Drawer box Material Question

[Mike Goetzke]

I'm building drawer boxes for our kitchen. I want to use 1/2 blind DT's front/rear. I was going to use Baltic birch ply due to it's stability but after looking around have seen it may be prone to splintering. Plus for a custom made kitchen many say to use a solid wood like maple. Now my question - I see there are several types of maple (soft/hard/white/dark/dark-light mix) what is recommended for drawers?

Thanks,

Mike

[Kent A Bathurst]

I've been told [somewhere here, IIRC] that the best is poplar - very stable. They also dissed the maple idea - too much movement.

'Course, I read that after I had made mine with soft maple. We'll see soon enough, eh?

[Steve Griffin]

Stability is not a big problem for kitchen drawers with modern slides and adjustable fronts.

Use whatever wood you want. Anything but plywood, which would be a disgrace to the beautiful dovetail joint.

I like soft maple or poplar. Harder woods are more work at the dovetailer and fussier to assemble.

[Allen Breinig]

Mike

I am assuming your using metal drawer slides. I would go with poplar or soft maple. I have used both and like them both, the maple will sometimes give you a little figure in the wood that is interesting to see when you open a drawer. It depends on what you can find local that is of good quality. It has to be straight and clear or you will have problems.

[Mike Goetzke]

I'm using the soft close undermount slides.

[Zach Callum]

Maple is actually more stable than poplar.

[Brian W Evans]

I have maple drawers in my kitchen (I didn't build them) and I like them quite a bit. They ride on undermount slides and I really like the heavy/solid feel of the maple when I open and close the drawers. No movement problems in 7 years.

[John Morrison60]

I have made drawers from all these materials and think that much of the choice involves personal taste.
With these exceptions:
I do not like plywood, for the reasons stated above.
I think that Maple is a "wasted" on drawer sides -- little structural benefit, higher cost.
I have mainly used poplar, -- cheap and machines nicely, good contrast to drawer front.
I recently used some ash, -- nicer looking than poplar, machines well, sturdy. My new favorite.
Ash sides and back, and the wood being used for the rest of the piece for the from front.
Most people only see the dovetails, but I like the looks of the Ash on the sides.
BTW, I have gotten away from using DT on back of drawers, unless it is a one-off.
I use drawer lock mitres for the backs most of the time.

John

[Roger Jensen]

I'm probably the exception here, but I used the 1/2" pre-finished drawer sides with pre-finished plywood for the bottoms. I also made blind DTs for front and back. Use of sacrificial boards when routing eliminated splintering when cutting the DTs.

My theory is it is still a kitchen and things are going to be spilled in every conceivable area. Nothing cleans up like pre-finished ply. Personally, I think the blind DTs look pretty cool using plywood.

I used Blum undermount self-closing slides.

Roger

[Jim Matthews]

If you choose plywood for the sides, a box joint would be tremendously strong.
Who's going to see the inside of a drawer, anyway?

If your intent is to hide the joint (http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/2004/10/15/wb/), a simple dado might serve.
You could then concentrate your finishing efforts on the drawer front as an overlay.

[Peter Quinn]

As usual I'm outside the norm on thiis on. I think plywood is one of the MOST appropriate materials for kitchen drawers, and BB is just fine in my opinion. The slides are doing all the work, the drawers are hidden most of the time, so you almost never see the silly things, and they are generally full of stuff, so you never see thei insides. You don't need maple, you can certainly use but don't in any way need dovetails. Kitchen drawers in my estimation are work horses, not show ponies. They need to be strong, cheap, and clean enough to get the work done. The whole " I gotta have a kitchen full of dovetails" thing is lost on me. For my money finger joints are more attractive than factory router cut dovetails in any event, and quite possibly stronger too if well made. I don't own a dovetail jig because i see no point in making something so banal. If I make half blinds, it's by hand, and the drawer front is integral. For kitchens I'm pretty happy with with applied fronts and tongue and rabbit joints. I suppose there is nothing wrong with making a furniture grade kitchen for the home, but the point is largely lost on me. When I am making dovetail drawers I prefer straight grain maple, hard if the drawer slides on kickers, either soft or hard if they travel on slides. I've used poplar too for small drawers and it works well enough, though that greenish cast is not my favorite. I suppose it will brown up nicely in a few hundred years time.

[scott vroom]

The materials cost difference between poplar, birch ply, and maple drawers is insignificant in comparison to typical total project cost. My preference is maple over poplar: it's harder and, IMO, a more attractive hardwood than poplar.

[Steve Griffin]

Maple is actually more stable than poplar.

That is 100% opposite my experience, though it's not an issue anyway for drawers.

[David Kumm]

I'm lucky in that I know a milling company that glues up maple into 20+" boards 4/4 rough and sells it to use up their scraps. I use whatever looks good with the cabinet- or what I have left over. Maple, White oak, Hickory, Cherry, even mahogany in the old days. I rationalize that the contrasting wood negates the machine cut dovetails. Dave

[glenn bradley]

I assume the satisfaction level with the secondary woods mentioned is environmentally dependent. I have not had problems with maple (soft or hard), ash or poplar as a secondary (or drawer box) wood. I'm on the left coast and we only sort of know what humidity even is out here compared to other areas in the country so I would factor that in. One yard I use is only a few cents more a boardfoot for hard over soft maple so I just pick based on color.

[Jeff Duncan]

My opinion is a bit different also....this is essentially a custom kitchen right? Hopefully will impress those who see it? First thing people do after walking in IME is usually open a door and a drawer!

I use hard maple, which is generally considered more stable than poplar BTW. It's a minimal difference in cost for me, a kitchens worth of drawers probably amounts to less than $100. It's hard wearing, takes a great finish, and looks great also. I'm in the middle of the spectrum price-wise for my work, and I couldn't even think about using ply for my drawers. Of course you have to do what's right for you, so what do you like the look of???

good luck,
JeffD

[Larry Frank]

I like to use ash which in my area is economical and I think looks good. It is cheaper than Baltic birch and no issues with splintering.

[john bateman]

I'm using the soft close undermount slides.

The irony is that with soft close mechanisms the dovetailed drawer boxes aren't necessary anymore. The DT's help to keep the drawer from coming apart when it's slammed.
But they don't slam with the soft close devices.

Nowadays the DT's are there for appearance sake.

[Jim Becker]

All but a few drawer boxes in my kitchen, master bath, guest bath and wet bar are maple. A few drawers in my kitchen are poplar. I don't prefer plywood drawer boxes outside of for utility purposes, such as in the shop.

[Dale Cruea]

For furniture drawers I use poplar and soft maple. Depends mostly on color and what I want the finished drawer to look like. Mainly contrast.
Dovetails are great looking joints and looks like you cared about your work when done.
I put in a new kitchen about 6 years ago and I am the only one I know of that notices that my drawers are plywood and not dovetailed.
The contractor didn't notice until I said something.
DT are nice but to me would be a waste of time in a kitchen.
I have read in most design books I read is that you don't do anything that is not needed. Either for strength or appearance.
Just to say you have complicated joints in a piece of furniture that does not add to the appearance or add strength is a waste of your time.
That said, if you want to dt your kitchen drawers got for it.
I think it shows craftsmanship and that you cared enough to make them.
I just don't think they are needed here.