"John Moorhead" wrote in message
om...
Hello All! -

So, to the subject - I am building a couple of cabinets - an entertainment
center, [appx 66" tall (30"t base, 36" t chest) , 36" w 24"d] and was
going
to dovetail the top and bottom of the carcasses to some poplar
"H"stretchers, if that's the right term - the cabinet shelves will be
dadoed
into the sides, and I wanted to put a framework at the top and bottom of
each carcass that would hold the sides in. Both cabs get tops and trim
that'll hide the DTs... If it translates, here would be a typical top
view.
Back
side framework side
| ------------------------- | Poplar stretcher ~ 6" wide
| ------------------------- | DTs here and at left
| ' ' |
| ' f2b ' |
| ' stretchers ' |
| ' ' |
| ------------------------- | Poplar stretcher ~ 6" wide
| ------------------------- | DTs here and at left

Front
doors

The carcasses are out of QSWO veneer ply, (with QSWO face frames) - I am
routing the carcass to stretcher dovetails using a Stotts/Keller type of
jig. The DTs are double spaced so I only have to cut half as many. Each
of
the poplar stretchers would be about 6" wide, with 2 - 3 tails per... The
framework at the top of the cabinet will be covered by the ply top, with
molding or small crown molding covering the exposed DTs. Each cabinet has
two additional fixed shelves within 4-6" of the top and bottom, along with
one adjustable shelf. The bottom cabinet has two drawers at the base
"filling in" the lowest shelf hole. The lower cab also has a 3" kick at
the
base and a pair of frame and panel doors overlaid on simple hinges.

You really would not need a full set of dovetails. Even a single would keep
the carcass from spreading. That and corner blocks or a filler board to
retain square would be my choice. I think you reach the point of
diminishing returns on plywood dovetails fairly quickly - too quickly to
risk tearout. The old boys used a much nicer solution. We call them dust
frames, but they're just real wood open frames set into sliding dovetails
for your operation. Everything you wanted at once, and no danger to the
outer plies.