Lock-Miter Plywood Drawer Experiment

[Tim Lynch]

I have to make nine drawers to complete three closets in my house. I built each closet organizer with an identical space so that I could make the drawers production style. I've decided to try making the drawers with a lock-miter shaper bit in order to 1) get a reasonably strong joint 2) have a mitered corner that won't show plywood end grain 3) speed things up.

Here's how I went about it:

First cut panels to the width of the drawer fronts and width of the sides.

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Next mark the drawer heights, accounting for saw kerf.

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Next I drilled 4" holes centered over the line between 2 drawer faces -- these will be half moon hand holes once the faces are ripped.

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Now run the drawer faces horizontally through the lock miter bit. This orientation will produce a lock miter with more mechanical strength in the drawer pulling direction.

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Now run the drawer sides vertically.

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[Tim Lynch]

There's notable tearout on the drawer sides. These will not be museum quality drawers, I can tell. But they really weren't meant to be, so onward we go.

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The lock miters are going together pretty well, and my orientation looks right.

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Next rip the drawer faces and sides and plough a groove for the drawer bottom. I didn't bother to set up the dado blade, just took two passes.

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On to glue up

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After sanding and a couple coats of water based poly, drawers are installed in the kids' closet.

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Observations: It was pretty fast, and the drawers are consistent sizes. The lock miters pull together at right angles very well, so glue up is easy and the drawers squared up nicely. The tearout is still noticeable on the inside. They're very sturdy.

If I ever make a bank of shop drawers, I think I'll use this method.

By the way, the drawers are 24" wide and 15" deep and consumed one 4X8 sheet of 3/4" ply, plus a couple smaller scraps that I had left over from the closet organizer, and a little over a half sheet of 1/4" ply.

Thanks for looking and I welcome comments.

Tim

[Phil Thien]

Nice work Tim, thanks for the write-up.

The thing I really like about the method is the production speed. You don't seem to compromise much in strength and you pickup quite a bit in speed.

It would be nice if there were some way to reduce the tearout on future attempts to employ this technique.

I suppose someone could use a small (I have down to 1/8") straight bit to score the face veneer that is chipping out. Same thing could be done on a table saw, too. I don't think it would add much time, just two more passes before going to the shaper.

This, BTW, is the best reason I've seen to date to buy a lock miter bit. I don't know how well my DeWalt DW618 would swing one, though. That is a lot of material to remove in a single pass for a 2-1/4 HP router.

[Tim Lynch]

Thanks for the comments Phil. I thought (after I had perpetrated all the tearout) that I should have just scored a line w/ a long straightedge and razor knife and that probably would have done it. Considering that it's just a couple panels, it wouldn't have taken long at all. Maybe I can run a test piece and report back.

[Ed Peters]

drawer parts is..........drum roll please..........a "Drawer Lock Router Bit". I find it easier to setup and the cross grain tear out, typical on all veneered products, is concealed within the joint. You can see a profile of the joint this tool makes at www.crookedlittletree.com (http://www.crookedlittletree.com) under standard joinery. As you will notice, the faces of the joint supply the mechanical lock against the constant pull on the front. Additionally, the seam is moved to the side for those occassions when the drawers will not get a drawer front applied. The machining process is still the same but I find the results to be generally more attractive. Assembly is a breeze as well. Just apply some left to right clamp pressure and the parts pull in square. At that point I shoot a couple of brads in each corner to hold until the glue cures and set them aside. Obviously, it goes without saying that all the interior surfaces are finish sanded prior to assembly.

Ed

[Tim Lynch]

Hi Ed, thanks for the comments too.

Yeah, I'm familiar with the drawer lock bit and I agree that it is the bit of choice, but I have only the miter lock bit, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I think the lock miter has a pretty comparable mechanical lock to resist the pull of the front, but the setup time is definitely an issue. They're finicky.

And reducing the tearout would be a big selling point for the drawer lock, although it seems like the drawer lock bit could still produce tearout that would be visible on the inside of the drawer side. Maybe the geometry of the bit helps.

I went out and tried scoring the plywood with the razor knife and it did eliminate the tearout.

Anyway, I'm wondering if you similarly mill large panels and then rip them down to size?

[Ed Jolin]

Tim -
Looks great; I have 3 closets awaiting similar shelving.

What did you do for drawer slides?

