I've built cabinets before, but I'm about to embark on a big build and would like to simplify my process. I've read a lot of articles an d forum posts with great suggestions, but I have a few questions related to materials.


  1. I would like to use prefinished maple ply for the carcases to simplify the finishing. My normal construction method is a tongue and dado for the top and bottom of the carcase. Would the glue joint still hold with part of the tongue being finished? Would a full dado be better or worse?
  2. For doors, I make a simple shaker-style door with a plywood panel. This has been a pain in the past because I have to try to get perfectly centered grooves with two passes of the blade instead of being able to use a dado stack. The resulting doors can also feel a bit flimsy (especially on a large cabinet). I've heard that MDF is true to thickness, but I have concerns about wetness near sinks. I've also never finished it. Any suggestions on what to use? Is thicker ply a better option?
  3. Similar to #2, I am at a loss on drawer bottoms. Everything I see says to use 1/4 ply. But the stuff I can find is woefully undersized. Is there a simple trick that everyone knows here and I'm missing? How do you cut your grooves for this or is there some better material. Do you use any clips?