help with drawers please

[bluenose]

Hello folks. I'm looking for a little help please. I am about to make a small unit to house my wifes CD's. I shall be making the unit out of some oak that I purchased many moons ago but I am wondering what to use to make the three drawers.
These drawers will be faced with the same material as the main body of the unit but, in my mind I have the thought to make the drawer boxes from say something along the lines of 3/8th" plywood.
So my questions are, will this be substantial enough and, what construction method should I use for making these boxes, I really don't want to get into the realms of dovetail joints and so am looking for the easist method whilst at the same time they must obviously be fit for purpose.
I shall not be getting into hand-cut joints on the main unit as I intend to use dowells and biscuit joints in the construction.
Any help/guidance will be greatly appreciated, thank you

 

[Jacob]

I'd have the sides sitting on the bottom so the bottom piece would be the full size of the drawer. The long sides going the full length and the short sides set in between them. Just pinned and glued. Pre-drill to get the pins in neatly. Then fix a false front.

If you want to make things simply, glue and nails are highly effective. Pre- drill. If you have the nail/pins just protruding slightly before you join the pieces, it helps keep them in place without slipping on the glue while you hammer them in. Who needs dowels and biscuits!

 

[bluenose]

I'd have the sides sitting on the bottom so the bottom piece would be the full size of the drawer. The long sides going the full length and the short sides set in between them. Just pinned and glued. Pre-drill to get the pins in neatly. Then fix a false front.

If you want to make things simply, glue and nails are highly effective. Pre- drill. If you have the nail/pins just protruding slightly before you join the pieces, it helps keep them in place without slipping on the glue while you hammer them in. Who needs dowels and biscuits!

Thanks for your input Jacob. Sounds simple enough, though you didn't mention whether or not you thought that the 3/8" ply was sufficient to do the job.
Not too keen on the idea of glue and nails on the main structure though. I have always used dowels and biscuits (plus glue of course) in the past, so no need to be trying to diguise nail holes etc.

 

[Jacob]

Depends on the size of the drawer (and the weight therein). If it's square front - just one CD high and wide then 1/4" ply would do. I've got some CD drawers like that. If it's for parallel rows of all your CDs in one big drawer you might need a rethink.

 

[bluenose]

Depends on the size of the drawer (and the weight therein). If it's square front - just one CD high and wide then 1/4" ply would do. I've got some CD drawers like that. If it's for parallel rows of all your CDs in one big drawer you might need a rethink.

Hello again Jacob, i am planning on creating a drawer that will be three CD's wide with 30CD's to each row, giving a total of 90 CD's per drawer with the weight being somewhere close to 20lb (about 9kg) per drawer.

Any further thoughts?

I am extremely grateful for your input.

 

[Wildman]

row dividers would hold the lot tight and prevent bottom sag if they are glued and pinned in, 1/4 would still do fine.

 

[deserter]

I'd groove the 2 sides to accept the base and make the front and back shorter to sit ontop of the base, use biscuits to assemble the box with a couple of screws through the base into the front and back no glue on the base at all, then plant your actual seen front onto the drawer box using screws from inside.

 

[bluenose]

I'd groove the 2 sides to accept the base and make the front and back shorter to sit ontop of the base, use biscuits to assemble the box with a couple of screws through the base into the front and back no glue on the base at all, then plant your actual seen front onto the drawer box using screws from inside.

Hiya, if you would use biscuits in the assembly process, what size ply would you be using?

 

[deserter]

A number 0 biscuit is a little under 10mm deep so any ply which would allow that thickness into it should be fine. At work we use this technique with 12mm MDF.
We biscuit from the ends of the front and back into the sides of the sides so when you pull the drawer your actually pulling on the biscuit as apposed to pulling the joint.
One thing, don't forget to position your biscuit jointer fence to allow the cutter to cut centrally into the ends, a biscuit slot is 4mm so on 12mm board you need to allow 6mm on the fence.

 

[Racers]

Hi, Bluenose

I have made some big draws with 12mm birch ply and biscuits and they are holding up fine.
I used 6mm birch ply for the bottoms glued in grooves, but 12mm ply and lots of biscuits will work as well.

Pete

 

[bluenose]

Thank you to all who have offered advice to me. I think that I now have the situation well in control. Just one final thing please. Apart from the obvious, is there any difference between ordinary ply and Birch ply as my local Jewsons only have ordinary ply in stock, i.e. is it purely a visual thing?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Birch is denser and much cleaner, stronger and nicer to work. It's also much more expensive - builders wouldn't use it, so you wouldn't find it somewhere like Jewsons.

 

[bluenose]

Birch is denser and much cleaner, stronger and nicer to work. It's also much more expensive - builders wouldn't use it, so you wouldn't find it somewhere like Jewsons.

Hi phil.p Thank you for that information, so it would seem that I will be better off going for the birch ply. In actual fact, Jewsons of Exeter do have birch ply in stock but, my my local one here in Exmouth don't carry it. I would have popped down to my local store tomorrow to pick it up but after your comment I will order it from Exeter tomorrow and will have to wait for it to be delivered on Monday. i'd rather have the decent stuff, thanks again.

 

[marcros]

have a look at Jewsons for their Wisa twin (larger stores probably). Cheaper than birch, but looked some good stuff when I was last in. I am yet to use it but have heard good things from another forum member.

 

[bluenose]

have a look at Jewsons for their Wisa twin (larger stores probably). Cheaper than birch, but looked some good stuff when I was last in. I am yet to use it but have heard good things from another forum member.

Thank you for this. When I phone in the morning I will mention this and see what they have to say.