Hire a Festool Domino DF500 in Melbourne

Why I spent almost $2,000 on a fancy woodworking tool (and how you can use it, too)

After failing woodworking in high school, I was surprised to discover the joy of making things from timber as an adult. I quickly assembled a costly arsenal: track saw, router, precision table, and a toolbox bursting with clamps and measuring gear.

One piece of gear that I long resisted was the Festool Domino—a handheld machine that bores precise mortises for joining wood with small domino-shaped pieces of beech timber.

The Festool Domino DF500 is the gold standard for loose tenon joinery. It creates furniture-grade joints in minutes that would take hours by hand. But for most hobbyists, it's an expensive tool that sits idle most of the time.

After mulling it over for a while, I bit the bullet and bought one with a plan: hire it out to share the cost. You get access to professional-grade equipment; I get to justify the purchase. Everyone wins.