Courious if anyone had done dovetails in baltic birch?

[Dev Emch]

I am wondering what dovetails in baltic birch would look like and how difficult it may be do. Dovetails are normally used in solid wood but because of the better machinability of baltic, I am wondering if this is possible and how good or bad this might look. I know some of you have posted drawers done with finger joints. Looks pretty cool.

[Chris Padilla]

Sure...just back up the board to prevent blow-out if using a router to cut the dovetails or finger joints.

In fact, if using a router, and depending on the jig you are using, you might consider sandwiching the birch between two boards to make sure you don't yank off the veneer on either side.

Right now, for example, I am edgebanding some maply ply with maple for dovetails for a drawer box. If done carefully, the drawer box can be made to look like its made from solid hardwood....

[Alan Turner]

Dev,
I built my shop drawers out of 12mm BB, and hand cut the DT's for them. I didn't know how well it would work, but it went fine. They cut pretty easily by hand, and are strong. I use 12mm BB for the bottoms, and went head and glued them in. The larger ones run on 250# slides, and I keep a lot of weight in them. No problems after several years.

[Brian Hale]

I've done finger joints in BB and it works well but my one and only attempt with machine cut 'tails using the Keller jig caused lots of splintering and chunking. Backing up the boards like Chris suggested may work well if the extra effort is worth it to you. Give it shot...

Brian :)

[Mark Berenbrok]

Use a backer board as others have suggested. My only attempt using BB on a Leigh jig resulted in alot of splintering and pulling veneer off. The results were so dissapointing I went back to the real stuff.

[tod evans]

dev, it looks okay but like everyone says it splinters unless you back it up. just use poplar it`s cheap-n-quick. .02 tod

[Chris Barton]

Hi Dev,

I have done BB and as the other have said, it can be a little problem with tearout, more so with pin pieces than tail pieces, Backer boards do help and if they are HB DT with a jig, they are fairly easy and error free.

[Mark Singer]

Besides the tear out...I don't like the look...on the end grain you get all the laminations showing ...kind of busy look and it has a plywood look...(you knew that);)

[Jim Becker]

I have done it, but like Mark, I don't prefer the look and you need to do a lot of extra work to avoid tear-out. Pocket screws with false fronts would be what I'd use in this case. (screws on the outside front and back panels sandwiched between the sides...Mark has shown this before in one or more threads)

[Jim Hager]

I am wondering what dovetails in baltic birch would look like and how difficult it may be do. Dovetails are normally used in solid wood but because of the better machinability of baltic, I am wondering if this is possible and how good or bad this might look. I know some of you have posted drawers done with finger joints. Looks pretty cool.

I do baltic birch ply dovetail drawers all the time using a pc dovetail fixture. True that you will get some tear out but if you will cut first right to left to score the outer veneer then set in from left to right the tear out is minimal and what does tear out is often hidden inside the tails upon assembly. Now I know that is not the best method but it works for me all the time. Tear out is usually minimal and the last set of drawers that I did (17) I had to replace 2 pieces out of the entire session of dovetailing. That ain't too bad.:rolleyes:

[Rob Blaustein]

Besides the tear out...I don't like the look...on the end grain you get all the laminations showing ...kind of busy look and it has a plywood look...(you knew that);)

This would only happen if you use BB for the front piece as well, right? Could you use BB for the side pieces and something solid for the front piece. You would be able to see the laminations along the side pieces, but as you've pointed out before, they can be a design feature.

[Dev Emch]

But how does it look? Those endgrain sections are going to have racing stripes!

[Kent Parker]

Dev,

It would look like this

32734

There are times when funtionality is the foremost thought in a design and usually a better choice for longevity. In addition to this joint offering tremendous strength properties, I think it is an attractive and defined joint. Many dovetails in solid wood tend to blend in and with dovetails in multi-lam plywood it screams. So, it also become a design feature. One opens the drawer and the joint immediately speaks of strength. I choice the multi-lam plywood for these shop drawers due to the materials stability, the joint because of its strength and, well it just looks cool. These drawers will outlast me. I doubt if a drawer built with butt glue joints and a Kreg jig would even compare in a load test.

These drawers were built for a cabinet next to my table saw. Lots of weight in the lowers drawers.
32735

Try it Dev. You won't be disappointed.

