool 18V battery system. If you own Festool cordless tools, your packs and chargers work here. If not, plan on adding batteries and a charger from the Festool batteries and chargers range.
Who should buy it? Woodworkers buying their first Domino, cabinet installers who join parts on site, and anyone already on Festool 18V who wants the machine and every common tenon size in one purchase.
Mortise Where the Work Is
Clamp the part, set the fence, and cut. No outlet, no cord across the panel, no dragging parts to a stationary mortiser.
- 18V cordless operation
- Fence angle 0 to 90 degrees for miter joints
Joints That Stay Put at Glue-Up
Flat Domino tenons lock against rotation, so rails, stiles, and panels stay flush while the clamps come down.
- 1,060 solid beech tenons in six sizes
- Embossed glue channels and glue room at the mortise bottom
Built for Long Runs of Parts
With the extraction hose connected through one of the Festool dust extractors, chips leave the mortise as you cut, so each tenon seats fully without clearing the slot by hand.
- 1-1/16" (27 mm) dust extraction port
- Depth presets matched to tenon lengths
Control on Every Plunge
The spade-style D-handle puts your hand right behind the plunge, which keeps the joiner square to the work and cuts down on hand strain over a long glue-up session.
- Spade-style D-handle
- 7.5 lbs (3.4 kg) without battery
What's in the Box
- (1) Festool Cordless Domino Joiner DFC 500 E
- (1) Domino Cutter D 5-NL 20 HW-DF 500 (installed with joiner)
- (1) Support Bracket ZA-DF 500/700
- (1) Open-Ended Spanner, WAF 8
- (1) Systainer3 SYS3 M 237
- (450) 4 x 20 mm Domino tenons
- (225) 5 x 30 mm Domino tenons
- (150) 6 x 40 mm Domino tenons
- (100) 8 x 40 mm Domino tenons
- (75) 8 x 50 mm Domino tenons
- (60) 10 x 50 mm Domino tenons
- (5) Domino cutters: 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 mm
- (1) Systainer3 SORT-SYS3 M 187 Domino with removable bins
Festool 18V battery and charger sold separately.
At a Glance
Key Specifications
Compatibility
Built For
Pro Tip
Pick the tenon by stock thickness: 4 mm for 1/2" stock, 5 mm for 9/16", 6 mm for 3/4", 8 mm for 1", and 10 mm for 1-3/16" and up. Put the cutter matching your most common stock in the joiner and leave it there.
Warranty & Support
Tool Nut's Take
The Festool Cordless 18V Domino Joiner DFC 500 E w/ 1066-Piece Tenon Assortment Is the Complete Cordless Start
Buy the cordless Domino alone and you'll be ordering tenons and cutters within a week. This bundle covers every DF 500 size on day one.
- Who it's for: Woodworkers and cabinet installers buying their first Domino who already own Festool 18V batteries.
- Why it stands out: Cordless freedom plus 1,060 tenons and all five cutters, organized and ready to go.
- Worth knowing: No battery or charger in the box, and the DF 500 tops out at 10 x 50 mm tenons. For doors and heavy frames, the Domino Joiner XL DF 700 EQ is the bigger machine.
Common Questions
- Are batteries included? No. The joiner runs on Festool 18V batteries, sold separately along with a charger.
- Which tenon size should I use? Match it to stock thickness: 4 mm from 1/2", 5 mm from 9/16", 6 mm from 3/4", 8 mm from 1", and 10 mm from 1-3/16".
- Do DF 500 tenons fit the DF 700 XL? No. The DF 500 and DF 700 XL use different cutters and tenon sizes.
Description supplied by Tool Nut through its current Shopify listing. Product, performance, and health claims are the seller’s and have not been independently verified by StorkScout.