Manufacturing tongue-and-groove panel for improved interpanel fit

Abstract

A building-construction panel (e.g., a structural wood subflooring panel) includes a tongue on one edge and a groove on an opposite edge that receives the tongue of an adjacent panel. A shoulder on the tongue-side edge defines an abutted surface that is contacted by an abutting surface on the groove-side edge to limit panel travel during installation and maintain a gap between upper edge portions of the adjacent panels. A bottom transition is formed on the groove-side edge so that the groove-side abutting surface is smaller than the tongue-side shoulder abutted surface. In this way, the relatively smaller groove-side abutting surface structurally maintains the gap but also minimizes frictional interpanel contact area to minimize squeaking. And the relatively larger tongue-side shoulder abutted surface helps keep the shoulder from being collapsed into the groove from overdriving the panels together during installation. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing the panels.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing building-construction panels, comprising:
 forming at least two panels, wherein each of the panels includes:
 opposite top and bottom major surfaces, with two opposite end surfaces extending between them at panel transverse ends, and with two opposite side edge surfaces extending between them at panel longitudinal sides; 
 a tongue extending from one of the edge surfaces and a groove recessed into an opposite one of the edge surfaces so that when the two panels are installed positioned flat adjacent to each other the tongue of one panel is matingly received into the groove of the adjacent panel in an inter-engaged arrangement, wherein the edge surfaces include tongue-side upper and lower edges above and below the tongue and groove-side upper and lower edges above and below the groove; 
 a shoulder formed on the tongue-side lower edge immediately below the tongue and defining a tongue-side abutted surface; and 
 a groove-side bottom transition formed on the groove-side lower edge immediately above the panel bottom major surface, wherein a groove-side abutting surface is defined by the groove-side lower edge above the groove-side bottom transition; 
   arranging the panels in a stack with the groove-side bottom transition of one of the stacked panels exposing a portion of one of the major surfaces of an adjacent one of the stacked panels; and   applying an edge sealer to the two opposite end surfaces of the two stacked panels and to the exposed portion of the major surface of the adjacent stacked panel to protect against later edge swelling during use.   
     
     
         2 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein applying an edge sealer includes spraying an edge sealer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein arranging the panels in a stack includes arranging the panels in a stack with the groove-side bottom transition of one of the stacked panels exposing a portion of the top major surface of a below-adjacent one of the stacked panels, and wherein applying an edge sealer includes applying an edge sealer onto the exposed portion of the top major surface of the adjacent stacked panel. 
     
     
         4 . The building-construction panels manufactured by the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         5 . The building-construction panels of  claim 4 , wherein the panels are structural wood subflooring panels configured to be installed laid flat over and mounted down onto flooring joists to form a structural subfloor of a building structure and configured to have a non-structural decorative floor covering installed over it. 
     
     
         6 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein when the two panels are installed together, the groove-side abutting surface contacts the tongue-side abutted surface with mechanical interference to structurally maintain a gap between the tongue-side and groove-side upper edges of the panel, wherein the tongue-side abutted surface has a height that is greater than a height of the groove-side abutting surface so that when installed the relatively smaller groove-side abutting surface structurally maintains the gap but also minimizes frictional interpanel contact to minimize squeaking, and wherein when installed the relatively larger tongue-side abutted surface structurally resists being collapsed into the groove during installation. 
     
     
         7 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the tongue-side abutted surface laterally offset from the tongue-side upper edge to form the gap. 
     
     
         8 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the groove-side abutting surface height with a balanced design so that when installed the groove-side abutting surface functions as the shoulder by structurally maintaining the gap but also avoids squeaking from frictional interpanel contact, and forming the tongue-side abutted surface height to be greater than the groove-side abutting surface height to ensure that the entire groove-side abutting surface is contacted by the tongue-side abutted surface to resist collapsing into the groove during installation. 
     
     
         9 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the tongue-side abutted surface to extend higher and lower than the groove-side abutting surface. 
     
     
         10 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 9 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming a lowest portion of the groove-side abutting surface to be higher than a lowest part of the tongue-side abutted surface. 
     
     
         11 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 9 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the entire groove-side abutting surface so that when installed it contacts the tongue-side abutted surface of the adjacent panel, but so that the entire tongue-side abutted surface does not contact the groove-side abutting surface of the adjacent panel. 
     
