On 6/23/2018 12:21 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 6/23/18 10:12 AM, J. Clarke wrote:
On Sat, 23 Jun 2018 09:12:53 -0500, dpb wrote:

On 6/21/2018 10:16 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
...

Typically a dado is cut in all four pieces and the bottom is slid in
before
the back (or front) is attached. That way the bottom is supported on
all four
side.
...

While a lot of folks do so, it's not the best option or the
traditional--which is to dado the front and sides and leave the back the
width of the depth of the drawer.Â* The drawer can then be assembled and
the bottom inserted later.

The downside on which is that the bottom sags at the back and stuff
falls out behind the drawers where it's a pain in the butt to find.


I've seen drawers constructed that way and they usually have brads in
that section to hold the drawer bottom tight against the back or some
sort of metal bracket.

Most drawers like that use flimsy 1/8-3/16" hardboard for the bottoms
and they sag in the middle of the drawer, anyway.Â* Regardless of how far
around the drawer the slots are cut, a thin bottom is a design flaw in
my book.

I like the idea of being able to install the bottom before or after
assembly.
A properly build drawer has a bottom that is stiff enough to only need
side support-- anything else is belt & suspenders.

+1

Drawers were built this way long preceding the invention of the various
engineered materials; it's only the more recent advent and with the
penchant of commercial cabinets in particular being design to be as
cheap as possible to build and cover up the shortcomings with flash o
the surface that became such a problem.

I virtually always still use solid bottom panels excepting for the most
utilitarian and even then would never go under 1/4" ply for single-wide.

--