Best plywood type and size for drawer system?

[RACKMAN]

Hello all. Been out of overlanding and wheeling for a few years and just getting back into it with a 2005 Jeep rubicon LJ. I am outfitting it to be self-sufficient for up to 5 day camping trips in remote areas and for just general wheeling use. I am planning to build a drawer system and wondering what type and thickness of plywood would be best. Want it to be very study and will be putting weight on top of the drawer system including an ARB fridge.thanks.

RACKMAN

 

[762X39]

I use baltic birch plywood, 13mm thick for all my drawers.There are less voids, the plys are thinner but more numerous and it seems to finish well. On some projects I have simply used the cheapest 13mm plywood (spf) around where neither side is sanded.The finish is rough but the end result is still in use.

 

[RACKMAN]

I use baltic birch plywood, 13mm thick for all my drawers.There are less voids, the plys are thinner but more numerous and it seems to finish well. On some projects I have simply used the cheapest 13mm plywood (spf) around where neither side is sanded.The finish is rough but the end result is still in use.

Thanks. With that thin of a plywood, it seems like it would be hard to get screws into without accidently coming out the side...are you just glueing and finish nailing? Or are you using very small diameter wood screws like #6 or smaller?

 

[762X39]

I glue the drawers together and use staples (about 50mm in length) shot out of a staple/nail gun.The end result is very strong.

 

[YukonRob]

I like Medium Density Overlay (MDO). From the internet, "Medium density overlay panel, or MDO panel, is a paintable surface made of plywood with a weather-resistant resin overlay bonded to the wood by heat and pressure.The overlay, which has at least 27% resin content,[1] resists water, weather, wear and degradation. A similar product with a more rugged, smoother surface is called high density overlay (HDO)"
Another thing about is that it is true dimensional, so 3/4" stock is really 0.75". I

 

[Kiel]

birch plywood from the home depot for me

 

[slomatt]

I used 1/2" birch plywood from OSH and it has held up great over the last two years. The joints are all rabbit joints with glue and brads.

http://www.blankwhitepage.com/gallery/t4r_drawer

- Matt

 

[Woodsman]

I use either 5/8" or 3/4" baltic birch for the box structure (thickness depends on the span of the top to prevent sagging).

I use 1/2" for the drawer with rabbeted, glued and screwed joints on all four corners. The bottom is set into a groove all the way around and also screwed every 8-10" for additional strength.

You can screw into the edge of 1/2" as long as you predrill and drill squarely to the surface. I also like to use flat head phillips wood screws with a type 17 self-drilling tip as this also helps prevent splitting the plywood. I usually use 1 1/2" length on 1/2" plywood and 1 3/4" to 2" on 3/4" ply.

 

[Xterabl]

I also used 1/2" ply. My main construction method was wood glue, finish nails, and L brackets where necessary/possible.

 

[mhiscox]

I've had good success with 3/4 inch Baltic birch plywood fastened together with Kreg system pocket screws. This produces a very strong box and drawer with no glue required. 3/4" ply would be too thick for normal cabinet drawers, I think, but it seemed a good choice for heavy, pull-out-the-rear equipment drawers. That said, the glued-and-screwed big drawer Paul Jensen built for the back of my LX470 is 13mm, and it's holding up plenty well.

As mentioned, Baltic birch ply and MDO are likely your materials of choice. In my case, I've got a Rockler store that carries a wide variety of smaller Baltic Birch panels in various thicknesses and so it's the handiest material for me. Either will work, though.

 

[LBPtaco]

Kreg system pocket screws.

This has got to be the coolest thing I've ever seen! OK, not really, but something like this would make building a sleeping platform SO much easier!

 

[mhiscox]

This has got to be the coolest thing I've ever seen! OK, not really, but something like this would make building a sleeping platform SO much easier!

The Kreg screws worked real well (and real quickly) in my situation. One of the best things about it is that whatever you're building gets integrity quickly. You only have to sink a few screws before the pieces are stable enough to work on further and there aren't any clamps in the way as you assemble. The holes are quick to drill into birch ply and the screws hold great.

It's not finish carpentry, though. The screws leave significant holes, and though there are custom plugs available if you need to fill them, they don't vanish. Plus the joined pieces can slide around a little bit as you cinch them up. I'm not an ace woodworker, but my opinion is that they're better for projects with a tolerance around 1/16" and that heirloom furniture-type projects need a more sophisticated technique. But for a sleeping platform or rear drawers, the tolerance is fine and it'd be easy to put the holes through on unexposed edges. And while you can spend lots of money on various Kreg components, it's easy and cheap to get started using the basic setup of just a drill and driver bits, portable jig and some screws.

All in all, there are prettier and more precise ways to assemble overlanding-type casework, but I don't know of any as fast or foolproof for the non-expert.

 

[Ramjet]

Just built my shelf and drawer using Kreg pocket hole system. Amazingly strong.

 

[NM-Frontier]

Good tip on the Kreg system, I am going to look in to this for my next project!:sombrero:

 

[AgW]

Anyone using MDF? curious,I think 1/2 inch MDF would be ok.