tongue and groove

[Phillym]

Is it possible to make tongue and groove cuts with the 1010 without a router table?

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Sure, the easy way is to get a 1/4" slot cutting bearing guided bit and use it to cut the groove and in two passes cut the tongue. This is assuming that you are using 3/4" material.  You would need a bit with 8mm or 1/4" dia shank to work with the 1010.  Dust collection should work well with the chip cup attached too.

Best,
Todd

 

[Dave Ronyak]

And the tongues can be cut with a straight bit with edge guide, or a rabbeting bit (rebate bit) corresponding to the height of the tongue.  A bottom bearing rabbeting bit would probably be fastest and easiest to set up.  All you would have to do is set the depth relative to the faces of the board so the resulting tongue being formed is of the correct width.  The diameter of the bearing on the rabbeting bit would determine the height of the tongue.

Dave R.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

If you are dealing with wood thicker than 3/4" then what Dave is suggesting would be needed.  If using 3/4" wood then the slot cutter can be used to cut the tongues by raising the height to the top of the board and running the bearing on what will be the tongue from both sides.  A single cutter method to do the job. Using these methods you would want to cut all the slots / grooves in your pieces, then all the tongue cuts on one side on all pieces and then the second tongue cut on all pieces and make sure the tongue is lined up with the slot / groove.  This should all work fine for you with the 1010.

Sort of makes me glad I have a shaper and cutters to do such cuts though...  Also you may want to make sure you have nice straight edges on your boards as that will make much easier for the pieces to slip together smoothly.

Best,
Todd

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Excellent points, Todd.  The last time I wanted to make a large quantity of 7/8 inch thick T&G boards was nearly 30 years ago.  I started with rough red oak purchased green at a sawmill, and made "Ranch Plank" style flooring for my former house.  At that time I owned a 12" Belsaw Planer/Molder which was much like the Woodmaster machines sold today.  After planing and ripping the boards, the molding function worked very well to complete the job.  I concluded that machine worked better as a molder than as a planer.  I no longer have that machine.

So ... when I have had need for T&G boards, e.g. thin ones to use to make loose board panels captured within a glued up wooden frame, I resawed the boards using a bandsaw, then planed them, then cut the T&G on a table saw or router table.  I used such "slats" for the panels of a desk and bed for my son.

There are vendors who offer matched T&G sets of router bits.  The advantage of a matched set is that setup may be easier.  Sommerfeld matches the shank lengths of his matched router bit sets so that you can simply drop them into the router collet (into which you have previously installed a little rubber grommet), tighten the collet, and go to work without readjusting the bit height.  I have Sommerfeld's "offset" T&G cabinet maker router bit sets, and they work as advertised.  I don't know if he offers a "centered" system.

Dave R.