00101 Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Okay, I'm making a small ~3x3 keepsake box thing out of 5/16 thick stock as not to make a tiny compartment. The bottom will be solid hickory placed into a dado, floating of course, and I am wondering how deep to make the dado. The bottom doesn't have to rest on much of the dado as hickory is pretty hard and it won't be supporting a whole heck of a lot of weight, which is good because there isn't a whole lot of room to work with in the sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcornHouse Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Okay, I'm making a small ~3x3 keepsake box thing out of 5/16 thick stock as not to make a tiny compartment. The bottom will be solid hickory placed into a dado, floating of course, and I am wondering how deep to make the dado. The bottom doesn't have to rest on much of the dado as hickory is pretty hard and it won't be supporting a whole heck of a lot of weight, which is good because there isn't a whole lot of room to work with in the sides. Are you using hickory for the bottom, as well? If so, then the key factor will be what is the expected contraction/expansion rate for hickory. If using 1/4" plywood, then you wouldn't have to worry about movement, and it could be as shallow as you wish. either way, you might think about adding some cleat underneath to add some extra support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 If the ~3x3 refers to the width and depth of the box and it is in inches, the expansion of the bottom with humidity will amount to a few thousandths of an inch. I would make the dado about 1/8 inch and cut the bottom just slightly undersize in the cross grain direction, perhaps 1/32" of so. If the 3x3 is in feet, they I would go with plywood, but I would also use thicker sides and have room for a 3/8" dado. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00101 Posted January 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 If the ~3x3 refers to the width and depth of the box and it is in inches, the expansion of the bottom with humidity will amount to a few thousandths of an inch. I would make the dado about 1/8 inch and cut the bottom just slightly undersize in the cross grain direction, perhaps 1/32" of so. If the 3x3 is in feet, they I would go with plywood, but I would also use thicker sides and have room for a 3/8" dado. Mike Yes, it does refer to inches, I should have been more clear on that in the beginning. Thank you all for the advice and I'll post some pictures when I get my butt in gear and finish it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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