# Best use of a tongue and groove joint



## SSMDad (Apr 17, 2011)

I'm just curious but is there any significant use for tongue and groove joints aside from wood flooring or wainscotting?

I can't think of another instance where they'd be better than biscuits, dado, or rabetes.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

They are sometimes used in the backs of cabinets…


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## TimK43 (May 29, 2011)

I used tongue and groove for the bottom of this serving tray because it was only 3/8" thick. Too thin for bisquits, dowels or just edge glueing.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

either that or a loose spline along the length every time you want to make
a wider board than you have avable 
the comerciel factory´s even use a zig-zag gluing to lenghten boards with

Dennis


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

niice tray Tim


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## glue4you (Aug 11, 2011)

I like them because they allow for some movement of the wood and are usually quite cheap. If you use biscuits there's usually glue involved. No movement within that joint. Another advantage is that you don't have to handle giant sheet good.

From a what's-best-point-of-view I'd say it's (veneered) plywood and tons of glue.

Haha … just checked Wikipedia: "For many uses, tongue and groove boards have been rendered obsolete by the introduction of plywood and later composite wood boards …"

Best use I ever put T&G to was for concealing an unneeded door from the back. I turned the whole oversize doorframe into a shoe cabinet for my beloved wife …...... I know I asked for it … No way you could have made that with a sheet of ply, well, you could … but I didn't want that hurricane emergency style in my living-room. I like it for looks


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

My dad used it for siding on his barn, but that was before plywood was commonly used.


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## SSMDad (Apr 17, 2011)

Thanks a lot everyone! I really appreciate your responses.

I have been "allowed" a new router bit(s) so was contemplating the t&g and trying to think what I'd possibly use it for but I think I'll go with a rail and style pair so I have it when I make some cabinets.

You guys are great as always!

BTW: Tim that's a beautiful tray. What's the wood?


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## TimK43 (May 29, 2011)

Thanks Dennis and Chris!!! I have it listed in my projects as "Spalted Pecan Serving Tray". I need to add better pics, like this one, to that project page but haven't got around to it. Thanks again!!!


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## TimK43 (May 29, 2011)

Chris, save yourself some money and don't buy a T&G set. It's not really needed unless you're doing production work like flooring. You can do T&G with a straight bit very easily. Spend that money on a good rail and style set instead!!!


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Chris,

I occasionaly make lazy susans (when I have a gift that needs to be special) and I use t&g joints to join the 4 pieces of the bottom because they make glueing 4 pie-shaped wedges so easy I don't have to use clamps. Done well, they make an interesting feature on the edge. Tim's right. Use a straight bit and save money. Stunning tray, Tim.

Steve


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

I don't have a biscuit joiner but I do have a straight bit, so when others might use a biscuit I use T&G.


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

One other thing, a well made t&g joint will perfectly align the faces, and add a lot of extra glue area. They're a little fiddly to set up, but when right, you can do them all day long and they make things so much simpler.

Steve


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## glue4you (Aug 11, 2011)

*Steve* - Good idea as a present. Do you use any hardware for the rotating mechanism? Marbles? Dowel in hole?

I don't understand what you would need any pie-shaped wedges with T&G for … any photos?


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## jeth (Aug 18, 2010)

Not my favourite topic at the moment as I have been replacing rotten tongue & groove floorboards all week. Great idea when you're laying a new floor, not so great to pull out and replace individual boards, grrr.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I like tongue and groove because you can execute them with cool tongue and groove planes.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

Jeth 
that shuold be easy enoff ....if the nails ain´t placed in the groove 
as many love to do it here in Denmark … still possiple thuogh but very time consuming 
but if they are nailed from the top …. you just drive the nail thrugh the board 
and rip it thrugh it with a skilsaw …. just aviod the nails … 

Dennis


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Alex,

Here's some pictures of the second one I did about 37 years ago. The wedges were cut at the tablesaw at 45* angles by making a cut and flipping the board over tp make another. The Idea was to have the grain follow around. Unfortunately, that was before Sears had carbide blades, and the steel blade would heat up and try to wander. I managed to get straight cuts finally with a VERY expensive carbide blade from a industrial supplier ($35.00 in 1974!), but the edges were chipped. I tried my hand with inlaying by ripping edge grain on my Unimat, which I used to turn the spindles-first ever turnings-routed the grooves, and this is the result. I've made quite a few and have gotten a little better, but my wife likes this one. I made it for her. 
Nothing that elaborate for turning. Just a 6" lazy susan bearing screwed to the bottom.

Steve


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## glue4you (Aug 11, 2011)

*Steve*- Thank you very much. That's a very nice piece, now I understand what you mean by "the grain following around". There's quite a bit of time involved in this. From what you said ("occasionally") I had he idea of an afternoon project. It's obviously a bit more time consuming. That sure makes a good present!

*SSMDad*: Thanks for reminding me of T&G joints, I will probably use them tonight to finish something unfinished


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## cloakie1 (May 29, 2011)

we use tg&v on the panels in our gates…simply because i can easily set up the four sider and do a production run of the stuff. it also allows for expansion of the panel when put together with spacers, so less stress on the mortice and tenon joints


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## jeth (Aug 18, 2010)

Dennis, yes, not so much problem getting them out, no handheld circular saw so drilled holes (or just poked through a rotten patch) and jigsaw to get the old ones out. 
The fun came when I realised that while I had milled all my pieces to perfectly match the measurements of the sample I had been given, this floor, had evolved over time and not been so precisely manafactured in the first place, I had to tweak almost every dimension of every board to get them in


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

sorry to hear that …. I gess that is a usual problem with floors 
the acurratess in a floor ain´t the same as in a funiture …. they meassurre in mm 
and not in tenth of a mm and any mistakes is corrected with the last board :-(

hope the costummer see the expert in action and understand he pay tooo little for the job 

Dennis


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

WElome to the real world jeth ;-(( Most things tha man did not screw up on the original installation, mother nature has modified!!


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## jeth (Aug 18, 2010)

Well yeah Topa/Dennis… you just get to wondering why you spenty so long fussing over your router table set up to make the joints when you pretty much could of walked in there with some staright cut boards and whittled the joints on the spot for the work it cost  Oh, and Dennis, here, no joke, in general they do not recognise mms, if its over 8 cm its 9 etc…


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

and your houses still standing …. Amazing ….. LOL

Dennis


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