Cutting A Groove In Floor Boards

The same bit can be used to cut both pieces of the joint.

Cutting a groove in floor boards.

Use a straight flute bit to cut the joint optional specialty tongue and groove bits make easy work of creating the joints but they can be a bit expensive. Cut the wedge from a scrap of flooring with the groove left on. Cut badly bowed boards into shorter lengths. Both the tongue and groove is passed through just once and gives it a beautiful and strong factory like fit.

Drive the wedge between the flooring board and a scrap board screwed to the subfloor. Wedge the boards together if necessary to straighten bowed boards. Not only will the shaper be able to handle the quantity of boards setting it up is simple. If you don t have the budget for those bits a simple straight flute bit can be used to cut a tongue and groove joint.

In an ideal world without these restrictions the best method in cutting tongue and groove joints for floor panels is through the shaper. The cuts made when creating the two mating workpieces of a tongue and groove joint are non through cuts meaning that the saw blade never goes all the way through the wood.