Forming 2x6 tongue & groove decking (with chamfers)

Question

I have an exposed ceiling with 2x6 Tongue & Groove, with a chamfer detail. The basic profile looks exactly like the T&G you'd buy at home centers and lumber yards.

But my ceiling was made when lumber had different dimensions. The stuff you buy now is too small by around 1/16th of an inch. The depth (the 2 inches) is less of an issue, but the width (6 inches) is a real problem because I'm trying to replace a section in the middle of my ceiling, leading to gaps.

I'm considering cutting my own 2x6 T&G with chamfers to match the existing roof. I'd cut it out of 2x8s.

I'm pretty confident I could cut the tongue and the groove with either a table saw or a router table. But I'd appreciate advice if that's accurate.

I'm not confident at all how to cut the chamfers. Can those also be cut with a table saw, or would a table saw end up splintering out lots of materials? Would I use a router table to form the chamfers? (and if I do that.. .should I just cut the tongues and grooves with a router table as well).

*** Update***

I ended up successfully fabricating the T&G with a router, wing bit, and chamfer bit. Instead of using the router table, which was going to be tough given the weight of the lumber, I used a Router Edge Guide (from Bosch, which fit my Bosch router perfectly). The 2x6 pine had inconsistent widths, so I adjusted the router edge guide on each plank individually so that the width of the exposed board (width minus tongue) was consistent. It's in my soffit now and looks great - no gaps after 10 boards, unlike the store bought T&G which is 1/8th inch too skinny, leading to gaps. Thanks for all the help!

Answer 1

If you have a router table or a shaper, you can buy matched bits that can route the tongue and groove each in 1 pass, such as these tongue and groove bits

Of course the biggest problem is finding a set of bits designed for a 2 x ? board.

If you have a dado set for your table saw, and a chamfer bit for your router, it should be relatively easy to duplicate the pattern, just remember, once you have it set up correctly for 1 cut, do ALL the same cuts before moving on to the next one.

Also depending on where you live, look for small mills or lumber yards that sell rough cut lumber, you should be able to find real 2x6's that should be a bit cheaper than finished 2x8's.

Answer 2

There are a number of ways of cutting the bevels. (Not micro-bevels, if we’re being pedantic.) These are often called chamfers, as well.

You could certainly do the bevels/chamfers on the tablesaw; the only concern there is that you have to move the wood perfectly across the table to get a consistent bevel.

For the groove side, I’d go with the router option. Just make sure your order of operations maintains a good reference edge to run the router bit bearing against. (In other words, cut the groove on the tablesaw last.)

For the tongue side, it might be a bit more complicated, depending on how you’re set for router gear. You could use an edge guide and a v-groove cutter without a guide bearing. You could possibly use a bearing guided chamfer cutter, but that involves riding the router on edge (not great) and extending the cutter shank quite a lot in the collet. You need to be very sure that you have enough of the shank in the collet. Failing all that, you might be back to the tablesaw.

Once you’ve done the bevels, the tablesaw is a great tool for the grooves and tongues. If your fence isn’t very tall, add a tall extension fence to prevent the stock from tipping sideways. Just don’t make the grooves too tight.