Some of you may recall that I’m working on building a cabinet for my Mom. I’m not exactly sure what to do about the drawer bottoms.
I plan to put a dado in the drawer sides and front to slide the drawer bottom into. Then tack it into the back of the drawer. )I’ve watched Norm do that on the New Yankee Workshop)
I know NOT to glue the drawer bottom in place so as to allow for expansion and contraction.
But what thickness of plywood should I use for the drawer bottoms?
I initially thought about using 1/4″ luan, since it’s sanded smooth. But I’m not sure it’s thick enough. I can get 3/8 CDX plywood easily, but that would be pretty rough.
I can also get 1/2″ AC plywood, but that seems a bit thick.
The drawers will be roughly 28″ wide by 20″ deep.
Any thoughts out there?
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Replies
Boss-
you're right, the 1/4" is probably too flimsy, especially since it sounds like your mom will be packing it full.
Can you get a lauan or birch ply in 3/8 or 1/2"? I think either of those would make for a good drawer bottom. 3/8" should work, but is harder to get. My yard has both birch and lauan in 1/2", and can special order the 3/8".
And the not glueing ther bottom in is more for solid wood drawer bottoms, so they have room to move. Ply doesn't move enough to really worry about.
But I don't glue ply bottoms in, either. Its overkill.
1/4" luan will be just fine, Ron. Nothing terribly heavy in there, right ? You'll be okay with that, and it's nice and clean.
Greg
I think Home Depot and Lowes sell 1/2 and 3/4 birch ply. I think the 1/2 is about $30 for a 4x8 sheet. It looked pretty good, not the typical HD S**t
At 28", those are very wide drawers. Still, I agree with Gregg that 1/4" plywood should be fine (luan or birch are inexpensive and will work). Thin plywood like 1/4" seems flimsy when in 4x8 sheets but when cut down to the size of a drawer bottom it will seem pretty stiff.
Chip
another alternative-
use the 1/4", and add some stiffener ribs to the underside of the drawer. Run them front to back. 1 or 2 should be plenty. Make them the same thickness or a little less as the space from the bottom of the drawer side to the ply, if you understand what I'm trying to describe.
I've done this a couple of times. I don't know why I didnt think of it earlier.
I recently converted a shelf pantry to full roll out that were 26 wide by 22 deep and I used 3/8 birch ply from my local woodworking shop ( Rockler) and I know she will be loading those rollout with cans. And on a recent trip back to finish her CT I checked in on the rollout and I am glad I chose 3/8. They held the weight well and should last a long time -even under the weight of the cans- I cut the ply 1/8 smaller than the dado groove which should hold up for expansion and still give you some slack to square up . Hope it all works out Mike
Why not do it the old fashioned way. Get some scrap boards that were used for the cabinet sides, run them through the planer down to 1/2", and then bevel the edges (or cut a dao-thingie) so they fit inro the groove in the sides. Don't glue the boards together and it will look really old. Leave a few saw marks on the bottom side of the boards too.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
If he really wanted to do it the old fashioned way, he could get a scrub plane and thickness the board(s) by hand.
It'd be a good workout, at the least.
Depends how sharop the blade is!
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Boss
1/4" ply for the bottoms will be fine.
If you really think you need more laminate the 1/4" stuff, you'll still be a bit shy of 1/2". The stuff is never as thick as they say.
Your using ply for the bottoms, you can glue that in, it does not expand and contract like solid wood. If you have a hot glue gun build your drawers, square them up, then run a bead of hot glue around the perimiter(on the bottom side). Its done all the time and the drawers are just fine.
Doug
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Don't know yet if I'll go with the 1/4" luan and maybe some stiffeners, or go with 3/8" AC plywood. (I checked last night, and I can get that locally)Guess I shouldn't have been surprised that the answer wasn't unanimous.(-:
Q: How does Michael Jackson pick his nose?
A: From a catalogue
Great ... you ask for advice and get a lot ... then you ignore us and do it your own way.
Of the two choices you list, I would go with the 3/8.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Which advice should I have taken ???Shep said 1/4" was too flimsyGreg Gibson said it was just fineDDay suggested 1/2 or 3/4 birch plyCHIPTAM says use 1/4" plyShep says 1/4" with stiffenersmitremike says 3/8 birch plyThen you come up with the idea of 1/2" lumber piecesThen Shep gets the SADISTIC idea that I should hand plane a bunch of lumberDoug@es says use the luan, but maybe laminate it.Glad I didn't ask about venting my attic.(-:
We can see the stars but still not see the light. [Eagles]
I think the 1/4" will be just fine, but get your engineer to sign off on it (just to be on the "safe" side).6 16 17 97 99
"...get your engineer to sign off on it (just to be on the "safe" side)"
Guess I shoulda seen that one coming.
(-:
The trouble with bucket seats is that not everyone has the same size bucket.
You do know that it will be stiffer in the direction the grain runs.
6 16 17 97 99
come on, Boss
you asked a question and got more than 1 way to do it?
What'd you expect, a simple solution?
From this crowd?
"What'd you expect, a simple solution?
From this crowd?"
Yup. I want a short, simple answer. I expect it promptly, and I want unanimous agreement.
And yes, I know people in hell want ice water too.
(-:
I think sex is something people should study [Brooke Burke]
3/8 AC and use the heavier duty Accuride glides (available at Rockler)... she'll love it and be able to put YOU in that drawer... and still work smoothly. LOL
1/4" is ok if your drawer is 15" or so... or if it is a clothes drawer in a chest. But at 28"... I'd use 3/8.
If you don't like the look of the nasty pine in the bottom (even though it's gonna be covered up once she puts something in it, or lines it with that liner stuff), there is a "less-expensive" real-wood veneer that is sold at Lowes that would work just fine for this application.
Rich, a nice option to the veneer would be the thin cedar closet lining strips gl;ued in place.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
An off-the-wall approach, but you could go ultra high-tech and epoxy strips of carbon fiber tape to the bottoms, maybe two strips each way.
Your local hobby shop selling to the radio-control airplane modelers, will have everything you need.
I got way too deep into that hobby, once. Kicked the habit. But I would routinely use carbon fiber to stiffen wing spars and fuselage sides. Makes 'em stiff as a board.
nevers hurts to plan for stronger drawers. I made some very large drawers for my older son, wider than yours, but not as deep. I used 1/2 Baltic birch. Probably overkill, but it's never failed. 1/4' would proably be okay with your dimensions, but I like to overdo...a problem I often struggle with on the job. You don't mention where these drawers are going.... kitchen, chest, built in. ...how are they going to be used? It might or might not make a difference.
"You don't mention where these drawers are going...."
In a rarely used 2nd floor bathroom in an old, drafty farm house.
My Mom will likely stuff the drawers full of old clothes and towels, and it will all sit there unused for 20 years.
According to the latest poll, 61% of Americans think OJ did it. The other 39% don't think.
At the cabinet shop I escaped after too many years chained to an oar, they used 1/8" luan drawer bottoms as the standard; the 1/4" was an upcharge.
We did some experimenting using 1/2" unidirectional flat stock with an edge rabbet to fit the a 1/4" drawer bottom dado. This gave a very nice "heft" to the drawer box, and did not change the external geometry either. We were using the inidirectional ply for tall drawer sides; I want to say it was either ponderosa pine or "baltic birch" in odd, metric, size sheets.
Managment shot down our idea for being "too fancy for us." Management came up with an idea to use rabbetted 5/8" mdf bottoms a couple years later, and that was not too fancy, then.