Drawer construction dilemma...

[Rick Moyer]

I need to make some drawers for a carcass I've made. I figured I would use poplar for the construction but here is my dilemma:
The drawer sides need to be about 8" high. I can only resaw up to 6" (guess I shoulda bought a bigger bandsaw!:rolleyes:), so I need to either;

A. Buy 3/4 boards and plane down to size
B. Have a lumber yard supply thinner poplar
C. Use something else (birch ply?)
D. Use one of your different suggestions..............?????

A and B seem like they would be too expensive.

Any thoughts on what my best option would be?

[Matt Day]

What thickness are you going for? Can you edge glue 2 pieces together to make your 8"?

It sounds like it could be a good reason to buy a riser block for your bandsaw though!:D

[Dave Falkenstein]

Use Baltic birch.

[Jim Becker]

I recently edge glued some poplar stock up for wider material. But honestly, if you don't want the joint, for the cost of poplar (or soft maple), planing some 3/4" thick stock down to 1/2" for a few drawers isn't going to break the bank!

Dave, 1/2" BB is certainly an option, but many of us just don't prefer the look of plywood for drawer sides, myself included. Whether I'm building my own or buying drawer boxes from my supplier, I generally go with poplar or maple solid stock. I just like the look better, especially when dovetails are involved.

[Joe Chritz]

Just build the drawers at 3/4 thick. You only lose a 1/2 of width over 1/2 material and it looks solid.

At least one supplier around here lists 3/4 rough which I suspect is just 4/4 that shrunk a bit to much. It easily makes 5/8 sides which is what I would use as solid stock when possible.

Another alternative is to just glue up the sides if you have an 8" jointer to flatten after glue up or glue very carefully.

Joe

[Matt Ocel]

I just built a vanity with 7" high drawers and I used 1/2" maple plywood - it worked great!

[Ed Peters]

whether dovetailed or machined with the drawer lock joint, are made from 1/2" thick baltic birch, including the bottoms. I find the appearance of the baltic birch plys to be very attractive in their uniformity and board foot for board foot, plywood is stronger and more predictable in any application.

Ed

[Anthony Whitesell]

Check the board foot price of the Baltic Birch versus the Poplar. I just bought poplar for some drawers and then found the highest quality baltic birch I could find was cheaper.

[frank shic]

rick, do the drawers really need to be 8" tall? i built deep drawers approximately 10" high for my kitchen but in retrospect it wasn't really necessary. it only encourages you to pile stuff in to the drawer that you wind up fishing through afterwards!

[Rick Moyer]

Frank, yes, the cabinet is nearly done. Just need to make drawers. Four drawers seemed like too many for this project so I went with three.

I thought about edge gluing but wasn't sure it would be thick enough to hold well. I don't know what might go in the drawers eventually. Do you think this would work? The drawers will be about 15" wide X 10" deep.

I mentioned about price as I only looked at the Borg poplar so far and decided it was pricey for poplar (1X10X10' was about $30, and I'd need 1X10 to get 8 or so height). I'll check Monday with the local lumber yard. I think baltic birch would be ok if i can get it in 1/2" locally and it's "reasonable", but like Jim, I think I'd rather use poplar. I need to practice making dovetails and thought poplar would be better than ply.

Thanks for your ideas. I'll post a pic later on.

[Jim Becker]

Rick, 'borg poplar is "gold plated" based on what they charge for it. Buying from a real lumber supplier will be significantly more cost effective. BTW, there is no problem edge gluing 1/2" stock...or even thinner. The glue joint will be stronger than the wood!

[Dave Falkenstein]

...Dave, 1/2" BB is certainly an option, but many of us just don't prefer the look of plywood for drawer sides, myself included. Whether I'm building my own or buying drawer boxes from my supplier, I generally go with poplar or maple solid stock. I just like the look better, especially when dovetails are involved.

That's why they make vanilla and chocolate. I like the look of baltic birch and drawer lock joints, and it is REALLY hard to tell the difference when the drawers are closed. :)

[Nancy Laird]

That's why they make vanilla and chocolate. I like the look of baltic birch and drawer lock joints, and it is REALLY hard to tell the difference when the drawers are closed. :)

Ditto!!

Nancy

[William Nimmo]

I only use 3/4 material for drawers. Once you do it, 1/2 inch looks to thin.

[Lee Schierer]

I've made lots of drawers with 1/2" poplar. Fortunately my local lumber supplier carries it in 1/2" thickness in a variety of widths. I've often glued pieces together to get wider boards. Just go easy on the clamp pressure as the pressure can easily dent the edges of 1/2" boards.

[glenn bradley]

If the appearance is acceptable, 1/2" BB ply is my favorite drawer body material. Easy to size, take drawer-lock joints well, pocket-holes well (pan head 1" coarse screws) and take sanding and a finish if required. Poplar and others, as required, are my other preferences based on the piece.

[Rick Moyer]

Below (hopefully) is a pic of the pc. in it's current stage. I wiped on one coat of BLO. Should I finish the inside of the case, or is this not necessary? The outside will get shellac sprayed, but I was wondering if it is necessary to do anything to the inside.
edit: Sorry about having to tilt your head to see it!

[Lee Schierer]

Below (hopefully) is a pic of the pc. in it's current stage. I wiped on one coat of BLO. Should I finish the inside of the case, or is this not necessary? The outside will get shellac sprayed, but I was wondering if it is necessary to do anything to the inside.
edit: Sorry about having to tilt your head to see it!Personally, I like to coat the inside with as many coats as the outside. I think it controls seasonal changes better. There are those that will argue that the people that made the antiques we have no didn't do it so why should we. My answer is that finish is relatively less costly now than in the past. THey also may not have been as aware of the problems because they tended to stay more local than we do now and it took them a lot longer to get from here to there so the wood changed more gradually.

Still it is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong way to do it. I also finish drawer boxes inside and out......