Less Ugly Plywood Box

[Bobby Slack]

Yesterday I was playing around with some square pieces of pre-finished plywood. The idea was to make storage boxes for my shop. So I built a mitre drawer joined with Dominos. The Box is all 3/4" material and used 5mm x 30mm dominos.

Great, done and square. This got me to think.

As a cabinet maker and ex hardware salesman I am paranoid of my boxes being perfectly square and I don't subscribe to the idea of using a sissy 1/4" back (although the industry uses this all the time). My construction idea was to use 3/4" backs screwed not nailed ... great, it works.

There is only one problem, which is now my box grew by 3/4".

The other thing I like to do is to stick a 3/4" pseudo face frame attached with ... yes ... you guessed ... domino's.

Now my cabinet is 25-1/2" deep if using inset doors of 3/4" and 26-1/4" plus the 2mm of the door space and that is too big.

I thought about this for a long time until this morning while walking my dog in the horse trail and thinking of my mitre drawer.

With a mitre box. And consider this is for an almost cheap cabinet with no finished panel, the box is the finished panel.

1. The side panel looks decent in the back because the joinery is hidden.

2. I gain 3/4" of depth.

3. With a true 24" deep cabinet I can use 24" drawers if I use Accuride ballbearing slides and some European manufacturers sell undermounts slides of 23-5/8" and we use the entire cubic space (many cabinetmakers use 21" slides).

4. For a low price you can veneer the side panel and make it look like a frame and panel door.

I grant that assembling these boxes are more involved but I noticed a few features that made me think that assembling boxes with mitres are not such idea.

The idea is to find a way to deliver rock solid construction to compete with the crap that is sold out there and providing square and durable cabinets.

May be Gregory if he reads this post will have a few comments.

Thank you.

[Bobby Slack]

OK, I glued these five small boxes up and I tell you what! It was a challenge to find the right order of assembly, specially on a small box! Then came the clamping and by the fifth box I came up with a method that worked, all corners are tight and now the boxes are drying up. Next will be to either route or cut with my table saw a small 1/8" rabbet on each edge and apply a small solid piece of wood to strengthen the corners against nicking. To clean them, I will use either my Festool MFK.

This ended up being an exercise with no other purpose than producing a nice square box assembled with dominos.

For the front "face frame" or solid edgebanding I will apply 3/4" alder strips.

Last I will drill in some screws in some boxes and insert a key in others.

This will be my sample box to show and tell. Or have them in the shop.

Just a fun project that was somewhat challenging and I could finish.

[Bobby Slack]

Here are the clamping pictures

[Lawrence Brown]

I think you need to add about 4 more clamps to that setup. I can still see a little bit of wood around the edges

Can't wait to see them with the faces.

[Bobby Slack]

lol

I think you need to add about 4 more clamps to that setup. I can still see a little bit of wood around the edges

Can't wait to see them with the faces.

[PaulMarcel]

Jezuz dude, were you concerned the boxes would escape?!

j/k, jealous I don't have that many parallels

I think the table saw will make the rabbet the best. If you have a normal ATB blade, you'll get bat ears with the rabbet and will need to follow up with a shoulder/rabbet plane. Alternately, put your dado stack in with just the outer blades to get a flat cut. Aesthetically, the piece you put in the corner will interrupt the mitered joint visible from the top of the box. I think it would be important aesthetically to get that reinforcement edge to be exactly the same width in both senses so its corner is right on the miter joint. If you nail it (figuratively...) it will look pretty interesting.

Do you have the 0° MFK base? I only have the kit so 1.5° and vertical. Few times the 0° came up on eBay, I didn't get it. eh, someday.

[Bobby Slack]

A couple of Christmases ago there was a huge sale on these parallels because the manufacturer was changing and coming up with a new model, so I stocked up in a huge way.

I saw your comment too late and wanted to machine the rabbet with my MFK. Some of the corners came up a bit big (about 4mm) so I made them smaller. I guess this is part of experimenting.

Instead of cleaning them up with the block plane, I was going to use my OF1010 with an attachment made for this kind of operations and try this out.

Jezuz dude, were you concerned the boxes would escape?!

j/k, jealous I don't have that many parallels

I think the table saw will make the rabbet the best. If you have a normal ATB blade, you'll get bat ears with the rabbet and will need to follow up with a shoulder/rabbet plane. Alternately, put your dado stack in with just the outer blades to get a flat cut. Aesthetically, the piece you put in the corner will interrupt the mitered joint visible from the top of the box. I think it would be important aesthetically to get that reinforcement edge to be exactly the same width in both senses so its corner is right on the miter joint. If you nail it (figuratively...) it will look pretty interesting.

Do you have the 0° MFK base? I only have the kit so 1.5° and vertical. Few times the 0° came up on eBay, I didn't get it. eh, someday.

[fyrman38]

LOL Jealous i dont have that many clamps. The picture is funny though. I've never seen so many clamps on one little box. Awesome bro.

[cosmocyb]

LOL Jealous i dont have that many clamps. The picture is funny though. I've never seen so many clamps on one little box. Awesome bro.

In the words of the infamous Sundance Kid, " do you think you used enough dynamite there Butch?!"

[Bobby Slack]

That was funny right there ...