     
         12 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the groove-side abutting surface height to be:
 about 0.0312 inches to about 0.1 inches;   about 10 percent to about 16 percent of a thickness of the panel between the top and bottom major surfaces;   about 35 percent to about 45 percent of a thickness of the groove; or   less than half of an overall height of the groove-side lower edge between the groove and the panel bottom major surface.   
     
     
         13 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the tongue-side abutted surface height to be at least 50 percent of that of the tongue. 
     
     
         14 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the groove-side bottom transition as a slanted or sloped surface. 
     
     
         15 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein forming at least two panels further comprises forming a tongue-side bottom transition on the tongue-side lower edge immediately above the panel bottom major surface, wherein the shoulder is defined by the edge surface on the tongue-side lower edge above the tongue-side bottom transition, and wherein the groove-side bottom transition extends higher than the tongue-side bottom transition. 
     
     
         16 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 1 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the mating tongue and groove of the two adjacent installed panels to inter-engage to prevent relative movement of the two adjacent of the adjacent panel panels in a direction transverse to a plane of the tongue and groove but do not interlock to prevent the two adjacent of the adjacent panel panels from being moved apart longitudinally in the tongue and groove plane. 
     
     
         17 . A method of manufacturing building-construction subflooring panels, comprising:
 forming at least two panels, wherein each of the panels includes:
 opposite top and bottom major surfaces, with two opposite end surfaces extending between them at panel transverse ends, and with two opposite side edge surfaces extending between them at panel longitudinal sides; 
 a tongue extending from one of the edge surfaces and a groove recessed into an opposite one of the edge surfaces so that when two of the panels are installed positioned flat adjacent to each other the tongue of one panel is matingly received into the groove of the adjacent panel in an inter-engaged arrangement, wherein the edge surfaces include tongues-side upper and lower edges above and below the tongue and groove-side upper and lower edges above and below the groove; 
 a shoulder formed on the tongue-side lower edge immediately below the tongue and defining a tongue-side abutted surface; and 
 a groove-side bottom transition formed on the groove-side lower edge immediately above the panel bottom major surface, wherein a groove-side abutting surface is defined by the groove-side lower edge above the groove-side bottom transition; 
   arranging the panels in a stack with the groove-side bottom transition of one of the stacked panels exposing a portion of the top major surface of a below-adjacent one of the stacked panels; and   spraying an edge sealer onto the two opposite end surfaces of the two stacked panels and to the exposed portion of the top major surface of the below-adjacent stacked panel to protect against later edge swelling during use,   
       wherein when the two adjacent panels are installed together, the groove-side abutting surface contacts the tongue-side abutted surface with mechanical interference to structurally maintain a gap between the tongue-side and groove-side upper edges of the panel, wherein the tongue-side abutted surface has a height that is greater than a height of the groove-side abutting surface so that the relatively smaller groove-side abutting surface structurally maintains the gap but also minimizes frictional interpanel contact to minimize squeaking, wherein the relatively larger tongue-side abutted surface structurally resists being collapsed into the groove during installation, wherein the tongue-side abutted surface extends higher and lower than the groove-side abutting surface, wherein the entire groove-side abutting surface contacts the tongue-side abutted surface, but the entire tongue-side abutted surface does not contact the groove-side abutting surface, and wherein a lowest portion of the groove-side abutting surface is higher than a lowest part of the tongue-side abutted surface. 
     
     
         18 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 17 , wherein forming at least two panels includes forming the groove-side abutting surface height with a balanced design so that when installed the groove-side abutting surface functions as the shoulder by structurally maintaining the gap but also avoids squeaking from frictional interpanel contact, and forming the tongue-side abutted surface height to be greater than the groove-side abutting surface height to ensure that the entire groove-side abutting surface is contacted by the tongue-side abutted surface to resist collapsing into the groove during installation. 
     
     
         19 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 17 , wherein forming at least two panels further comprises forming a tongue-side bottom transition on the tongue-side lower edge immediately above the panel bottom major surface, wherein the shoulder is defined by the tongue-side edge surface above the tongue-side bottom transition, wherein the tongue-side bottom transition extends higher than the groove-side bottom transition. 
     
     
         20 . The method of manufacturing building-construction panels of  claim 19 , wherein arranging the panels in a stack includes arranging the panels in a stack with the tongue-side bottom transition of one of the stacked panels exposing a second portion of the top major surface of a below-adjacent one of the stacked panels, and wherein applying an edge sealer includes applying an edge sealer onto the second exposed portion of the top major surface of the adjacent stacked panel.