Hi,

What is the best way to replace a single tongue and groove board?

I have a few 2.25 inch wide white oak boards that need to be replaced due to some damage.

The best way I have been able to figure out, is to use my fein Multimaster tool with a plunge cut blade and cut as straight as I can on the ends of the board, and then then use a router to gouge out the center of the board to pull it up. Of course when putting in a new board I will lose the t & g and will have to nail the board down from the top and plug it and shim it out since it will fall below the boards because of no tongues and grooves.

But the big problem I have is that I never seem to be able to get my cuts on the ends of the boards straight enough because that Fein tool is hard to hold steady, so I guess my question is, does there exist a specialty plunge cut saw, that will hold the blade straight and square to the ends of the boards? So my end cuts don't look crappy?

Thanks.

Have you tried using a speed square? You can stand on one part of it so it doesn't move on you while making the cuts, or score a good line with a utility knife so the Fein blade doesn't wiggle on you.

Here's an old video I put together. Several good points but the image quality is terrible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjyjHuvdXDs

You actually dont lose the tongue and groove when doing a board replacement. Only the bottom part of the groove on the replacement board. So the new piece will remain flush to the surrounding floor. We dont nail through the surface, use a urethane glue to hold the board, but suppliment with a few dabs of "hot glue" for immediate but temporary holding.

OK thanks for the info I'll try the speed square idea. Thanks for the youtube.

Actually on the other note of losing the tongue and groove, that relates more to a separate question which I am posting in a separate thread I'm writing now – I have both damaged boards to replace and also a separate related problem that I thought I could solve with this method but now I see it's a totally different subject.