Abstract: An apparatus having a grooving tool for carving grooves in a tire tread drives the tool transversely of the tread while varying the elevation of the tool so as to carve curvate, chevron, herringbone, lazy-S, or other non-linear grooves. Means for orienting the cutting edge of the tool normal to the actual direction of traversing movement is disclosed. The elevation of the tool is controlled by a sensor which follows the template profile or contour as the tool travels. The orientation of the tool is also controlled by a sensor cooperating with a template. The apparatus includes a base adapted for movement to grooving relation with a tire mounted on a rotatable chuck or away from the tire. The foregoing abstract is not to be taken as limiting the invention of this application, and in order to understand the full nature and extent of the technical disclosure of this application, reference must be made to the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description.