I have to make a small carcass to hold a set of drawers. This is fairly light duty- it will be inside another utility cabinet. Most of the chests that I have made in the past were of hardwood solids, and I generally dovetailed them. I do remember seeing- in a shop or office some years ago- a carcass made of Baltic birch for a small set of drawers. I believe that the carcass was dovetailed- or perhaps box jointed (can’t remember).
I’ve never DT’s plywood before, mostly because even the “good” hardwood ply has enough voids in it to make this seem impractical. I am wondering whether good 16 mm BB ply might work though.
Any thoughts? Dovetails? Box joint? Face frame? None of the above?
I’d be curious to hear of other experience in this.
Thanks,
Glaucon
If you don’t think too good, then don’t think too much…
Replies
Hi Doc ,
I have dt BB and Apple ply in 1/2" for drawer boxes but not to build a cabinet or case of , the only problem I encountered was upon dry fitting or testing the fit , when I tapped them apart some of the short pieces of the many plies gave way and broke off . It can be done but for a utility grade project you could use many other types of joints , a rabbet joint will work fine .
Since it will go inside of another cabinet seems the dts may not be visible , do it if you want to but maybe dt the drawers and not the case . Depending on the design , function and size a face frame won't hurt but may not be needed , what are the approx dimensions ?
regards dusty
I have done it several times with 1/2" bb ply and a half-blind dovetail jig. there is a surprising amount (well, maybe it isn't surprising) of tear out on the curved face of the pins, but that isn't visible after assembly. For me it works well. the sides are straight, uniform thickness, and the edges look good after sanding and varnishing.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I did about a dozen drawers for a set of cabinets using BB once. Real pita. Make sure you have cover boards on the front and back of the jig otherwise you'll get blowout big time.
I really had to tinker with the spacing and the direction of feed too. The BB is such a dense material that there is the tendency for the bit to actually deflect or "runout" a little and you'll get a sloppy loose fit. BTW I used a Katyjig don't know if that makes a difference or not.Like others have said be careful during test fittings. If the dovetail fits tight there is a tendency to split at the plys as you pull them apart while test fitting.
I used 1/2" BB for some drawers on some file cabinets I made. Like a previous post stated there was some tear out on the inside of the pins. I was able to minimize this by scoring where the bottom of the pins would be with a utility knife before I cut the pins. I also backcut the board lightly before I cut the full depth of the dovetails. Any tearout that happened was hidden when the drawer was assembled
I just finished a computer desk for my wife and used Baltic birch for the drawers. In this case I used finger joints and at other times have used dovetails with this material when the finished look dictated it.
Two things to keep in mind.
There is Baltic birch and there is so called Baltic birch. After buying a few sheets that were "better" priced I swear I will never do that again. One cut on the table saw and they twisted like a pretzel. Back to the retailer who admitted that they were indeed made in China. So make sure you get the genuine northern European/Russian stuff.
Second, you will not have tear out if you back up the work with a sacrificial piece when routing. I know, PIA, but its the only way to go.
Cheers,
Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
I gave up on DT and use box joints on a TS dado with backer boards. Practically no tearout.
Jim
Like many of the other posters, I've had trouble with dovetails in plywood, even the good stuff. I now use a lock tenon joint for the corners of plywood drawer boxes. It is fast; it can be made entirely on a tablesaw. In plywood it is strong enough. (In solid lumber, it has too much short-grain to make me feel secure.)
Here's a drawing of a corner, viewed from the top.
G., it certainly appears from above comments that DT's can be problematic. I've done box joints in Baltic birch, on the table saw, and it worked just great. In my first efforts, I got these thin (veneer thickness) little "flags" attached at the bottom of the slots. Pre-scoring would have prevented this. How do you feel about a plain ol' rabbet joint?
BTW, if you're itching to spend some money, that Freud box joint cutter is a really good set. Quarter or 3/8", flat flat flat, no bat-wings.
Thanks to all.The approximate size is 12"wx12"dx18"h. I was planning on backing the cut with 1/4" scrap to minimize tearout and using a 1/2" bit. For a carcass, I was hoping for something with a little more strength than a rabbet; I'm not a big fan of the lock miter (very fussy, at least to me) and while fine for drawer boxes, I'm not sure it's best designed to join a carcass.Guess I'll make some test cuts, and if not happy, do a face frame and rabbet.I appreciate your suggestions,Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Please let me (us) know how you make out. I have a client looking for a dart board cabinet made of dovetailed baltic birch.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
dovetailed baltic birch.
When cutting dovetails with my router/jig I always use a face and back board. Sandwich the 'prime' wood between.
My local Big-Box has 3X5? foot lightweight MDF panels. About $6.00 a panel. I believe it is marked Handi-Panels. I use it for all sorts of templates. Very inexpensive as wood goes.
If you plan your face/backer sizes it can be reused to cut multiple drawers or whatever objects of the same dovetail spacing.
YES that first cut makes ALOT of dust. I never/rarely? get any tearout in any type of wood being cut. I normally use the 1/2 inch thickness MDF. If the dovetail spacing would leave very small pins I use the 3/4 inch thickness MDF for additional support.
Not for every project, but if the pins will be very small, I will apply a slightly thinned glue to the edge of the MDF and let the MDF wick in whatever it will take and let it dry. Soaking the edges of the MDF can be done in advance for later use. Best if the glue has cured a day or two before using it.
But then again, just me.
BTW, if you're itching to spend some money, that Freud box joint cutter is a really good set. Quarter or 3/8", flat flat flat, no bat-wings.
Yup, I picked up a set at the recent PDX Wood Show. Far better than a dado set for doing finger/box joints.
Good move, Barry. I use mine for dados if I happen to need one of the sizes the BJcutter does.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I just finished making several large (10" X 33" face) drawers out of 5/8" BBP. Using a dovetail jig, I did have a constant problem with tear out. I did not use front and back support boards but I'm sure that would have helped.
Definitely worth a stab... but I'll have to wait until after the holidays to give 'er a try.Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
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