Plank Flooring

[nanook]

Have not tried to produce any finished flooring yet but am planning on trying to do so. Since this is a new venture would like advice / suggestions to try and limit mistakes.
1. Will probably try to use native spruce or maple as my wood.
2. Produce 1" boards of varying width by 8" lengths.
3. Dry boards to 8%.
4.Plane and use jointer and table saw to make straight, 90 degree edged and square ended boards between 4" and 8" in width.
5 Lay out flooring with matched widths, drill and counter sink screws with each screw plugged with matching wood.

I would rather not get into making t and g or V edged flooring.
Am wondering what are the pitfalls of this plan or if it has a chance of producing a reasonable product.

[TexasTimbers]

I am not a flooring guru but like everyone I have opinions and since you have 78 reads and no replies I will offer some food for thought.

1. Will probably try to use native spruce or maple as my wood.

You can use any wood you want as long as you understand the pros and cons to each wood. For flooring one of the main concerns is abiltity to stand up to dents and dings (hardness). There are many a dinged up pine floors that look wonderful to many people. Some can't stand it, some pay extra to have a "stressed" floor installed where they beat it with chains and hammers and horseshoes before sealing it to make it look like 100 y.o. floor.  Maple will withstand wear and tear much better than spruce, but spruce will be a little easier to process.

2. Produce 1" boards of varying width by 8" lengths.

8" lengths are real short even for flooring. You are looing at alot of extra work and room for error too by the end of your runs. Maybe you meant 8' lengths - I will assume you did.

3. Dry boards to 8%.

That's okay just acclimate the boards to the structure for a couple of weeks before installation if you can.

4.Plane and use jointer and table saw to make straight, 90 degree edged and square ended boards between 4" and 8" in width.

If you actually did mean 8" lengths, you have one 8" wide and 8" long you have a tile not a flooring blank. : Again, 8" is too short for looks and for installation. Too much time and labor in processing and installation.

5 Lay out flooring with matched widths, drill and counter sink screws with each screw plugged with matching wood.

Just don't even consider it unless you want this to be a life's work.

I would rather not get into making t and g or V edged flooring.

It would be a whole lot less work than what you are considering. But I would not use a v set for flooring just a flat t & g. You would also want to consider putting a relief (concave grooves) on the backside of the blanks but it isn't absolutley essential.

These are my opinions. They are subject to change if someone comes along and points out the err of my ways.

[nanook]

Thanks for the commenys. Absolutely meant 8 feet not inches. What would be the cheapest (with some degree of quality) to produce tongue and groove?

[Radar67]

A good router with a router table and carbide bit set would be the cheapest way to make T&G. Of course there is the hand plane method, but it would take much longer.

Stew

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Anyone I have ever heard comment on screwing and pegging a floor
has had a common cry:  "I thought we never would finish that floor!"

If you are using your own time,  the router is fine, or if you can get Stew
to volunteer his time.  (I always had to pay him to help me.)  If your personal
time is considered, it may be worthwhile to have someone with some serious
machinery run your floor boards for you.  Of course, going by figures mentioned
on this forum in other places,  you would expect to pay maybe  35 cents or more
per linear ft. to have it done.

Phil L.                             (Of course, Radar is a great worker, too!)

[Radar67]

Phil, now you got me all red in the face. 

Stew