I have resawn 5/4 poplar to make about 7/16 or 3/8 thick panels for drawer bottoms. When the bandsaw blade completed the cut to split the 5/4 boards, they sprang apart, and each half became quite bowed. I had already jointed the faces of the 5/4 board, which was fairly flat to begin with. If I were to re-joint these boards, they would end up as thin as a sliver. I decided to just edge glue them and press them together as level as possible with Bessey clamps. This worked, but now the entire panel is somehat cupped (I alternated direction of the bow of each board. ) I hand planed the panel as flat as posssible, but the thickness is not exactly uniform. Any suggestions? Can I rely on the dado in the drawer sides to just hold it flat? Thanks a lot.
Jay
Replies
use 3/8" baltic birch plywood instead.
Jay
I use only solid bottoms, and the problem is even worse in hard maple, which is my drawer parts wood of choice. Face both sides, then resaw, then sticker for a week or so, and let them move. Then, if need be, split them to halve the cup, flatten as little as need be to attain flat, and they should stay that way. Then do your glue up, in sections small enough for your planer. Mine is 20", so I go full width since I rarely make a drawer longer than 18 or so inches. Thickness, then glue up carefully for full width if need be. You should be able to net 1/4", which is a pretty standard drawer bottom thickness.
When I start a piece with drawers, I do the resawing for the drawers very early on, then carefully sticker so that the wood will move as much as it wants. Then I finish flattening, and bring to final thickness, after this initial movement. Nothing worse than trying to make a drawer from warped wood. It will never fit right.
Alan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
I think solid bottoms are more true to period pieces, and in almost all the FWW articles you see, the solid bottom method is used. No doubt plywood would be easier. Since you have to raise a panel to get the edge to fit in a dado (I usually use 1/4 inch), the overall thickness has to be greater than 1/4 inch.
My initial problem was bow, not cup, so splitting each board lengthwise wouldnt make any difference in this case.
My planer is 12 inches so I suppose I could re-thickness each half of the drawer bottom and then glue a seam down the middle.
Jay
You are correct that the bottoms need to be a bit thicker than 1/4". Sorry, senior moment. Didn't realize you had a bow, not a cup. Sometime I get both a cup and a bow, and some pieces need to be scraped, or saved for smaller drawers on some future project. I love to make drawers, and to fit them, so perfect stock is the only way to start.Alan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
I use ply as well, unless you are really trying to produce an oldworld masterpiece. Ply is a superior product in all respects for this application.
Mike
Jay, If you lay the panel cup side down on the grass and let the midday sun hit the convex surface you can straighten it out long enough to get it in the dadoes. The small amount of moisture in the grass will allow the fibers on that side to stretch and the sun will draw up the fibers on the convex side. You need to watch it closely, it doesn't take long and you may end up with the cup on the other side. I've noticed that when I lay a flat panel down on my bench overnight, it usually cups up. The side touching the bench isn't exposed to the air and doesn't move as much as the up side. Bill
Jay,
If you are going to bevel the edges of the bottom to fit into the grooves in the drawer's sides and front, you should be all right. Variations in the thickness will be on the underside of the bottom.
The thinner the bottom is, the less effect its tendency to bow or cup will have on the overall fit of the drawer. Of course, the thinner the bottom, the more likely it will sag under a heavy load. Not a problem if it's a sock drawer, but if you are putting silverware in it...
One period solution is to put a "mullion" in the drawer. 3" or so wide by 3/4" thick strip in the center of the drawer, at the bottom, running front to back. Cut a tongue in the front end, to engage the groove in the drawer front. Groove the edges to match the grooves in the drawers sides. Rabbet the back end to lap over the drawer's back edge. Now you have room for two bottoms, half as long as the long one before. If you use the bottom you have already, you will halve the amt of bow in each piece, and gain some strength as well.
Regards,
Ray
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