Drawer Question

[T]

I am making drawers out of birch plywood, the kind they sell at the borg. My question is, can I do dovetails and/or box joints with this this stuff? A friend told me that I probably couldn't because the laminate would fall out of the layers. Please help....

[Tom]

tpollard wrote:>I am making drawers out of birch plywood, the kind they sell at the borg. My

Of course you can. Maybe not finger joints(box), but I'd do half-blind dovetails with a solid wood face, anytime. Depending on your methods, you may need to back up the material to avoid tear-out. Tom Work at your leisure!

[Bay Area Dave]

home depot sells void free ply? (guess I don't shop that aisle much...)

dave

Tom wrote:

[Pat Barber]

Yes.... but there might be a "hit" and "miss" on a few pieces that might have voids.... Most 1/2" plywood I have gotten recently(birch) was pretty good.

T wrote:

[George]

Depends on the grade, I guess.

If you pay for a patched interior ( no voids ), you certainly can. Lower grades problematic.

I've made box joints with fir ply, even luan. Masking tape minimized the tear, and a spiral bit with slow feed helps, too.

[B a r r y]

Basswood is GREAT for drawer sides and backs.

Barry

[Bob]

Take a look at John Lucas' site

and click on the Main Menu. John and his lovely staff have done a number of projects which involved making drawers with plywood. His demonstrations and hints/tips using the various tools should enlighten you on this subject.

Bob S.

[Mike G]

Yes, you can make dovetails in ply. What you have to be careful of, if you are doing it with a router, is to use some sort of sacrificial backer board so you don't chip out the surface veneer when the bit exits the wood.