Replies

1. 
   BArnold | Sep 09, 2004 01:11am | #1

   Assuming 3/4" thickness from "1x lumber.

   List of "what kind of tools do I need..." starting with the least:

   1. Table saw with sharp blade 1/8" thick - make two passes to create the 1/4" groove.  Ditto on the tongue.

   2. Table saw with dado blade 1/4" thick - one pass for the groove -- one pass for each side of the tongue.

   3. Table-mounted router with 1/4" blade - one pass for the groove -- one pass for each side of the tongue.

   Proper depth adjustment in all cases, of course.

   Bill Arnold
   Custom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

2. 
   Alan | Sep 09, 2004 01:26am | #2

   Janet,

   Actually, the minimum is one combination plane.

   Alan

3. 
   JohnWW | Sep 09, 2004 01:27am | #3

   Janet,

   This may vary from region to region, but this joint is more commonly named tongue and groove.  There are several ways to make T&G on a tablesaw, it can also be made a few different ways with a router, and the first choice in a well equipped shop would be to set up the work on a shaper. 

   To fit together well, it is important that the boards used to make the T&G are accurately square and straight, which requires a jointer, a planer, and a table saw for stock preparation, if you are using power tools.

   T&G can also be made entirely with hand tools and it an especially pleasant task.  Someone may still make the special hand planes needed to make T&G, but you can buy both wooden and metal T&G planes from used tool sources.  I personally prefer the metal ones.

   Hope this helps, John W.

1. 
   jyang949 | Sep 09, 2004 03:35am | #4

   Darn, I had to show off my ignorance in the Subject line, where it can't be edited....

1. 
   BArnold | Sep 09, 2004 01:30pm | #5

   "Darn, I had to show off my ignorance..."

   If ignorance is bliss, I must be the happiest guy on earth!Bill ArnoldCustom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

1. 
   lwj2 | Sep 09, 2004 01:32pm | #6

   Then it's neck-to-neck across the finish line, Bill.Leon Jester

   Roanoke VA

2. 
   Alan | Sep 10, 2004 12:41am | #7

   Janet,

   I never dreamed that a hand tool convert might be found on this site, dedicated as it is to machine users.  But because someone else mentioned making tongue and groove edges with planes, and because just perhaps someone is getting disenchanted with forked-tail screamers...

   I have three combination planes, and each came with tongue and groove irons.  Of my three, only one is still made, but one other might still be found new.

   Stanley recently stopped making their #12-250 combination plane.  It's a slightly less capable version of the famed Stanley #45.  Most (all?) catalogs have stopped listing it, but they can still be found on warehouse shelves here and there.

   The one that's still made is the Clifton/Clico.  It's a more capable version of the Record Multi-plane and the Stanley #45, or a slightly less capable version of the Stanley #55.

   Of those two, the Stanley is much cheaper and is less fussy to set up and use.  The penalty imposed for those attributes is that you'll need patience and perseverance to track down a new one--though used Stanleys of all numbers show up on E-bay and elsewhere with predictable regularity.

   Alan, proselytizing again

1. 
   nikkiwood | Sep 10, 2004 06:22am | #8

   ALAN,

   If you keep at this proselytizing, you're going to convince me I have to buy something beyond a block plane ...........

   Edited 9/9/2004 11:23 pm ET by nikkiwood

   Edited 9/9/2004 11:25 pm ET by nikkiwood

4. 
   jyang949 | Sep 20, 2004 05:46pm | #9

   Is glue used with this type of join?--or will this interfere with seasonal shifts in the wood?

   They will be used for a garden gate, so there will be two rails and a diagonal brace to hold them together. I will paint a water-repellant preservative over all pieces, including the tongues and grooves, before assembling the gate. Then alkyd primer, then acrylic paint.

   Janet

1. 
   jackplane | Sep 20, 2004 06:45pm | #10

   Assuming you are pinning(nailing) the t&g pieces to rails and diagonal, glueing the t and g wood together will cause shrinkage and cracking in most winter climates. I'd just assemble them as a unit and attach to diagonal and rails.

    Also, not a good idea to paint the tongues; it could make 'em hard to fit in the grooves, IMO.

1. 
   jyang949 | Sep 21, 2004 12:14am | #11

   The first coat is not exactly paint. It's Woodlife Classic (not Classic II, which didn't meet VOC standards) and is a "paintable, water-repellent preservative" that is absorbed into the wood. In fact, it's not supposed to be applied unless the wood is clean enough to absorb water. I am using it because the current gate has lots of water damage and mushrooms growing in it--and this is in southern California!

   I used some to an unfinished outdoor chair. You can see that something is on the wood (a waxy looking, matte finish) but it is not nearly as thick as a coat of paint. But you bring up a good point--I had better test it on some scrap T&G. Thanks!

   Janet

1. 
   jyang949 | Sep 22, 2004 01:52am | #12

   Just thought of something... is there a special way to paint T&G so it won't crack between boards? It has to be painted (neighborhood rules).

   Janet

1. 
   Alan | Sep 22, 2004 01:59am | #13

   Janet,

   The best thing to do is to completely paint each pale before you install them.  That ensures you'll get paint not just on the edges of the tongues and the bottoms of the grooves, but also on the much more critical bottom end grain.  If you don't want to go to all that trouble, try to at least prime everywhere before installing them.

   Alan

2. 
   jyang949 | Oct 11, 2004 09:10pm | #14

   One book says that wainscoting is affixed by hammering panel nails through the section where tongue and groove overlap.

   Another book says that the infill of a garden gate is attached by using three deck screws wherever it crosses the framing. I'm using T&G panels for the gate...should I also be using panel nails through the tongues and grooves?

   Janet