Best Joint For Plywood Drawers

What is the best easiest joint to use given my material choice.

Best joint for plywood drawers.

The bottom should slide into the drawer in 1 4 x 1 4 grooves milled in the sides and drawer front. Cut a 1 4 x 1 4 rabbet in both ends as shown at right. Leave the fence and dado set where they are position your drawer parts inside face down with their bottom edges against the fence and cut the bottom holding groove. You use the dovetail joint to connect the sides of a drawer to the front.

Bart goldberg i have to build 12 drawers for a new shop cabinet the base of a new workbench and i plan to use 1 2 baltic birch plywood for the sides. The bottom is usually 1 4 thick plywood for small drawers or 1 2 thick material for bigger drawers or drawers that will hold heavy objects. 3 plenty strong plywood joints 1. Full width dado or groove 2.

If the bottom is thicker than 1 4 you ll need to cut a bevel or rabbet on its edges. Now s a good time to cut the 1 4 x 1 4 groove in each of your fronts sides and backs for holding the drawer bottom. The method is somewhat less durable than a dovetail joint but strong enough for average drawer use. A drawer lock joint consists of two specially shaped interlocking rabbets that allow the drawer front and back to be securely glued to the drawer sides.

I m assuming that dovetails are a bad idea for use in plywood. Position a drawer back on edge with its inside face against the fence. A series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of tails cut into the end of another board. Make these cuts on all of your drawer backs.

Conventional plywood has inner plies of various softwoods even if the outer veneers are hardwood. The dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a strong woodworking joint it is great for tensile strength resistance from pulling apart.