On Monday, February 8, 2016 at 1:11:13 PM UTC-6, OFWW wrote:

So naturally I
drooled at the prospect of a domino, but at this point I also have
enough to learn and develop the proper skills that will keep be busy
for a while, and when the time comes then necessity will motivate the
move to domino's, or a suitable clone.

This is an excellent path to take. At this point, you may not have found what you really like to do in regards to woodworking. There are so many avenues to explore; When I started our framing apartments and houses, I really liked that. Then I went to work for a different company that taught me their method of building store fixtures and cabinets. This was a great way to learn and a great way to learn methods to build bomb proof cabinets with a minimum of tools. I worked with a furniture maker for a while, and started making faux antiques when they were really in fashion. That got me interested in finishing, which led me into making boxes - jewelry, humidors, etc. so I could do finer woodwork. Then about 20 years ago, I got a midi lathe, and didn't do anything but turn (except as required at work) for a few years. Wood turning got me interested in recreational wood work again.

My point is that unless you know which direction you are going, save your money on your tools and work on learning the skills in craft area you are interested in as well as learning the hand/motor skills to perform them. I have tried to help a lot of folks over the years that are interested in woodworking, and many seem to think that better tools will instantly make you have better capabilities and skills. Not so.

Personally, I think you should buy good tools, tools that don't break the bank so you can get to work immediately doing your projects. Bad tools of cheaply made tools can be actual punishment, so buy the best you can afford. They can cause you to go backwards for all kinds of reasons. They may not do the job well, they may do the job but it doesn't give satisfactory return on the time spent, or they may not have the level of repeatability that allows you to depend on an end result when using it. On the other hand, Leon stands alone in all of my compadres that own or have access to the Domino that use it. None of them use it to its capabilities, and few have ever used it on more than one or two projects.

Leon understands and designs around that tool and it has paid for itself as he uses it many times over. Even to build your skills and to understand usage, application snd skills needed, you could probably get by with different kinds of joinery. Remember, we didn't have problems with things falling apart when we used dowels, splines, loose bead, and even biscuits. Sure, the Domino is superior to all of those in speed and performance, but between homemade jigs and inexpensive guides and goodies available on the net you can learn a great deal about making joints.

I always tell people to learn what they like to do first.
Build your tool collection as your experience grows and you won't overspend.. On the other hand, don't spend so much on machines that you can't afford wood or any other machines!

Believe me I do not take your words lightly, regarding the Domino. I
appreciate your insight into all aspects of ww'ing.

Smart!

Robert