I wanted to cover my studio ceilings with pine tongue and groove planks like I’ve done in most of the main level of my house. I’m able to get Pine tongue and groove planks for about $2.25/sq ft so it was going to cost about $3000 to do my studio ceiling. I didn’t want to spend $3000 on my studio ceiling. I figured if I was willing to put in a little more work I could create the look I wanted for much less. And I did. I spent 37¢/sq ft on my ceilings for a grand total of less than $400. Boom!
I purchased 4×8 sheets of 1/4″ plywood underlayment and ripped them down. Right now (in my region) 1/4″ cabinet grade plywood is $29 per sheet but 1/4″ plywood underlayment is only $11/sheet. I’ve purchased the underlayment many times for cabinet backs. One side is very smooth and it’s actually quite pretty. If I didn’t paint everything I’m sure I would have pointed it out before now.
I ripped the sheets down to just under 6″ wide strips. Each 4×8 sheet produced 8 planks.
After cutting all my strips, I set my blade to 45º and ran each strip through again…and again, beveling each side of each plank. The important thing I had to remember was to always have the “good side” facing down while beveling the sides. I’m using a MicroJig GRR-Ripper to push the planks through the saw and keep my hands safely away from the blade.