# Drawer Bases



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

So I'm hoping someone is up.. I think I made a error in my drawer design and craftsmanship

I'm making a drawer to fit inside a 36" wide cabinet and I'm using 3/4" or 13/16" as I've come to realize

Any way I cut all 4 panels to the drawer to final size and I measured 1/4" up from the bottom of each panel and cut 1/4" dado to receive a 1/4" plywood base panel but I made it 1/2" deep…

IS THIS TOO DEEP..

I don't think there will be anything extremely heavy going into the drawer but then again one never know how much weight might end up in the drawer

Any advise very welcome I'm thinking I have to redo do both drawer components and cut 1/4" dado 1/4" deep


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Dado 1/2 the thickness is what I was taught. I'd put thicker material for the bottom of a 36" drawer for shop cabinets. (If it's a shallow drawer (12" or so) I prob wouldn't worry about thicker bottom material)

So unfortunately I'd vote for yes. Redo bottom and sides. Undersized ply is the rule not the exception. And double check thicknesses of all your ply and pre milled lumber to try to avoid similar mistakes.


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

I don't think it's too bad. If your worried just cut off the dado and run a new one. Can your drawer be 1/2" shorter in height? I wouldn't remake them. Worst case scenario would be to glue strips back into the dado and recut them.


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## conifur (Apr 1, 2015)

You are fine, the general rule is cut it about half the thickness, in your case if I understand would have been 3/8 deep, you could take a 1/4" thick by what ever wide strip going across the bottom of the drawer to add support also.


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## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> I don t think it s too bad. If your worried just cut off the dado and run a new one. Can your drawer be 1/2" shorter in height? I wouldn t remake them. Worst case scenario would be to glue strips back into the dado and recut them.
> 
> - jbay


What if I didn't cut that end but flipped inside out sour the 1st dado is on the top of the outside face and recut a 1/4" dado a 1/2" up from bottom


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## sawdustdad (Dec 23, 2015)

You will be fine with the 1/2 in deep dado. glue the panel in. Next time, cut 3/8 in deep dadoes.


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## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> You will be fine with the 1/2 in deep dado. glue the panel in. Next time, cut 3/8 in deep dadoes.
> 
> - sawdustdad


Thanks sawdust dad …???? I don't why I did it s deep .. What I might do is reverse the panels so as that the first dado is on top outside panels of the drawer box and redo… 1/4" deep 1/2" up from bottom …I spend a good bit on doing a good job on this to have a feckin drawer ruin it


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## Iguana (Jun 22, 2011)

Just go with the 1/2" dado, make the bottom a nearly perfect fit and glue the bottom in all the way around.

Most drawers are make of 1/2" stock with 1/4" thick bottoms in 1/4" deep dados. With the.dados you cut, you left the same amount of meat in the drawer side as is normal practice. Plus you've got some extra glue surface.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Not to the subject at hand, but I agree with Fridge re: bottoms too thin.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

This entire cabinet is made of 1/2" ply - drawers and all. I could park my truck on it. You are fine.










Edit: Just re-read the OP. 1/4" drawer bottoms with a dado that goes thru the sides deeper than 1/2 the dim. of the sides. Man I need to have my coffee before posting in the morning.


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