# better joint for drawers?



## mwkellner (Mar 9, 2010)

I am going to be making drawers out of plywood want to know wether I should use rabbet joints or box joints. appearance is of no concern, these are for a tool chest. I am only concerned in the strongest joint. I think that box joints would be stronger with solid wood, but do y'all think that changes with the plywood? Thanks for your ideas and help. -- Martin Kellner


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

mwkellner said:


> I am going to be making drawers out of plywood want to know wether I should use rabbet joints or box joints. appearance is of no concern, these are for a tool chest. I am only concerned in the strongest joint. I think that box joints would be stronger with solid wood, but do y'all think that changes with the plywood? Thanks for your ideas and help. -- Martin Kellner



I would use rabbeted joinery with a slide in bottom. Plenty strong.


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## kjhart0133 (Feb 4, 2009)

I like to use handcut dovetails, even in plywood. They are sort of a PITA to cut in plywood, but you can't beat 'em for strength. 

See below.


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## johnv51 (Oct 27, 2008)

For utility drawers I like using this locking joint. It's simple to make on either a router table or a table saw with a dado blade.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

cabinetman said:


> I would use rabbeted joinery with a slide in bottom. Plenty strong.


Agree completely. Dovetails have that "professional" look and make the craftsman proud of his work. However, 98% of the time that is not what is required. 

If you are making for the utility of it then as Cabinetman described is good. If you are making something just for the looks and being able to say "see I made that" then by all means go all out on those techniques that enhance that goal.

Maybe I have not stated this very well, but you should get my "drift."

G


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

GeorgeC said:


> Agree completely. Dovetails have that "professional" look and make the craftsman proud of his work. However, 98% of the time that is not what is required.
> 
> If you are making for the utility of it then as Cabinetman described is good. If you are making something just for the looks and being able to say "see I made that" then by all means go all out on those techniques that enhance that goal.
> 
> ...



Well said George. I find my clients prefer to see a nice clean drawer side, without any edges or joinery showing. When rabbeted joinery is used, the sides accept the front and back. IOW, the front and back are just a straight cut, and the rabbets are on the side members. 

With using glue, a fastener can be shot through the front at a slight angle into the side, so when a false drawer front is attached, you see no fastener, or holes filled with putty. The bottom is slid in, which squares the drawer box, and fastened to the underside of the back.

All the machining is done on the table saw. A very fast and effective method for making drawers.


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## mwkellner (Mar 9, 2010)

Thanks so much for all of your input and replies. I am mainly concerned with the strength of the joint. Some of these drawers might hold quite a bit of weight when everything is loaded into the tool chest. I was concerned with the glue's strength on the end grain of the plywood. It sounds like the rabbet is the way to go.

Hey JohnV, what is that joint called? It looks like it has alot of glue surface. I would like to hear any "tips" on haow to make it quicker and easier. Thanks so much! -- Martin Kellner


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## jlhaslip (Jan 16, 2010)

try this: http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?page=2142
or this: http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?page=2140


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

*Or this*

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5709


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## johnv51 (Oct 27, 2008)

It's a locking drawer joint. I tried using the router bits designed to cut the joint in 2 passes but they are difficult to set up. I use a 1/4" straight bit and setup is quick and easy. I also use my brass set up bars the set bit height and fence location. Here's the process.

1. Set your 1/4" bit to 1/2" height above the table surface. Set your fence to 1/4" behind the bit. Run the drawer front through with the drawer face against the fence, cutting a 1/4" wide and 1/2" deep dadoe in the side of the drawer front.

2 Lower the height of the bit to 1/4". Leave the fence locked in the same location as step 1. Run the drawer side through with the end of the drawer side against the fence, cutting a 1/4" wide and 1/4" deep dadoe in the drawer side that faces the inside of the drawer.

3. Leave the height of the bit at 1/4". Move the fence so that the back of the bit is even with the front of the fence. My fence is in two pieces and can be opened. If your's doesn't open then use a sacrificial fence board. Run the drawer front through with the inside facing down against the router table top. This will cut a 1/4" piece of the back of the drawer front away leaving the final shape.

I'll cut all of the pieces needed before changing the setup to the next step. It sounds complicated but it really isn't. The fence stays in place for the first 2 steps and only the bit height changes. For the third step you only move the fence.


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## mwkellner (Mar 9, 2010)

Thanks JohnV. I will use those measurements with my dado blade and try it out. I do have a small bench top router table that I rarely use, maybe it is time I get more familiar with it. I will get it done one way or another. Thanks so much.


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## Cincinnati (May 5, 2010)

mwkellner said:


> I am going to be making drawers ...appearance is of no concern.... -- Martin Kellner


Box joints or dovetails. They work in plywood too. You can always pin through the finger joint stack too.

Just a suggestion. Make appearance matter. Perhaps not to the same degree as if you're building a piano, but I believe investing only a little extra time in the workshop jigs, fixtures and furniture is personally rewarding. From a functional position, a well-made drawer will hold together longer than a sloppily made one. From a pure strength standpoint, you could always use a butt joint and reinforce it with screws and a length of steel angle.


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## Brian_Hinther (Sep 13, 2009)

Just want to dispel the myth that half-blind dovetails are strong. They came in dead last in WOOD magazine's Dec '07-Jan '08 drawer joint test--#8 out of 8--even behind a nailed rabbet. 

Top finishers were the Box Joint, Lock Miter, Lock Rabbet and Through Dovetail.


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