T he tongued and grooved joint is used in one form or another throughout the whole of the woodworking trades, covering, as it does, a great variety of work from the laying of flooring boards to the construction of dressers, bookcases and other cabinet work.
Flooring and match boarding generally have the tongues worked on the solid board, and examples of a few of the various types are shown as follows:—
Fig. 94. | Fig. 95. |
Method of Nailing Hardwood Floors.
shows the end view of the ordinary 7⁄8-in. "Tongued and Grooved Flooring board," as used in the construction of floors for mills, workshops and cottage property. This type of flooring is nailed to the joists in the ordinary manner, no attempt being made to conceal the nails used.
is a section of flooring which is generally made of hardwood, such as maple, oak, or jarrah. It is used in positions such as ballroom and skating rink floors, etc., the tongue and groove being worked in such a manner that the joint covers the nails as shown. Each nail is driven into its position at one edge of the board, the groove holding the next board and hiding the nail .
Fig. 96.—Tongued and Grooved Matchboarding, with Bead on One Side. | Fig. 97.—Tongued and Grooved Matchboarding, with Bead at Each Side. | Fig. 98.—Matchboarding, Tongued, Grooved and Vee'd. |
shows an example of matchboarding known as "Tongued, Grooved and Beaded" on one side only, and shows a similar type tongued, grooved and beaded on both sides. This variety of matchboarding is known in the trade as "T. G. and B." It is used for nailing on framing to form partitions for rooms, offices, etc., for panelling corridors, etc., and for making framed and ledged doors, building tool houses, cycle sheds and other outhouses.
is an example of matchboarding that is tongued, grooved and vee'd on one side, and shows tongued, grooved and vee'd both sides. These are used for similar purposes to , and many prefer the V matchboarding variety because it is more easily painted than the beaded variety.
The object of working a bead or beads on matchboarding is to break the jointing of the various pieces and to aim at ornamental effect; also to prevent unsightliness should the timber shrink slightly. When a moderate amount of shrinkage takes place, as is nearly always the case, the joint at the side of the bead appears to the casual observer to be the fillet or channel worked at the side of the bead. If the tongues are not painted before the work is put together, the shrinkage will cause the raw wood to show and thus make the joint too much in evidence.
Fig. 99.—Matchboarding Vee'd Both Sides. | Fig. 100.—Double-tongued Matchboarding. | Fig. 101.—Double-dovetailed, Tongued and Grooved. |
shows a "Double tongued and grooved" joint used in the wholesale cabinet factories. It is preferred for the jointing of cabinet stock, and the amateur can make a similar joint by working two grooves and inserting loose tongues.
is the end view of a "Double-dovetailed, tongued and grooved" joint, and is a sketch of a similar joint having only one dovetailed tongue.
From a constructional point of view is far and away the best joint that has yet been produced. Unfortunately, however, there is not at the present time any hand tool that will economically produce it, owing probably to the fact that the joint is the subject of a patent. The dovetail tongue tapers slightly throughout its entire length, gripping the joint on the principle of the wedge and squeezing the glue into the pores of the wood.
Fig. 103.—(A) Cross Tongue. (B) Feather Tongue. | Fig. 104.—Method of Secret-nailing Hardwood Flooring Boards. |