A system for distressing a major surface of a plank comprising: a material support defining a material support plane for supporting the plank; a distressing apparatus mounted adjacent the material support, the distressing apparatus comprising a blade terminating in a blade edge, the distressing apparatus configured to translate the blade back-and-forth along an impact axis between: an extended state in which the blade edge is a first distance from the material support plane; and a retracted state in which the blade edge is a second distance from the material support plane, the second distance being greater than the first distance; a drive subsystem configured to generate relative movement between the plank and the distressing apparatus so that the plank translates relative to the distressing apparatus so as to define a material feed direction; the distressing apparatus mounted adjacent the material support so that the impact axis is obliquely oriented relative to the material support plane and intersects the material support plane at an intersection point so as to form an acute angle with a portion of the material support plane that is downstream of the intersection point and an obtuse angle with a portion of the material support plane that is upstream of the intersection point, wherein downstream and upstream are defined with respect to the material feed direction; and a controller operably coupled to the distressing apparatus and to the drive subsystem, the controller configured to repetitively fire the blade back-and forth between the extended state and the retracted state for a period of time so that the blade edge repetitively impacts the major surface of the plank when in the extended state as the plank is translated in the material feed direction by the drive subsystem, thereby forming a chatter mark in the major surface of the plank, characterized in that the system further comprises: the distressing apparatus configured so that the blade edge is rotatable relative to the material support about a first rotational axis that is substantially perpendicular to the material support plane; a rotational actuator operably coupled to the distressing apparatus to rotate the blade edge about the first rotational axis; and the controller operably coupled to the rotational actuator and configured to rotate the blade edge about the first rotational axis to a selected one of a plurality of angular orientations. a material support defining a material support plane for supporting the plank; a distressing apparatus mounted adjacent the material support, the distressing apparatus comprising a blade terminating in a blade edge, the distressing apparatus configured to translate the blade back-and-forth along an impact axis between: an extended state in which the blade edge is a first distance from the material support plane; and a retracted state in which the blade edge is a second distance from the material support plane, the second distance being greater than the first distance; a drive subsystem configured to generate relative movement between the plank and the distressing apparatus so that the plank translates relative to the distressing apparatus so as to define a material feed direction; the distressing apparatus mounted adjacent the material support so that the impact axis is obliquely oriented relative to the material support plane and intersects the material support plane at an intersection point so as to form an acute angle with a portion of the material support plane that is downstream of the intersection point and an obtuse angle with a portion of the material support plane that is upstream of the intersection point, wherein downstream and upstream are defined with respect to the material feed direction; and a controller operably coupled to the distressing apparatus and to the drive subsystem, the controller configured to repetitively fire the blade back-and forth between the extended state and the retracted state for a period of time so that the blade edge repetitively impacts the major surface of the plank when in the extended state as the plank is translated in the material feed direction by the drive subsystem, thereby forming a chatter mark in the major surface of the plank, characterized in that the system further comprises: the distressing apparatus configured so that the blade edge is rotatable relative to the material support about a first rotational axis that is substantially perpendicular to the material support plane; a rotational actuator operably coupled to the distressing apparatus to rotate the blade edge about the first rotational axis; and the controller operably coupled to the rotational actuator and configured to rotate the blade edge about the first rotational axis to a selected one of a plurality of angular orientations. the distressing apparatus configured so that the blade edge is rotatable relative to the material support about a first rotational axis that is substantially perpendicular to the material support plane; a rotational actuator operably coupled to the distressing apparatus to rotate the blade edge about the first rotational axis; and the controller operably coupled to the rotational actuator and configured to rotate the blade edge about the first rotational axis to a selected one of a plurality of angular orientations.