Cheers,

Kent

[Dev Emch]

Dev,

It would look like this

32734

There are times when funtionality is the foremost thought in a design and usually a better choice for longevity. In addition to this joint offering tremendous strength properties, I think it is an attractive and defined joint. Many dovetails in solid wood tend to blend in and with dovetails in multi-lam plywood it screams. So, it also become a design feature. One opens the drawer and the joint immediately speaks of strength. I choice the multi-lam plywood for these shop drawers due to the materials stability, the joint because of its strength and, well it just looks cool. These drawers will outlast me. I doubt if a drawer built with butt glue joints and a Kreg jig would even compare in a load test.

These drawers were built for a cabinet next to my table saw. Lots of weight in the lowers drawers.
32735

Try it Dev. You won't be disappointed.

Cheers,

Kent

Well that does not look to bad at all. I think I will give this a spin. Thanks.

[Frank Pellow]

Dev, I think that they look much better than "not bad". Well done Kent! If and when I every get a dovetail jig, I will probably try making some dovetails in baltic birch.

[Bart Leetch]

The thought went through my head. Why not make a jig & cut them on the Band-saw? This way wouldn't be as fast but you wouldn't have a s much tear out either.:D

[Byron Trantham]

Dev,

It would look like this

Kent
Kent, what a surprise. I agree with Dev, they look fine!

[John Lucas]

http://www.woodshopdemos.com/sstat-206.jpg

www.woodshopdemos.com/sstat-21.htm

Dev, I did these in "cheap" ply and really developed the page to show people how to use this...Baltic birch will give much better, of course.

[John Hemenway]

I did Norm's 'miter bench and storage' project. Used DT's in BB for all drawers. Worked great once I got the chipout under control.

I actually like the look of the plys in the BB! Redneck version of Zebra Wood! :)

[Charlie Plesums]

I use BB sides on really tall drawers, for the stability, and often use a half blind dovetail into the front. That way only the top edge of the drawer shows the plywood. I make "Normal" drawer sides with maple or whatever the secondary hardwood of the day is.

I have had much more tear out in BB after it has sat around the shop for a while, than I do on a new sheet. I don't have a moisture meter, but I suspect that might be the difference.

[Tom Jones III]

When I got my DT jig I knocked myself out trying to use BB ply to make drawers. The DT bits were brand new, I sandwiched the pieces between backer boards, etc. but I could not get consistent results. Many times I would get a good set, but sometimes it would just tear a big chunk out of the first ply despite my best efforts. I would think that it would not be feasible on a large scale unless you've got a different method of cutting than I do.

[David Miller]

I did all the drawers in my previous kitchen using BB and dovetails. I did get splintering/chipping, even with backer boards. But I fussed with it until I got acceptable results. I had to use a new backer board for each piece otherwise I'd get splintering. A LOT of hassle but it worked. Oh, I used a Leigh DT jig.

I like the strength and stability of BB but I probably wouldn't do it again. But the drawers did look good IMHO.

-Dave

[Wes Billups]

Dev, I tried this with very poor success as I was getting alot of chipout on the front of the pins. I switched to a 1/2" shank bit and it all but eliminated the tear out. This was on half-blind dovetails, I can't speak for through dovetails.

Wes

[brian j waloweek]

:) i used an old pc dovetail jig on my bb dovetail drawers and like jim says
score from left to right on first cut and you should be fine, all the tear out was minimal and hidden when assembled, also i like to use a 1/8 th roundover bit on the top inside and outside edges, they look great when sanded and finnished

[Bob Yeager]

Thanks for this question...this really helps a lot...My one and only attempt to use my dovetail jig was on BB...total failure...after a couple of hours and several pieces of BB...I put the jig back in the box and never attempted it again. I figured I was a real duffus and not smart enough to use the jig...maybe I'll dig it out and try again.

Thanks...I feel better about my failures now.

Bob

[Narayan Nayar]

I've done both box and dovetail joints on 1/2" and 3/4" BB using my Incra wonderfence. As numerous responses above suggest, a backer board is essential (as is a "fronter board", at least on the Incra. ).

I should add that I would probably only do this for shop and other utilitarian projects and. Even using what I consider to be good quality BB, some plys do go missing here and there. Contrary to others, I do like the look, but either something in my technique or just something about BB puts little holes in the joints where the ply has broken off.

[Richard Wolf]

What's old is new again!

Richard