Question on how to place drawer bottom on through dovetails

[Silas Smith]

I would like to start making some boxes with my newly aquired Leigh jig but I can't for the life of me think of how to put a bottom in the box. I am used to running a small dado along all four sides and sliding the plywood in. The main problem is that the groove will show up in the dovetail and ruin the aesthetics of the piece. Any help would be appreciated.

[Martin Shupe]

You can do a stopped dado with a router, or run the groove all the way through and have it come out on the ends of the tails, then plug the hole with a small square piece of wood. The groove on the pins side will be hidden by the tails.

[Mark Singer]

A stopped dado ...back a bit from the end...the back is cut to the kine of the dao and the bottom slides in from the back...the plug technique shows...not good. Put stops on the router table and remember the sides are opposite hand of each other

[Dave Richards]

Here's something that might help.
http://www.geoffswoodwork.co.uk/dovetails02.htm
The whole site has some useful stuff on it.

[Michael Stafford]

Depending on the design of the box you can also assemble the dovetails and after the glue has cured rout around the inside for a plywood bottom which you glue into the rabbet you have just created. Not my first choice as I recommend the stopped dados on the router table as others have said...

[Maurice Ungaro]

You can also get a slot cutter router bit, and chuck it into your table mounted router. Then, dry fit the box together, and run the slot cutter through the interior circumferance.

Maurice

[Mike Tempel]

I have always used dadoes made on the TS. Just be careful as to placement so that the cuts will be hidden within the pins and tails. Watch the depth of the cut and the placement so as to make sure that the dado is within the tail/pin assembly where it won't show from the outside.

[Steve Jenkins]

I always use false fronts on my drawers so I just place the slot so it comes out the front and back. Not visible from the sides and covered by the applied front.