Made the mistake of selecting "distressed" look 3/4" hardwood flooring. Instead of paying 15 % restocking fee, I am going to cut the unsightly areas out and put new tongue and grooves on each end. I found a FREUD adjustable set.

https://www.rockler.com/freud-adjustabl ... e-bit-set#

The depth of groove is 7/16". Depth on hardwood flooring is 1/4".

Does the 7/16" depth weaken the fit or is this acceptable ?

On existing hardwood there is .030" clearance between tongue and groove width. Should clearance be .015" per side ( top & bottom ) ( Height setting on router table ) ?

Thanks,
Ronald

I would just make it simple and get the router bit that is made for 3/4 inch inch flooring. Then you will not need a tongue bit. Route the grooves on both ends of your butt-joints and use a spline made just for this. If you like you can use the same fasteners at one of the butt-joint ends that you used for the T&G nailing for fastening one end of before you slip the other end into position. This will help reduce cupping if you have wide boards.
Mike Osborn developed the EZ Bit. It has a ball bearing that rides against the square end of the plank to make the correct depth. Reference the height as you turn the board over so you slide the router along the bottom of the board in case all boards are not the same thickness. Then sand off any over wood to get a smooth floor.

If you have trouble finding spline for hardwood flooring you can make your own using quarter inch Masonite, since it takes a full quarter inch to fill the groove from the router bit. Use a block plane to ease the edges of your 5/8th inch wide home made spline so everything slides into place easily. I rip the Masonite on a table saw, planing one edge before each rip since they are small rips and hard to hold.

Thanks for the tip. It sounds so much easier with one cutter & router. I can get spline from Local flooring shop. Do happen to have link for Mike Osborn's EZ bit? I was unable to find online.

What is the customary tongue and groove clearance on a 1/4" tongue for hardwood flooring ?

Thanks once again,
Ron

Easygroove Tooling, phone number 425 787-0356. <easygroove@comcast.net>