-ed

[Tim Lynch]

They're Dynaslides (Accuride knockoffs) from Outwater. Very smooth and the price is right.

http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/2007_Master/lg_display.cfm?page_number=271&catalog=070148

[Phil Thien]

drawer parts is..........drum roll please..........a "Drawer Lock Router Bit".

But would the drawer lock bit provide the same speed of production? I realize the lock miter takes a bit of setup. But once fine-tuned, all he had to do is make two passes and then divide the panel into all his pieces. Can the drawer lock router bit be used it the same fashion?

[Phil Thien]

Thanks for the comments Phil. I thought (after I had perpetrated all the tearout) that I should have just scored a line w/ a long straightedge and razor knife and that probably would have done it. Considering that it's just a couple panels, it wouldn't have taken long at all. Maybe I can run a test piece and report back.

I suppose you could use a marking gauge of some sort to do the scoring. I'm afraid of using a knife w/ a straight edge. I've jumped straight edges a couple of times when cutting veneers and done quite a bit of damage to my index finger. Plus marking gauges have been more accurate for me. I wonder if I could get one to score deeply enough.

[frank shic]

tim, nice job on those drawers with the drawer lock bit. i could never figure out how to get that or the 45 degree lock miter bits to work right! turning the powerfeeder sideways is a great idea for those blessed with a shaper (not me... yet!). thanks for sharing.

[Geoff Harris]

I had significant tearout using a lock miter bit on baltic birch a while back. I tried scoring the cut and that helped somewhat. What finally eliminated the tearout was putting a zero clearance fence around the bit. I just plunged a piece of 1/4 inch ply through the bit.

[Jim Becker]

Very nice pictorial...and the drawers look great. I may do this same type of thing for our new master closet. Looks to be fast and strong.

[Steve Clardy]

Very nice pictorial...and the drawers look great. I may do this same type of thing for our new master closet. Looks to be fast and strong.


Ditto........

[Tim Lynch]

Thanks again for all the comments.

Tim

[Ed Peters]

They're Dynaslides (Accuride knockoffs) from Outwater. Very smooth and the price is right.

http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/2007_Master/lg_display.cfm?page_number=271&catalog=070148

Looks like we have our suppliers in common also. I buy all my drawer glides from outwater.

Yes I also machine panels of drawer components before cutting to final size. It makes the job go faster and helps minimize any blowout that occurs from time to time as the panel exits the tool. If it does happen, it only happens on 1 out of X parts and the blank will have a little extra on anyhow.

As to tearout on the inside edges with the drawer lock bit, I haven't experienced this to date and many drawers have left my shop. As I said in the first post, there is some tearout that occurs when machining the sides (vertical orientation to the tool) but this is internal to the joint so it is not seen. This appears to have more to do with the quality of the material than anything else.

It looks like you are using a shaper for your joints. I hope you'll pardon me for drooling all over your feeder. All mine are cut on a router (hand fed) (old school?). I have several permanently mounted router tools and the drawer lock bit is one of them. I just drop the machine into the table, adjust the fence and cut.

I have recently taken to using the ½" Baltic Birch plywood for my bottoms as well as the sides. It adds a little more to the cost but not substantially. In return, I think I am getting drawer boxes that can double as jack stands for M1A1 Abrams Tanks. I still cut the same dado on all four sides that I was cutting for the luan bottoms so that doesn't change. I cut a rabbet on all 4 sides of the ½" BB panel and fit it in with glue on all surfaces. I must say, the drawers even look nicer with that clear Birch veneer rather than the darker luan veneer.

Ed

[Dave Falkenstein]

Having run into the tearout problem in plywood using a drawer lock bit, I have resorted to making a scoring cut on the table saw. That scoring cut, which is a blade thickness in width and less than the depth the router bit will cut, completely eliminates the tearout. Perhaps a similar scoring cut can be made for the lock miter bit???

[Ed Peters]

But would the drawer lock bit provide the same speed of production? I realize the lock miter takes a bit of setup. But once fine-tuned, all he had to do is make two passes and then divide the panel into all his pieces. Can the drawer lock router bit be used it the same fashion?

Good questions. Then answer is that all the processes are the same for both tools. Fronts and backs are run through the tooling horizontally in as large a blank as you are comfortable with. Sides are run through vertically in blanks as well.

