Travel Tool Chest & Workbench Build Process
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Posted 25th April 2023
On the topic of stock preparation, one thing I'm going to need to decide relatively soon is what material to use for the drawer bottoms. I'm leaning towards drawer slips rather than gluing the base in, mainly because it feels a bit more traditional and also because it feels like it'll stretch my skills a bit more (which is part of the aim of this project). I need to be careful about how those drawer slips are made though: the way David Charlesworth does it in his drawer making video would result in quite a lot of height being lost to the base. I'm sure I can overcome that though.
For the base material, the choice is basically plywood or hardwood.
Advantages of plywood:
- It would be quick
- It would be easy to get a base of a consistent thickness with no possibility of needing to edge joint thin stock
- It shouldn't bend and bow much (not that I think that'll be too much of a problem in drawers this size)
Advantages of hardwood:
- Arguably more traditional?
- Definitely more of a test of my skills so I'd probably learn more doing it this way
- I wouldn't have to go shopping (I don't own any thin plywood!). This surplus plywood supplier looks interesting and is close by, so might be an option if he has enough of a sensible thickness at the time.
The other thing I'll need to decide is how thick to make the bases. If hardwood, I'd probably go for 4 or 5 mm, but not for any scientific reason. Comments on thickness (or choice of material) are of course welcome!
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