Tongue and groove

Tongue and groove is a method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with wood: flooring, parquetry, panelling etc.

Related Topics:
Wood - Flooring - Parquetry

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Each piece has a slot (the groove) cut all along one edge, and a thin, deep ridge (the tongue) on the opposite edge. The tongue projects a little less than the groove is deep. Two or more pieces thus fit together closely. Such a joint should not be glued as shrinkage would pull the tongue off.

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The tongue and groove could be cut in a number of ways.

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• Most was done in large quantities using a spindle.
• It can be done using a circular saw bench.
• Small lengths can be cut using suitable planes: a plough for the groove and a tongue plane for the tongue. Alternatively, in the later years of hand tools, a combination plane was available. This small-quantity work would be done today with a spindle router.

For most uses, tongue and groove was rendered obsolete by the introduction of plywood and later composite boards but it is still used in good-quality flooring and ply can be tongued all round to fit it flush into a framed structure.

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