In the words of the infamous Sundance Kid, " do you think you used enough dynamite there Butch?!"

[cosmocyb]

Thanks, it was meant to be. I am going to be trying to do a locking miter using the router table. Hopefully more glue surface better miters!! We'll see.

[Bobby Slack]

Thanks. I made a few drawers with a lock mitre using the router bit from the CMT Cabinet door set. They came out great. Since I don't like taking chances I also used screws and plugs so these babies never pull apart.

With the mitre we can add keys, plugs, etc and get away from just box joints (I love them) and dovetail.

We shall see, we need to keep expanding and experimenting.

Thanks, it was meant to be. I am going to be trying to do a locking miter using the router table. Hopefully more glue surface better miters!! We'll see.

[Bobby Slack]

Progress. I glued up some strips of alder about 2mm x 2mm and put way too much glue and lots of tape. By now some of the readers know that I can be accused of overkill. The result was a lot of glue on my pre-finished alder box.

I cleaned up the oversized alder banding with my OF1010 and an attachment which I will show a picture and finally a very gentle pass with my Lie-Nielsen Rabbet Block plane. I like this plane for this application because I can see exactly where the iron is cutting.

It took me a while and lots of mistakes to tame the 1010 and learn how to work it and adjust the router bit, with the edging plate, chip deflector and angle arm. I can give part numbers. Using this setup for such a small banding is an overkill but I like using thick banding for my casework so I am learning and making scrap with small stuff. There is only one way to learn.

Now I need to find a way of getting rid of the glue.

[Sac]

Just curious, why didnt you use a flush trim bit?

[Bobby Slack]

I hear that when you run the bit with a bearing, the glue can mess things up. As I got better, I left a sliver extra that I cleaned up with my block plane. On the next setup I will try a flush trim bit and experiment. I am open minded ... not really ... lol

I left so much glue, I am such a dirty "gluer".

Thanks for the suggestion.

Just curious, why didnt you use a flush trim bit?

[Sac]

You would just need to set the bearing to ride in a spot with no glue. and you can scrap the majority of the glue off with an old chisel or something.

[Bobby Slack]

I just cleaned up the boxes with water and my new Lie Nielsen scrapers. Love them. As I was told, I am making scrap. If the boxes are not fantastic, they are great for learning new techniques.

Tomorrow I will stick a 3/4" banding in the front of the boxes and use the flush trim bit. Buenas Nachos. Time to eat some left over barbecue and enjoy some Malbec.

[PaulMarcel]

A down-spiral flush trim bit would be your friend here. Like Sac said, put it beyond the glue.

I use the accessories that let you put the router on its side often, but here I don't think you need it and on something so small, I can see teetering being an issue in that configuration. Instead, I would have put a scrap of 1/2" or 1/4" MDF on the top on the flat part (not the inlay or petrified ocean of glue). Extend the bit to get the bearing on the side and run it.

That said, though, that "horizontal router" accessory has saved me a few times (save being defined as a quick simple way to accomplish the goal that a custom jig would be needed).

[Bobby Slack]

Paul. I like this approach as well. Every thing I do with wood is a chance to learn a skill. Your solution is fantastic and I might try it at another time. I could also use for the same approach as you suggest the MFS Routing template.

Ask two woodworkers how to do something and you get 15 answers.

For now I am going to stick with the method I am working and use a flush trim bit.

But ... I really like your approach. Thanks.

A down-spiral flush trim bit would be your friend here. Like Sac said, put it beyond the glue.

I use the accessories that let you put the router on its side often, but here I don't think you need it and on something so small, I can see teetering being an issue in that configuration. Instead, I would have put a scrap of 1/2" or 1/4" MDF on the top on the flat part (not the inlay or petrified ocean of glue). Extend the bit to get the bearing on the side and run it.

That said, though, that "horizontal router" accessory has saved me a few times (save being efined as a quick simple way to accomplish the goal that a custom jig would be needed).

[PaulMarcel]

Ask two woodworkers how to do something and you get 15 answers.

For now I am going to stick with the method I am working and use a flush trim bit.

WHAT?!? A different way?!

Oh, definitely concur with what you're saying. I only mentioned it because it's easier than using the horizontal arm (a bit), but mostly... 1 tip and you either have a dig or lost veneer. I have a shop project with many of both because I wasn't keeping it level. But that accessory has saved me many many times.

[Bobby Slack]

Paul, you are right. I posted the picture because that is what this forum is all about, expose our weaknesses to the generosity of the community. As you saw, I did dig in and have no shame.

Part of exposing my mistakes and asking for guidance is a way of getting out of my "avoidance behaviour".

I like your approach. What do you think of using the festool jig? I have it and the router would ride solid and secure.

WHAT?!? A different way?!

Oh, definitely concur with what you're saying. I only mentioned it because it's easier than using the horizontal arm (a bit), but mostly... 1 tip and you either have a dig or lost veneer. I have a shop project with many of both because I wasn't keeping it level. But that accessory has saved me many many times.

[Bobby Slack]

Some of you guys suggested a lock mitre joint. Listen to Matt's latest Spoken Woodcast

http://mattsbasementworkshop.com/spoken-wood-podcast-no-69/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SpokenWoodPodcast+%28Spoken+Wood+Podcast%29