Tongue And Groove Cutter For Table Saw

Straight bit and rabbeting bit step 1.

Tongue and groove cutter for table saw.

Using the table saw is easiest when all the material stock is the same thickness. To begin cut all of the boards you want to use for your tongue and groove assembly to a length of at least one inch longer than the desired finished length using a circular saw or compound miter saw. The only trick to setting up to cut a centered groove is to be sure the blade is at the correct height and that it is as close to centered on the stock as possible. The easiest method and the one i most commonly use is to use the table saw for both the tongue and the groove.

The same bit can be used to cut both pieces of the joint cut the groove first. You could err on the side of a 1 32nd more. The tongue and groove joint can be easily created using a router with a matched set of router bits or on a table saw using a stacked dado blade set. Set the fence on the router table so that the bit will cut approximately through the center of the board.

Every woodworker should be familiar with cutting them on the table saw. In this joint the center tongue of one board about 1 â 3 the thickness of the board fits. Generally speaking it s easier to cut the groove of a t g joint first then mill. Using a piece of scrap long enough to be safe on a table saw i would be moving the fence to create a cut 1 4 off of the fence.

In our case the legs are much thicker than the rails so we can t flip the boards end for end to center the groove. A partial groove or dado cut along the end or edge of a workpiece a rabbet allows you to. Tongue and groove joints are commonly made on a table saw the best method in cutting tongue and groove joints for floor panels is through the shaper. Thicker stock calls for a wider groove.

That would create a slightly narrower groove by only 1 16th overall but eliminate the possibility of leaving a sliver in the center. You can do it all at the router table easily with three different cutter approaches. The cuts made when creating the two mating workpieces of a tongue and groove joint are non through cuts meaning that the saw blade never goes all the way through the wood. Tongue and groove joints are commonly made on a table saw.

Often these grooves are centered on the thickness of the stock a task that is very easily done on the table saw. When done correctly cutting these grooves is also very safe. The tongue and groove is one of the most basic and useful joints. On the table saw to produce a tongue and groove on the table saw use a dado cutter rather than your everyday blade unless your stock is 3 8 or less in thickness.

I use the two outside cutters to produce a 1 4 cut width when working 3 4 stock. Cutting the narrow centered groove and the corresponding tongue to fit into it doesn t take a dado blade and table saw.