Recomendations on "joinery"

[Jerome Hanby]

Had a project added to my "honeydo" list. Basically I will be building cubes about 14" on a side, open in the front, 1/4" plywood on the backs, sides/tops/bottoms will be 3/4" plywood. I'd like some simple to mass produce joint that has some small amount of locking. My wife would like to be able to help with this project and my thoughts were that a joint that basically made gluing the cubes together as simple and
painless as possible would be a plus. My initial thought was a simple locking rabbet like this one:
locking rabbet.jpg

Seems like I could set up the rabbet bit on the router table and the dado blade on the table saw and once I had them adjusted, run all my pre-cut pieces though one or the other, sides through one, tops and bottoms through the other. At least some of these, so to keep it simple let's say all of these, cubes need to be sturdy enough when stacked to support my daughter or one of her friends sitting on them.

Is there a better joint to use? These will be edge banded (the edges that show) with iron on veneer and the majority of the cubes will be painted (the ones actually for my wife may be shellaced).

[Prashun Patel]

Locking rabbets are straightforward and fairly strong for this. Good choice.

Other simple and strong joints are pinned rabbets, and box joints.

[Jerome Hanby]

I thought about box joints since those are one of the few I've had really good luck with, but doing a zillion of those cuts in plywood sounded like no fun <g>. A pined rabbet is just a normal rabbet with a dowel pin through the "face" of the rabbeted piece and into the "edge" of the non rabbeted piece? Thought about doing a variation on that and just using biscuits, but seems like lots of additional steps for error to creep in...

[Dale Coons]

...just remember you're not going to get a smooth surface to paint or stain wherever there is an exposed plywood edge. So if it's for 'show' you may want to do something else.

[Brody Goodwine]

I think you've made a good choice. The box joints in many cases would be significantly more work than the rabbets.

[Prashun Patel]

The pinned rabbet only requires you to cut the rabbet on one piece of the joint, which means one-time set up for the dado and height.

The pins are thru the joint. So they are easily done with a hand drill and dowels. The pain is that you have to flush up those pins after.

Your locked rabbet is about the easiest it gets. Cut all the rabbets in one pass, reset the dado, cut all the locks.

I forgot that this is plywood. I've never cut box joints in plywood, so I don't know how hard it'd be keeping the fingers of the joint splinterfree.

[Jerome Hanby]

I forgot that this is plywood. I've never cut box joints in plywood, so I don't know how hard it'd be keeping the fingers of the joint splinterfree.

It's not impossible...oh wait..yes it is <g>.

[Randy Rose]

The interlocking corner router bit makes joints that are strong and hide the plywood edge. Downside, they`re not cheap. Good excuse to buy one as this is your wife`s project

(Freud lock miter)

EDIT: Also makes a great edge to edge joint for joining boards on the same plane, a lot of of surface area for glue along with positive alignment. JMO

[Victor Robinson]

Good time to get the wife to bite on a Domino?

[Myk Rian]

Locking rabbet, but can be iffy with plywood.
I use it all the time.

[Sam Murdoch]

Good time to get the wife to bite on a Domino?

The very perfect tool for this project!

[Jerome Hanby]

Good time to get the wife to bite on a Domino?

If I bought a Domino before I get her a Kapex, I'd have to live in the shop!

[Jerome Hanby]

I've got a lock miter bit...actually two, bought a Freud because I thought it was a better bit than the Woodcraft house brand I was trying to use. Never did try the Freud, I got discouraged and scrapped the idea to use it as a drawer joint and just cut box joints.

From my ordeal trying to make that joint in poplar it just seems like it would be a mess trying it with plywood. maybe one of these days I'll mount the Freud and try that joint again...

The interlocking corner router bit makes joints that are strong and hide the plywood edge. Downside, they`re not cheap. Good excuse to buy one as this is your wife`s project

(Freud lock miter)

EDIT: Also makes a great edge to edge joint for joining boards on the same plane, a lot of of surface area for glue along with positive alignment. JMO

[Randy Rose]

I've got a lock miter bit...actually two, bought a Freud because I thought it was a better bit than the Woodcraft house brand I was trying to use. Never did try the Freud, I got discouraged and scrapped the idea to use it as a drawer joint and just cut box joints.

From my ordeal trying to make that joint in poplar it just seems like it would be a mess trying it with plywood. maybe one of these days I'll mount the Freud and try that joint again...

Well, I`m a beginner and I sense that you are not. The following is probably not telling you anything you don`t already know. (sorry)
Yes, bit height adjustment is fussy and will require a test cut or three.
Biggest hurdle is the knife edge created allows the board to "fall" into the fence or table after it passes the cutter. This is esp. problematic on the pieces routed vertically. Clamping a cleat to the workpiece that can ride the fence top solves this. Horizontal cuts can be made by guiding the piece through with a miter gauge, this assumes your router table has a slot. I really liked this bit for carcass construction because when you went to assemble them the boxes "self squared" and basically held them selves together while I was attaching the clamps.

[Jerome Hanby]

Since I wen to the trouble to build the big honking right angle jig for making those lock miter joints, I might just mount the Freud bit and go back through the dialing in and see if it's substantially better than the bit I've already tried. Once I get it set, I've got some chunks of high density plastic to use for making setup blocks. Of course those would only work on this particular thickness of plywood, but I could screw a sample to the setup block for future reference... On second thought, I might do that just for a learning excercise, just too much trouble for this project...

Well, I`m a beginner and I sense that you are not. The following is probably not telling you anything you don`t already know. (sorry)
Yes, bit height adjustment is fussy and will require a test cut or three.
Biggest hurdle is the knife edge created allows the board to "fall" into the fence or table after it passes the cutter. This is esp. problematic on the pieces routed vertically. Clamping a cleat to the workpiece that can ride the fence top solves this. Horizontal cuts can be made by guiding the piece through with a miter gauge, this assumes your router table has a slot. I really liked this bit for carcass construction because when you went to assemble them the boxes "self squared" and basically held them selves together while I was attaching the clamps.