# tongue and groove drawer bottom



## johnmark (Jul 21, 2012)

so i already made some nice half dovetail and regular dovetails on the sides of a drawer, and i was wanting to do a tongue and groove bottom, but i don't want to put little saw cuts through my beautiful joints. 

i'm thinking that i should just mortise and tenon multiple pieces in there and call it a day. 

i have access to a table saw, but i don't have access to a gated plow plane. i try to do a lot of my work by hand, but i'm very new and i don't have all the fancy things yet.


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## johnmark (Jul 21, 2012)

perhaps i won't really see the cut part, but won't it weaken the joint? i like em tight.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

If you're making a T&G drawer bottom just to make one, as an example that's one thing. It isn't that dependable or practical. Using plywood for bottoms will work better. 











 







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## johnmark (Jul 21, 2012)

i don't exactly know what you're saying. you named the joint i'm thinking about using, and you said not to use that but use plywood. 

i don't use tacks or screws, if that's the implication.

i like the old style joinery. it's a smaller drawer that the bottom pieces would be less than a foot, and wouldn't hold much more than a few knives and a sharpening stone. i think i'll just mortise and tenon them in. 

i've thought about doing the whole bottom dovetails just for a whoa effect when you open the drawer, but i'll probably do it poorly and you'd hear chit chit chit chit chit when opening/closing the thing.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

johnmark said:


> i don't exactly know what you're saying. you named the joint i'm thinking about using, and you said not to use that but use plywood.
> 
> i don't use tacks or screws, if that's the implication.
> 
> ...


I took it from your description that you would be using solid wood for the bottom, and it would be made up of pieces (tongue & grooved). Or, solid wood that the edge was shaped (tongued) to fit a groove in the drawer members. 









 







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## johnmark (Jul 21, 2012)

correct.

do you understand the confusion?

you said don't use tongue and groove, use plywood.

i have 4 sides of a drawer that are dovetailed together with no bottom. somehow the bottom needs to attach to the sides. using plywood doesn't imply any sort of joint. 

doesn't matter. i'm going to use mortise and tenon. that way i can keep the dovetails in tact and i'll remove a lot less wood. i'll leave them unglued for them to stretch for the seasons.

no need to answer the question. perhaps next time i won't do my half tails right at the bottom, but i'll start a little higher.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Where are you from? Your terminologies make it wicked hard to follow... I offer see that in cultural / country variations though.

How does one mortice and tenon a drawer bottom?

If you want to hide the grooves cut them first and your opposing drawer side is cut to fill it... Or do stopped grooves and notch the corners of the bottom panel.


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## Midlandbob (Sep 5, 2011)

You put the plywood in at assembly. The groove is routed around the bottom with hand or power tools. If solid wood is used the grain runs across the drawer and is fastened at the front only so the back floats with moisture changes. Plywood can go in in either orientation and even be trapped by the back. It is not usual to dovetail the back unless it's a box.
Maybe we need pictures?.


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