T and G for 1/4" wood?

[Phil Landwer]

I want to cut some 1/4" thick red cedar for a closest lining. I plan on tongue and grooving it. Are there special router bits to tongue and groove lumber this thin?

[Ralph Boumenot]

That's an awfully small tongue and groove joint. I would think that would be way too fragile to be of any use. In thin stock like that I would go with a ship lap joint.

[Myk Rian]

Are there special router bits to tongue and groove lumber this thin?
Not for a cut that small. Bad idea.
Shiplap is best.

[pat warner]

"Are there special router bits to tongue and groove lumber this thin? "
***************************
Not special but garden variety. Use an 1/8" slotter for the groove and a rabbet bit (both sides of stock) to yield the tongue. Router table only.
Done the same way. (http://patwarner.com/images/t_g.jpg)

[scott vroom]

"Are there special router bits to tongue and groove lumber this thin? "
***************************
Not special but garden variety. Use an 1/8" slotter for the groove and a rabbet bit (both sides of stock) to yield the tongue. Router table only.
Done the same way. (http://patwarner.com/images/t_g.jpg)

A 1/8" slot in a 1/4" board? 1/16" wood on each side of the slot? Sounds too flimsy to me.

[Keith Hankins]

That's an awfully small tongue and groove joint. I would think that would be way too fragile to be of any use. In thin stock like that I would go with a ship lap joint.

+1 what he said!!!!! Way to small

[Keith Outten]

Phil,

There is a set of router bits that boat builders use to join 1/4" thick strips for strip canoes that is probably what you need. One bit cuts a convex curve on the edge and the other cuts the corresponding convex shape.
.

[Ole Anderson]

I did a small towel holder/shelf that had a beadboard look on the back, I used 1/4" wood with a shiplap joint as suggested in the WW mag the plans were in. Turned out fine.

[David Posey]

Shiplap is also a little easier to install in a confined space like a closet.

[lowell holmes]

You can buy t&g cedar closet lining packages. I've found the quality of the boards to be good. I don't recall if the boards are 1/4" or 3/8" thick, but I think they are 1/4" thick.

[Phil Landwer]

You can buy t&g cedar closet lining packages. I've found the quality of the boards to be good. I don't recall if the boards are 1/4" or 3/8" thick, but I think they are 1/4" thick.

Thus my question, and confusion with so many of these replies. Almost all Closest lining is 1/4" thick, and it's all T and G.... So, what are they doing?

[Phil Landwer]

Is every board nailed to the wall, with closest lining? It would have to, with Ship Lap.
But how about T&G?

[pat warner]

*A 1/8" slot in a 1/4" board? 1/16" wood on each side of the slot? Sounds too flimsy to me. "
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Absolutely right, my error; use a .060" slotter, also garden variety.

[Paul Murphy]

Like everyone mentions, 1/4" seems thin for T & G. Moving on, how about a 2mm groove filled with a 5/64 tongue? Will it work...I don't know, but if folks say that is how it's done then it must be OK. I would want the tongue to yield before the walls of the groove, that way you wouldn't see any small splits as they would be hidden in the groove.

http://www.toolmarts.com/Freud/Freud-58-104.html (http://www.toolmarts.com/Freud/Freud-58-104.html) 2mm slot = .0787
http://www.toolmarts.com/Freud/Freud-63-104.html 5/64 slot = .0781
http://www.toolmarts.com/Freud/Freud-58-106.html 3/32 slot = .0937 might be a little too big for .25" stock?

[ray hampton]

the only dim. that are mention are the thickness of the tongue NOT how far it sticks out, a tongue on a 1/4 " wood should not be more than 1/16 "

[Jeff Duncan]

I could be wrong, but I believe the closet stuff your thinking of is 3/8" thick, not 1/4".

I agree with the rest that T&G on 1/4" is not practical.

good luck,
JeffD

[scott vroom]

Here’s the bit set Keith was referring to. It’s rounded design accommodates curved designs such as canoes and planters, although I see no reason it wouldn’t work in a flat application.
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/bt_flute.html

Here’s a 5/64 slot cutter. As someone mentioned you could use this for the groove but then you’d have to make the tongue using another method…..I don’t see a matching tongue and groove set on the web for ¼” stock. I don’t know what type of tools you’re using but unless you have a good power feeder on a router table, working within these tight tolerances is going to be a challenge.
http://www.amazon.com/Freud-63-104-64-Inch-Cutter-16-Inch/dp/B0002TUCRK

Home Depot sells ¼” T&G cedar closet liner kits, but you have to realize these are made on very expensive machinery capable of mass producing to very tight tolerances. If it were me I’d use half lap joinery, or possibly the flute and bead bit set with a power feeder.

[Mike Cutler]

I don't know why folks think 1/4" is too thin for a T&G joint. It's not. I used them to do a spanish cedar lining on a large tack trunk/blanket chest that was a 1/4". This isn't a panel glue up, it's an alignment aid.
The most compelling reason for the T&G on the project I did was that a shiplapped, or beveled joint would have a tendency to "stick out" along the joint and get caught removing items from the trunk and thus damaging the material and lines. A T&G would not.
A router in a table with a ZCI and you can cut them easily. Cut your joints fat to the frontside, and not centered. The wall will support the backside thinner material.

[scott vroom]

Mike, what router bit(s) did you use to cut the tongue and the groove? Is there a set out there designed for 1/4" stock?





I don't know why folks think 1/4" is too thin for a T&G joint. It's not. I used them to do a spanish cedar lining on a large tack trunk/blanket chest that was a 1/4". This isn't a panel glue up, it's an alignment aid.
The most compelling reason for the T&G on the project I did was that a shiplapped, or beveled joint would have a tendency to "stick out" along the joint and get caught removing items from the trunk and thus damaging the material and lines. A T&G would not.
A router in a table with a ZCI and you can cut them easily. Cut your joints fat to the frontside, and not centered. The wall will support the backside thinner material.

[Mike Cutler]

Mike, what router bit(s) did you use to cut the tongue and the groove? Is there a set out there designed for 1/4" stock?

Scott
I made mine
I had a slot cutter that was supposed to be used for biscuits, but did a pretty poor job of it. I ground down the profile on a bench grinder.
For the tongues I used the smaller set available from Woodcraft at the time and used washers for spacers. The washers also had to be ground down to match the slot.
If Pat Warner says that an .060 is available. I'd just buy that. It's a tedious amount of work making the setup I did. A bit of trial and error too.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

Me-nards

http://www.billsid.com/img/tg.jpg

Works great!

http://www.billsid.com/img/tg1.gif

[Thomas Canfield]

It would take a lot of passes on a table saw with a thin kerf blade, but that would give you a groove less than 1/8" and then you have to cut rabbits each side to get the tongue. That would be a lot of work, but some of us have more time than $ and look for a challenge.

[Stephen Cherry]

Just for laughs, I did it on a table saw using some 1/4 baltic birch ply. Maybe not for the squeamish. This was just eyeballing it. The two pieces together are pretty strong.

I think the trick is to use a piece of ply as a zero clearance backer, use the miter gauge to run this in against the fence, turn off the motor, then take away the miter gauge and add a feather board. One setup for the tongue and one for the groove. wood goes through twice for tongue, and twice for groove. Once the feather board is there, there is no projection of the blade.



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