# Router bits for 2 inch stock?



## Danderdude (Jun 26, 2013)

Howdy yall, first time poster, long time reader.

I'm about to come into a pair of used routers and have quite a pile of old barnwood ranging from 1x3 lats to 6x10 beams and everything in between. The barn was over 80 years old, and most of the wood showed signs being reused when they built it. More than a few old square-cut nails were found embedded in it.

With all the nails pulled now, I started planing and found beautiful, dark, still sappy tight-grained Texas pine underneath the rough, rotten gray exterior, and this was only taking 1/16th off. All boards are also true dimensions: a 2x4 is a true 2 inches by 4 inches.

After cutting out the truly rotten parts, I've got a very large amount of 2x_ lumber in lengths from 2 to 20 feet. What I'd like to do is find a way to tongue-and-groove this 1 7/8 lumber into sturdy shelving, mancave flooring and tabletop in a patchwork fashion.

The problem I've run into is finding router bits that can handle 2 inch stock in one pass. Is this the wrong tool for the job? Are there any other options out there? Is there a good way of joining lapped lumber without fasteners left visible? Who can/would/does make a router bit like this?


----------



## Danderdude (Jun 26, 2013)

I should clarify, finding a way to cut, say, a 1/2 in deep 3/4 tall female side would be rather easy. How does one go about making the matching male?


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Tongue and groove router bits are common for thinner stock, e.g., 3/4in - 1 1/4in.

If you are willing to make two passes, then you can use a dado, or rabbit bit to make half the tongue, flip the board and make the other half.


----------



## Wood4Brains (Jul 25, 2012)

> I should clarify, finding a way to cut, say, a 1/2 in deep 3/4 tall female side would be rather easy. How does one go about making the matching male?


Go to your local library and see if they have the Book and / or DVD of Router Joinery by Gary Rogowski.

He uses simple techniques on his router to achieve complicated tasks.

I think the"trick" of flipping over the stock that Dave Paine mentioned above is covered quite well.

One other thought:

Since the stock is an actual two inches thick, and you are thinking of using it for flooring, have you thought about having it resawn?

Then you would end up with stock that is - around 7/8th thick I guess - depending on how much stock is lost due to the kerf of the bandsaw.

If you use 1-7/8 lumber for flooring, then your floor is probably going to be higher than the floors of the adjacent rooms, won't it? Will your door open to the room? Will there be an annoying "rise" from the hallway into the mancave?


----------



## Danderdude (Jun 26, 2013)

Dave Paine said:


> If you are willing to make two passes


The wood isn't going to be all the exact same thickness, though. We're talking turn-of-the-20th century sawmill technology. Cutting a dado groove centered would mean microadjusting the fence for each piece. Ideally I'd like to plane the thin edges first, cut the tongues and grooves, glue it into a giant sheet and then plane the whole thing as one piece. This ought to cancel out the slight variances.


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Danderdude said:


> The wood isn't going to be all the exact same thickness, though. We're talking turn-of-the-20th century sawmill technology. Cutting a dado groove centered would mean microadjusting the fence for each piece. Ideally I'd like to plane the thin edges first, cut the tongues and grooves, glue it into a giant sheet and then plane the whole thing as one piece. This ought to cancel out the slight variances.


You have so much thickness to work with, if I were doing this I would rip each piece to be straight, then plane all the boards to the same thickness.


----------

