Best plywood type and size for drawer system?

[Woodsman]

As mentioned MDF is too heavy at almost 100 pounds for a 3/4 sheet. Plywood is about half of that and MDO is a combination of plywood with MDF layers so it is in between. Forget MDO and forget MDF. Baltic birch is your best best and a good cabinet grade plywood with poplar core is your second best bet. Some places are selling cabinet grade plywood with a fir core and it tends not to stay flat and tends to split if you screw into the edges (even if predrilled). Definitely stay away from the import plywood which has the worst warping problems (probably won't be flat when you first get it back home).

Back to the Kreg screws (pocket screws). We've used those in the woodworking industry for years and my opinion is this. They are better than nothing but not as good as regular wood screws. Because they are being driven from the opposite direction as a regular wood screw, you get very limited "bite" from the tiny screw tip. If the pocket can be hidden that helps but I consider them more as a substitute for clamping than anything else (i.e. used to hold parts together until the glue dries). A good solid glue line will be stronger and more rigid than pocket screws alone but combine them (or regular wood screws) and you are in good shape.

 

[JackW]

Biscuit joiner and Gorilla glue is a good way to construct boxes that are strong and don't have any fastener issues. Baltic Birch is also highly recommended.

Just look how a kitchen cabinet box is put together.

 

[Woodsman]

Woodsman, what do you think about the Kreg screws combined with glue? Is it worth the trouble? I've used it on some smaller projects but I'm not convinced it was really doing much.

Definitely use glue with any type of screws (but especially with Kreg screws). The rigidity of the glued joint will keep everything square and strong over the long term. Honestly though, a box stapled and glued will be as strong as a box with Kreg screws and glue. I DO NOT recommend any polyurethane glues because of the foaming mess they make and I haven't found them to be stonger in interior woodworking.

 

[RHINO]

the ploy glues came about for moisture resistence mostly. i like titebond also, and if you want a moisture restant glue get the green titebond. titebondIII i think.

 

[NM-Frontier]

Just finishing up my drawer system for my 80, used Kreg pocket screws and TitebondII seem pretty darn strong for not having a proper wood shop for jointing. Built with 3/4 and 1/2 birch.:sombrero:

 

[Dave Bennett]

I used 1/2 inch birch plywood on my interior buildout in the FlipPac

 

[Waldo64]

I have just built two 43" x 21" x 10" drawers using 3/4" baltic birch ply. Before actual assembly I took some scraps to test for joint strength. Kreg blue coated pocket screws held AMAZINGLY well without glue. Dowels + glue obviously works well. But seeing how strong the butt joints were with the pocket screws, I went that route AND added Titebond III. These drawers are not coming apart. I realize that the BB ply is strong, but I cannot overstate how well the Kreg screws bite into the plies.

I am going to build the box with the same materials, although I still have a 5x5 sheet of 1/2" BB. The vertical braces might end up 1/2", and it will be used for some other compartments. The weight for the 3/4" isn't an issue as this is going in a Ford Excursion w/ 7.3 diesel. A truck that weighs 9000# just isn't going to care about +/- 20# of additional lumber!

 

[h2os2]

I used 3/4" plywood and birch plywood (top and bottom) on my drawer system, still holding up pretty good (after 2 years). I used gorilla glue and wood screws for the box. The next box I'm in the process of building, will use the Kreg system (only had that laying in my tool box for sometime waiting to use it).

 

[Dennx]

I used 3/4" maple plywood from Lowes. Like birch plywood it has less voids and more layers and finishes smooth.

My build: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/84706-Rear-Cargo-Drawer-Build-for-my-FJ

 

[escadventure]

Greetings fellas, new to the forum and first post here, but I want to jump in as I've been thinking about building a drawer system for my FJC. I'm an aircraft mechanic and used to be a construction contractor- so my point of reference may be a little off centre...

In past wood projects, I've always built with screws and glue. The Titebond III previously mentioned. And found that it was very strong regarding tensile strength (so it wouldn't pull out), but not so good regarding sheer strength (so it could easily fold over along the long side surface) because both the screws and glue are hard and brittle. Nails or staples are better for sheer strength but won't help the folding over problem because they're soft.
Plus, as mentioned already, most wood strong enough to bear the weights we're wanting is heavy. .75 or even .50 thickness.
To overcome all of this, I had the idea to use a combination of materials.
1- thinwall steel square extrusion and thin steel angle to make a skeleton
2- aluminum diamond plate for the walls- skeleton and side walls to be riveted and bolted together. This will also require a bit of sealant between dissimilar metals...
3- for the top- bond 3/8 or 1/2 inch plywood to 1/8 alu diamond plate and screw to the top
4- design with a center wall and 2 drawers instead of one big drawer

Anyone see any major flaws in the idea?

 

[lupinsea]

Other than being expensive and complicated?

Heck, give it a shot. Post up pix of the build process.

I'd still go with a good 1/2" or 3/4" plywood, though. You need to make sure that the way they are built the joints are braced perpendicular to the long direction you describe so that you don't get that folded "hinge" condition.

Between cost, ease of use, durability, flexibility, and sound deadening I think it'll be hard to beat a good plywood product.