Starting (finally) to finish my tongue and groove pine. Is T&G usually cut square on the ends from the mill?
I get to square up every end. I plan to run it through the shaper table to put T&G on the ends as well. Seems like it will look nicer than butting the ends…and fit tighter. Getting it all together, over sheetrock, might be a bit of a chore.
Kinda like firewood…touching every piece many times!
With the right approach, you can restore old hardware—whether through soaking, scrubbing, or polishing—giving it a fresh look while preserving its original charm.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
Having worked in the timber industry for many years, I would tell you that, when doing fine work, never assume too much about end trims. In the milling process, one of the last steps is to Precision End Trim (P.E.T.) and since this is pretty much a mechanized pass-through process, individual boards can get slightly misaligned or the saws can be misaligned and go unoticed by humans.
In addition, in the course of a production shift, the saws gradually dull and the cuts become coarser and some spintering or slivering may occur.
In fact, I was just looking at some bamboo flooring that wasn't endmatched and, though the product was nice, the end cuts were a little rough.
In the end, it will probably be worthwhile to do exactly what you're doing. It's not such a Pain if you simply accept it as another step in the direction of doing things right. Just keep sharp sawblades and shaper bits on your machines.
e
Jules Quaver for President 2004
I had a recomendation from some plumbers that do T&G ceilings on the side. They said to cut the boards square of course. (never trust a factory cut)
They suggest to take a block plane and bevel the ends to match the sides. That way when you have a joint it is obvious rather than as inoffensive as possible. You might have to stagger your joints a bit more randomly but the finished product is what it is.
Booch, Whooda thought a Sawzall was for installing T&G?
Joe H
how else would you do the endmatch?
Thanks guys...guess its just par for the course. I'm not that surprised...it only takes a few hours to run everything across the sliding compound saw.
I paid 50 cents a foot for 1x8 T&G Eastern White Pine...most of it seems to be very nice.
I do the end matching with a tongue and groove bit set on the router table...again a few hours of work. Although I have lots more to do.
Do folks usually sand the T&G to remove all the planer marks? Will a portable planer leave a "finish" ready surface? Sharp blades?
The sanding takes a long time...by hand with an orbital.
Hmmm, kinda like to have a planer anyways...