Although it was more complex and unlikely it would be possible, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.
I've experimented with most options including maps, Boole, displacement etc. I even tried RailClone on 3DSMax!
RailClone is clever and offers a lot of flexibility, however I don't want to be in 3DSMax land.
Fortunately for me, I found a copy of the NLinn shader, it's based on the original and the company I found had reached out to the originator of the shader and was given the original code. Anyway, I just tried it by making some planks in a cloner and generating a normal from it and it looks great. From there I'll generate a displacement map and just go that route.
I do really appreciate all the effort you put into my requests, I can't express how nice it is to have someone to ask questions and get a prompt response!