New Kitchen Help

[Halfathumb]

By new I mean I'm going to be making new cabinets, I've calculated how many sheets of 3/4 ply I need. But there will be a significate amount of cutoffs. I'm contemplating possibly making the drawer sides, backs & false fronts with the cutoffs. Has anyone tried DT with ply? Or what would be a better substitute that will give me a sturdy joint? 

The mental design has been going through my head about 3 years now. It's time, I'm not getting any younger.

[Robert Adams]

I have dovetailed plywood many times including in our kitchen. The issue is that the face ply on plywood is not very well glued no matter what plywood you use. Use a sharp cutter, climb cut everything and go slow. If it's bad then you can tape the front before cutting or add a sacrificial sheet of thin stock.

      Course dovetail boxes aren't really necessary. Any joint will be strong enough as kitchen drawers aren't really used much and are babied now for a shop drawer you need strength as it will be overloaded and abused.

[Aram]

I just did my kitchen with this lock miter bit from Rockler. Worked great! By the way, I made the smaller drawers from 1/2" ply, and the big drawers from 3/4" ply. Used the same bit for both.

http://www.rockler.com/rockler-45-deg-lo...fgodHWYDzQ

Once set up, the work goes quickly. One pointer if you go this route. I was originally getting tearout on the side pieces. I started knifing the cut line with a marking gauge before routing the pieces, and it solved the problem.

[Robert Adams]

Your experience gives me a reason to finally try one of those bits. Sure would save time and its strong enough.

[jteneyck]

Thumb, I know it's personal preference, but 3/4" ply is way too thick for kitchen drawer boxes, IMHO.  I never use more than 5/8" and generally 1/2", either solid maple or Baltic birch plywood.  And I know traditional cabinets are usually joined with DT's, but I've found it much less trouble if I use finger joints with plywood.  Traditional cabinet drawers don't use plywood anyway, so the change to finger joints is valid in my book.  Anyway, finger joints are easy to cut on the router table with any kind of indexing guide you have.  I use an original Incra jig and it's perfect every time, and you can gang parts together and cut them all at once.   FWIW, a straight or slight shear cutting bit works best; spiral bits don't last very long for some reason and the joints are almost too tight to go together. 

Good luck with the kitchen project.  That seems to be a developing trend this year among WoodNetters.  

John

[Roly]

I used prefinished 1/2" plywood for the drawer boxes.   A simple joint like this is easy to make.
 I place the tongue on the side piece for strength and used a false drawer front.
 With undermount slides the sides carry no weight.     Roly                                                      

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[Steve N]

I'm funny about that, and it goes back to when I redid kitchen and baths a lot. Everyone wanted solid wood as the "choice" for kitchen and bath drawers. but for a laundry room, general storage, and especially in the garage they almost expected the drawers to be of ply. So my suggestion is make a drawer box of ply, and of a solid whitewood, and using the exact same stock you are going to use for the drawer fronts put together one of each, and show that to your boss. I am certain she will tell you which she wants. I'd also suggest not to mention anything to her about the cost. If she begs off what she wants because of $$$$ that might be ok today, but 37 years of marriage tells me some day, maybe when $$ is less tight you will hear all about those drawers that I never did like............

Good luck, always check with the boss though

[Halfathumb]

Good luck, always check with the boss though

Steve;

Great advice but I lost the boss almost 2 years ago.(darn cancer)

[Halfathumb]

Aram. Thanks, I just ordered one.

I don't have the patience to DT, no jig, have to cut by hand.

[JGrout]

I think the one thing that I question is the use of 3/4" ply for carcasses in the first place 

they are carcasses that need to carry a few drawers and shelves 

JMO 

Joe