Tongue and Groove Joint

A tongue and groove joint is a unique woodwork joint that is attached edge to edge with two or more pieces of lumber. It is made with one edge consisting of a slot that runs down the entire length of the timber and a tongue which fits into the slot.

This groove and tongue feature creates a reasonably strong and aesthetically pleasing joint that can be used in areas such as floorboards, lining boards, wood paneling and table tops.

The tongue with a grove feature is easy to attach together because of its simplicity and it allows for a tight fit that has plenty of surface area for adhesives.

These joints can be very difficult to make without the right woodwork machinery. You are more likely to buy lumber with this joint already in it, such as lining boards than you are to make it yourself.

Because of the many types of woods readily available with this particular type of joint it is probably best to buy what you need than to try and make the joint because it is much simpler than attempting to make the joint which requires great tools, machinery and skill.

Also you don’t often require much lumber with this joint because it is used as more of a feature in most furniture so there usually isn’t a lot of it used.

How To Make Tongue and Groove Joints

Step 1: This joint is really only used for wood boards so the first thing you must do is measure and cut up some wood boards to your required length.

Step 2: This step is not entirely necessary if you have some experience using a router but if not you need to mark the giving and receiving ends on your boards.

Step 3: This step needs to be done with a router bench (or table saw for experienced woodworkers) to create a successful joint and the first thing you do is start with a router bit to cut the groove. After the groove has been cut you now use another router bit to cut the tongue.

Step 4: Check to see if the joint fits tightly and if it does you can now glue and clamp the boards together which will interlock from your tongue and groove joints.

Tip: You can buy lining boards which already have tongue and groove joints cut which makes this option a simpler and easier method for people with time restraints or inexperienced woodworkers.

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