cut out groove across floorboard

[colinpost]

I need to resit my reclaimed floorboards, which are protruding out - 1mm.

Rather than invest in a thickness machine and plane the whole floorboard, I'd thought I could use an electric plane .

the theory is to cut out a 1mm depth groove (just over a joist width wide),

Any tips to cut a clean cut ? or would the thicknesser route be the easier option - less hassle!?

 

[foxhole]

One floor board? Just take up and plane it.

 

[Burnerman]

You intend to cut this groove across the board, so effectively the notch sits over the joist, is that correct?
Personally I'd push them through a thicknesser, if you have access to one or know a workshop that will do them for you.
Certainly your idea would work, but your rebates would need to be exactly 1mm deep or the floor would end up wavy!
How many boards are you dealing with?
John

 

[EddieM]

One floor board? Just take up and plane it.

No, they're all 1mm too thick.... oh hang on!!

 

[colinpost]

mmm....i've got about 15 x 5ft floorboards to do!

 

[big-all]

several choices
plane all the boards
sand all the boards
group all the boards and sand the transition over a board or two
in other words lift all boards and group together

 

[EddieM]

mmm....i've got about 15 x 5ft floorboards to do!

Well for an easy life (which of course is never the cheapest) you could a) see if your local wood merchant would be prepared to run them through their thicknesser, bear in mind that most wood merchants only offer cutting services to products they supply. b) hire a thicknesser, about £30 for the day.

Failing that.

c) plane them manually on the underside. d) notch the board e) if practical pack the other boards to the right height. f) lay some quality underlay and buy a carpet.

 

[Dave54]

I expect you'll need to find someone who has a thicknesser they use for reclaimed wood. I wouldn't put anything reclaimed through my thicknesser.
At least not without very careful examination and metal detection.
I reckon the answer is to get them thicknessed if you can though

 

[colinpost]

cheers guys ...looks like thicknesser is the practical route

 

[gregers]

why not gently lift the remaining board up and slide some dpc underneath it to raise the edge so it matches the new boards.
1mm isnt goning to make a lot of difference under foot.

 

[ladylola]

I've seen this sort of thing with old boards and it seems quite common in my experience. Irregular thickness boards , planed top surface, with a small rebate on both underside edges to take it down to the required thickness and then timber removed between these rebates at 90* to the grain where they sit on the joists.
Bit of a faff that seeing as yours are thicknessed already albeit 1mm too thick so I'd personally set the leccy planer to 1mm and just plane across where they sit on the joists.