Ed

[Tim Lynch]

The slides were my first Outwater order, and I learned about them here (thanks!). Saved me a lot of money and I received them the next day. Their catalog is amazing! I went page by page through it online... over 1000 pages! :eek: Pretty much EVERYTHING in there for a house except maybe the concrete foundation.

The feeder is Delta's smallest, but it's done a good job for me. The variable speed is a nice feature. I feel a lot safer swinging big cutters using it. I never run anything by hand and use a sled for coping ends.

Bit of a gloat story there too... I bought the shaper (Reliant 3HP), feeder, and a Delta 37-190 jointer for $800! To show you what a newbie I was then, I almost said no to the feeder! Glad I didn't. Everything was barely used, and the guy even delivered them to my house. I found the Delta shaper fence later on eBay ... what an improvement!

I'm saving money for dust collection next... my shopvac setup leaves a lot to be desired :o !

[Ed Peters]

I'm saving money for dust collection next... my shopvac setup leaves a lot to be desired :o !

waiting on your dust collector, you might consider adding a secondary collector in line with your vacuum to make it's life a little easier (assuming you don't already have one). This will collect the larger chips in a 30 gallon garbage can while sending the dust on to the vacuum. By adding a bag to your vacuum, you don't have to worry about the pleated filter becoming blinded by dust or the vacuum returning dust to your air. A good enough system for weekenders.

Ed

[Phil Thien]

Good questions. Then answer is that all the processes are the same for both tools. Fronts and backs are run through the tooling horizontally in as large a blank as you are comfortable with. Sides are run through vertically in blanks as well.

Ed

But I think there is a difference. He doesn't have to worry about whether a piece will be a front/back/side. He runs a single piece through the bit twice, then chops that piece into the correct heights for each drawer.

I think his method actually does save steps and reduces the chance of errors.

[John Lucas]

Tim,
Very nice use of the lock miter bit. Your power feeder helps a great deal. This bit is way better than the drawer lock bit. More glue surface and better lock between the two pieces. I do think scoring the inside cut line makes sense. You get the most chipout when you have chatter. Taking both horizontal and vertical cuts in two passes can help.

http://www.woodshopdemos.com/cmt-lmc1.jpg

Here is a two page step by step of this joint: http://www.woodshopdemos.com/cmt-lm5.htm

[Tim Lynch]

John, thanks for the setup tutorial... nice and concise. I've made some nice joints in hardwood like you show in your photo and they definitely come out cleaner; this was my first attempt with plywood. I may have to think up some other projects to use this bit for.

[Ed Peters]

But I think there is a difference. He doesn't have to worry about whether a piece will be a front/back/side. He runs a single piece through the bit twice, then chops that piece into the correct heights for each drawer.

I think his method actually does save steps and reduces the chance of errors.


that this is incorrect. For both tools, the ends (front and back) are sent through the tool horizontally, in full contact with the table. The sides are sent through vertically taking most of their support from the fence. The fact that the parts are processed in multi-piece blanks does not change this. When a blank is cut down it only makes either sides or ends. That is at least my understanding.

Ed

[Phil Thien]

that this is incorrect. For both tools, the ends (front and back) are sent through the tool horizontally, in full contact with the table. The sides are sent through vertically taking most of their support from the fence. The fact that the parts are processed in multi-piece blanks does not change this. When a blank is cut down it only makes either sides or ends. That is at least my understanding.

Ed

I don't think so. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but he is doing something a little different. Each "side" of his drawer can be a left, right, front, or back. Each of the four pieces of his draw has the horizontal milling on the left, and the vertical milling on the right.

I suppose you could accomplish the same thing w/ the drawer bit, but it wouldn't look right. With the lock miter it is hardly noticeable.

[Tim Lynch]

No, actually both ends of the drawer fronts and backs are run through horizontally and both ends of the sides are run vertically.

This accomplishes two things: the mechanical strength of the joint is oriented to resist the push and pull of the drawer front; and clamping requires clamps in only one direction, which is across the drawer sides.

[Phil Thien]

No, actually both ends of the drawer fronts and backs are run through horizontally and both ends of the sides are run vertically.

This accomplishes two things: the mechanical strength of the joint is oriented to resist the push and pull of the drawer front; and clamping requires clamps in only one direction, which is across the drawer sides.

Ohhh. My apologies for the confusion, I completely misunderstood.