Tongue and groove: Difference between revisions

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'''Tongue{{short and groove''' is a methoddescription|Method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with [[wood]]: [[flooring]], panelling etc.}}

{{about||the error effect in radiation therapy|Radiation therapy#Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)|the nightclub|Tongue & Groove (Atlanta)}}

{{Refimprove|date=May 2007}}

[[File:Dusheme.jpg|thumb|right|Solid parquet boards with grooves on the near ends. Tongues on the right sides of the boards and grooves on the left sides. The far ends are tongued.]]

'''Tongue and groove''' is a method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with [[wood]], in [[flooring]], [[parquetry]], [[panelling]], and similar constructions. A strong joint, it allows two flat pieces to be joined strongly together to make a single flat surface. Before [[plywood]] became common, tongue-and-groove boards were also used for [[Siding (construction)|sheathing]] buildings and to construct [[concrete]] [[formwork]].

Each piece has a slot (the ''[[Groove (joinery)|groove]]'' or ''[[Dado (joinery)|dado]]'') cut all along one edge or along two adjacent edges, and a thin, deep ridge (the ''tongue'') on the opposite edge or edges. The tongue projects a little less than the groovedepth isof deepthe groove. Two or more pieces thus fit together closely. SuchThe a[[woodworking joint|joint]] shouldis not benormally [[wood glue|glued]], as shrinkage would then pull the tongue off. The effect of wood shrinkage is concealed when the joint is beaded or otherwise moulded.<ref>Tongue and Groove, [http://www.woodworkdetails.com/knowledge/joints/case/dovetail WoodworkDetails.com]</ref> In another assembly method, the pieces are end-matched. This method eliminates the need for [[mitre joint]]s, face [[Nail (fastener)|nailing]], and the use of joints on {{convert|16|inch|sing=on}} or {{convert|24|inch|sing=on}} centres of conventional [[Framing (construction)|framing]]. For joining thicker materials, several tongue-and-groove joints may be used one above the other. In fine [[woodworking]] such as [[cabinet making]], both glued [[Dovetail joint|dovetail]] joints and tongue-and-groove joints are used.

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

* 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 [[router|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.

For mostmany uses, tongue -and -groove wasboards have been rendered obsolete by the introduction of [[plywood]] and later [[composite wood]] boards, but itthe method is still used in goodhigher-quality flooringboards. andPlywood plymay canalso be tongued all round to fit it flush into a framed structure, and plywood for sub-floors used in [[platform framing]] is often supplied with tongue-and-groove edges.

{{carpentry-stub}}

In old sailor slang vernacular, a ''tonguin'' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|t|ə|ŋ|ɪ|n}}) refers to a small boat or raft of tongue-and-groove construction or to repairs made to such a craft.

==Methods==

One of the following woodworking tools may be used to produce the tongue and groove:

* A [[wood shaper]] (spindle moulder) – a four- or six-head moulder for large quantities

* A [[circular saw bench]]

* Suitable [[hand plane]]s: a plough plane for the groove and a tongue plane for the tongue, or a combination plane

* A spindle [[Router (woodworking)|router]]

==Tongue in groove (Slip tongue and groove)==

Tongue in groove is similar to tongue and groove, but instead of the tongue forming part of one of the edges, it is a separate, loose piece, called a ''slip tongue'' or ''spline'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.finepowertools.com/woodworking/tongue-and-groove-joint/ |title=Tongue and Groove Joint |author=Dan Miller |date=8 April 2024 |website=Fine Power Tools |accessdate=22 May 2025}}</ref> that fits between two identically grooved edges. The tongue may or may not be of the same material as the grooved pieces joined by the tongue. For example, plywood flooring is commonly grooved at the edges, and plastic tongues are used to form the joint.

==See also==

{{Div col}}

* [[Cabinet making]]

* [[Carpentry]]

* [[Fluting (architecture)]]

* [[Gland (engineering)]]

* [[Groove (engineering)]]

* [[Larssen sheet piling]]

* [[Pulley]]

* [[Rabbet]]

* [[Woodworking joints]]

{{Div col end}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{Wiktionary}}

{{Woodworking}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tongue And Groove}}

[[Category:Joinery]]

[[Category:Woodworking]]