Birch ply dovetail

[Gary james]

Has anybody ever tried using a trend dovetail jig with birch ply,will it breakout or will it work.
I’ve got to make some big pan draws and buying 1” x 9” tulip boards and throwing half of it up planer extractor seems a waste so thought maybe birch ply,but @£61 a sheet didn’t want to get it if it’s not going to work

 

[Racers]

Yes I have done it with cheap Birch ply and it worked o/k.

The last big draws I built from birch ply just have biscuits and they are holding up fine.

Pete

 

[custard]

I believe that Leigh say ply isn’t suitable for dovetailing, and that’s been my experience. You might improve your odds with a backer board, but if you happen to hit a void then I’m not sure anything will prevent spelch.

Building on Pete’s comment, dowels, biscuits, or dominos can all work satisfactorily.

 

[stuartpaul]

I tried it, - once! What a mess, improved as Custard says with a front and back board but lining up accurately every time was a royal pain and in my opinion not worth the effort.

I ended up rebating with dowels on some pretty big drawers and they've been fine for a number of years.