how thin for drawer base?

[sunnybob]

New project for me, I'm making a trinket box with a drawer. The drawer will be quite small, 55mm high, 230mm wide and 170mm deep. Making the sides is not a problem, I have 5mm beech. But the base worries me. Really I dont want anything thicker than 3 mm so I can cut a rebate around the sides and fit it.

I have beech, maple, rosewood, but will they be stable at 3mm? Or do I need some 3mm ply? Problem there is I can only get that in 8 x 4 sheets.

 

[novocaine]

ply would be nice but by no means essential, grain long ways.
3mm for a small draw should be fine, add a centre support underneath if your worried.
not like it's going to be taking any real weight.

 

[AndyT]

Normal construction lets you have drawer bottoms of about 1/4" or 6mm, reduced to 1/8" or 3mm along the edges where they fit into a groove, either in the drawer side or a slip. There is usually some clearance so that it's just the drawer sides that bear on the runners, not the bottom itself, though with something really small and light that's not essential.

When I did my little chest of drawers I didn't dare go below 1/4" on the bottoms, with an 1/8" rebate. That was in cedar. Loads of photos and more agonising about it than anyone would want, here and the next few pages.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

230mm x 170mm wide is only just over 9" x 6", so it's tiny by drawer standards. I think 3mm thick would be just fine, especially given the light duty nature of the piece, and just pinned on should be safe enough in these small sizes especially if the maple was used - it has a reputation for fairly good stability. Setting it in rebates would look smarter, though.

There's a lot to be said for using what's available when you can. Seems silly buying an 8' x 4' sheet of expensive ply just for a piece 9" x 6", even allowing for the work of sawing out and gluing up some strips of maple, and planing it flat.

 

[sunnybob]

I was worried about the wood splitting or warping when it got that thin, but I think I just have to try it and see.I have a piece of maple plank that will fit in one go, just need to run it through the thicknesser and see if I can get it down to 3mm. Got 4.5mm today on the beech side pieces so I shall try maple first. It will be covered either with flocking or stick on, and as its for a 5 year old girl I suspect my future will be pink.

 

[Alexam]

If this is a bandsaw box, wide and shallow, then the thickness will be determined by your cutting out of the drawer from the main block. A little like the ones made by Designer Woods in the USA. His models #49 are cut rather thinly, wide and some are shallower than the size you mention. Is that what you had in mind, or have I got it wrong?

Malcolm

 

[sunnybob]

Malcolm, no, this isnt a bandsaw box.
i'm challenging myself again. Normal box construction, maple side panels, walnut legs and top and bottom. the drawer will be made in the usual way with beech sides joined with comb joints. Just the way a kitchen draw would be made, but almost dolls house sized.
Thats why I am worried (slightly) that a 3mm bottom of beech would split. I shall see later how it comes out the thicknesser.

 

[Racers]

The base will be supported on at least 3 sides so there is quiet a lot of wood to take the strain, the thickness of wood under the grove might be more of a problem.
I would use a 4mm bottom with a rebate on the bottom side, so the groves in the sides are higher up leaving more meat to support the base.

Pete

 

[sunnybob]

I've just glued up the sides of the drawer, and its a lot smaller than I envisioned. Not used to working in miniature.
I dont have any worries now about 3mm maple.
thanks.