Glue on box bottom?

[Steven Mikes]

I am planning a small keepsake box out of a scrap board of cherry wood left by the previous owner of my house. I've seen a lot of boxes here with dadoes cut in the sides for the bottom to slide in. Is there any reason one cannot simply glue the box bottom to the walls?

[Mike Henderson]

In a box, you're going to have cross grain on two sides. It's possible that wood movement could eventually cause a glue failure on those two sides. It's not a "for sure" but a "possible". If you capture the bottom in a groove on all four sides, you allow for wood movement. If the box is small, glueing will probably work fine.

Mike

[This is assuming your bottom is wood and not something like MDF. MDF doesn't expand and contract so glueing would be fine.]

[Warren Mickley]

In traditional work we generally nail the bottom on, nailing from the bottom up. This is probably more secure than glue. It is helpful to make a pilot hole so the nail doesn't split the wood. For a small box, one thing that doesn't work very well is to try and fit the bottom inside the four sides of the box; it is hard to get it to fit just right.

An alternative would be to make a small rabbet inside the bottom edges of the box and fit and glue in a thin bottom.

[Mel Fulks]

I think the most common box building mistake is too thick pieces. The small boxes need thin pieces. Beauty can't overcome clunky.

[Mike Henderson]

I think the most common box building mistake is too thick pieces. The small boxes need thin pieces. Beauty can't overcome clunky.

+1 on that. Small boxes need to be "delicate", not clunky.

Mike