something that looks like tung and groove?

[keith ouellette]

I am making a cedar blind for an area by the house. I would like it to have a similar appearance to tung and groove but without the hassle of buying a tung and grove set. I would like to avoid cutting grooves if I can.

If I round over the edges and butt the planks up against each other will that give the appearance I want?

[Myk Rian]

If you want tongue and groove, might as well get a set to do it. After all, you'll be working the boards to give the false impression anyway.

[Joe Scharle]

You can cut ship lap with a dado set.

[Joe Angrisani]

Keith.... I doubt that butting would work the way you want it to appear. As the boards shrink seasonally, you'll get air spaces. As they expand seasonally, they'll end up cupping most likely.

Have a dado set and a table saw? Cut the tongues all at once assembly-line-style (with the boards flat on the table) using your dado set slightly buried in a sacrificial fence. Then cut the grooves (with the boards on edge and held tight to the fence with a featherboard) using a narrower dado. Pretty quick and simple, actually.

[keith ouellette]

Keith.... I doubt that butting would work the way you want it to appear. As the boards shrink seasonally, you'll get air spaces. As they expand seasonally, they'll end up cupping most likely.

Have a dado set and a table saw? Cut the tongues all at once assembly-line-style (with the boards flat on the table) using your dado set slightly buried in a sacrificial fence. Then cut the grooves (with the boards on edge and held tight to the fence with a featherboard) using a narrower dado. Pretty quick and simple, actually.


I guess your right. No round over. But I think all the boards would need to be exactly the same thickness for that. I planed them smooth but I want to avoid faceing 16 7' long boards. Not even sure I could do it properly.

How much variance do you think the boards can have?

[keith ouellette]

You can cut ship lap with a dado set.

Ship lap? I'm looking that up now.

[Myk Rian]

Same thickness isn't necessary. They'll all be relative to the back side.

[keith ouellette]

Wikpedia had a good picture of a building with ship lap siding. It has exactly the look i want.

Yea for ship lap!

[keith ouellette]

Same thickness isn't necessary. They'll all be relative to the back side.

Never thought of that. thanks.