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Tongue and groove without specialized planes

14K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  waho6o9 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Is it practical/feasible to create tongue and groove joints without specialized planes? If so, what would be the process?

Thanks
 
#12 ·
Technically it's just a dado on the groove side and two rabbets on the tongue side so you could do it with a marking gauge and a chisel if you were so inclined. But that's slow and tedious enough to make the specialized planes worth it. It's challenging to be precise enough on the narrow edge of a board.

I agree making them wouldn't be impossible. Or buy a set of wooden tongue and groove planes. They can be reasonable. If you really want to be cheap, buy a set without blades and make your own.

Other options are a plow plane of any kind including wooden to cut the groove and a rabbet plane to cut the tongue, a 45 combination plane used either just as a plow or with the tongue blade, or a router plane could be made to work if you clamp up some guide boards to support it on the edge of the board.
 
#13 ·
Hand tool only methods, in order of easy to difficult:
-t&g plane, combination plane, or the like,
-marking guage, router plane for the groove, rabbet plane for both sides of the tongue.
-clamp a staightedge and hand saw your lines, the clean out the waste with a chisel.
-chisel out the whole thing like a giant mortise. (I wouldn't do this unless you have no handsaws, in which case you may want to either get one, or reevaluate your hobby choice.)

I have done the saw and chisel thing a few times on small things like a bridal joint, but even there its not much fun.

If you go to power, you can use a cheap 1/4 in. Router bit to make grooves, and any straight bit to make tongues…
 
#14 ·
if you are going to do a couple you can get the harbor freight bits for about 20 bucks..if you are gonna do a lot get a set of freud or rockler etc. you can use a 1/4 straight for the groove and a 3/4 straight for the rabbits on the edge…best to use a router table…are u using these for panel making…(gluing board edges to make a wider board?)..if that's the case I would edge glue or bisquit join em or you can even use a rail and stile set if you have one…I guess it depends on your project…they make edge glue sets for joining boards and I used the rail and stile set in a pinch and was actually surprised with the results. chisels are harder work and you should be proficient with them to avoid a bad mate on the pieces…if I did it with chisels I would make a very nice board for the scrap bin…but it is a good learning project

good luck and may the woodworker in you shine
 
#15 ·
Seems I have made a few recently. Router with a straight cutting bit for the groove, and a #78 Rebate plane for the tongues
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Of course, one could even pick up a simple rabbetting bit.

I centered the router ( edge guide was installed) for the center of the edge of the board, as well
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Have to watch how you run the router along the edge, to prevent it from blowing out a side.

Short grooves? Two saw cuts to define the outside of the groove. Then just chisel out the inner waste. Not too bad if they are shorter than the saw.
 

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