Gluing Tongue and Groove panel boards in bed headboard

[Brian D Smith]

Hi all.

I was asked to build a bed for my coworker and she sent me a picture which uses tongue and groove boards with a V reveal between them. they sell these things are homedepot in 8' sticks (beaded on 1 side and v groove on the other)...she already purchased them and gave them to be to build with.

i'm basically building tongue and groove frame around the panel just like a cabinet door. should i glue the V groove 1x6's together at all or in the grooves on the frame boards. it's a king bed and my worry is that having a ~74" wide panel of tongue and groove boards fully floating individually is alot and will not be exceptionally study. I though about brad nailing the tops of the panel boards into the rail grooves in the center to hold them in place a little better? the v grooves are running vertically so there will be ~15 boards making up 1 panel.

i'm probably over thinking this but i usually use plywood or solid panel...

hope this makes sense as i explained it.

thanks!

Brian

[Gene Davis]

I wouldn't glue the tongues into the grooves, but I would certainly finish the tongues and the flat mating surfaces of the tongue and groove feature. This, to ensure that when shrinkage occurs, one will not be seeing bare wood.

I'm presuming you will tenon the ends so that a tongue there goes into the groove of the frame, and I would glue just just the center of those tenons.

When assembling the glue-up, use different strategies for spacing depending on the season. If doing it at the driest time of the year, use cut pieces of playing cards as .012" spacers between boards. If assembling when it's most humid, lay it all up tight.

Each board can then expand independently, and about its center. Blue tape makes setting the card-stock spacers and easy trick.

[Brian D Smith]

Thanks for the feedback!

Yes I'm doing all that you asked and assumed.

I'll used the center glue method rather then brads. I like that.

Again thank you very much

Brian