Tongue & Grove Bits

[Ed Gibbons]

Will be putting tongue & groove paneling on the back of a cabinet. Recommendation for which router bits would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[mark mcfarlane]

Ed, You can do it all with a single straight bit in a router table.

What is the thickness of your back? If, for example, if it is 3/4" then a 1/4" bit can be used to route the groove in all boards running them vertically over the bit, then run the boards horizontally and flip to cut both sides of the tongue. You can micro adjust the bit height for the tongue on a test piece to get the exact fit you are looking for.

I have a shaper set for doing T&G in 3/4 stock but for a short run the router table approach is actually faster than setting up my shaper, and it works for any thickness of board.

[Richard Coers]

Kinda depends on style. If you want a chamfer on the edges, or a bead on the edges. Low cost option is to rip a saw kerf in the center of the board and then use an 1/8" spline. I've used 1/8" hardboard for that. You can also use a standard chamfer bit, or bead bit to decorate the edge.