# Joinery with thin wood



## kawisser (Aug 15, 2011)

I need to make a box out of some thin 1/4" plywood. What would be the best type of joint to use on wood that thin? They all seem they would be very weak with wood so thin, am I wrong? What joint would you use?


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

I would try box joints. IMHO.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Kevin, the secret to adding strength to a joint is more glue surfaces. On a 1/4" thick plywood box I would use the type of construction shown in this photo. Plywood tends to tear out when making box joints but you might pull it off as long as you use a backer board. If you right click on the photo you can save it and then enlarge it with your photo viewer.


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## kawisser (Aug 15, 2011)

Mike said:


> Kevin, the secret to adding strength to a joint is more glue surfaces. On a 1/4" thick plywood box I would use the type of construction shown in this photo. Plywood tends to tear out when making box joints but you might pull it off as long as you use a backer board. If you right click on the photo you can save it and then enlarge it with your photo viewer.


That's actually what I had in mind, but wanted to see what you guys thought. I'll give that a shot, and thanks for the pictures.


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

What does IMHO stand for, they say that there are no dumb questions, maybe this is one???

jerry
Colorado City, TC


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

IMHO - Definition by AcronymFinder

===


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

" I might have Ostriches" ........hahaha - no

"In my HUMBLE opinion" - yes

Jerry, it just means one is giving ones own opinion on the matter and 
no real value can be taken from that opinion.

As you have found on the forum, there are many ways to achieve
a result. It is up to the OP (original poster) to look at all the answers
and make up his own mind on the matter.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Mike said:


> Kevin, the secret to adding strength to a joint is more glue surfaces. On a 1/4" thick plywood box I would use the type of construction shown in this photo. Plywood tends to tear out when making box joints but you might pull it off as long as you use a backer board. If you right click on the photo you can save it and then enlarge it with your photo viewer.


On 1/2" ply, I might agree with you Mike, but on 1/4"?????

The OP would need to be able to cut a 1/8" x 1/8" dado and rebate?


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## AndyL (Jun 3, 2011)

I have some commercially made boxes in 1/4" birch plywood that use box joints. The finish on them is good with no sign of tear-out, not sure how they avoided it. Maybe they clamp multiple pieces and cut them together, then discard the last piece in the stack if it has tear-out.
I guess through dovetails might be possible too, but personally I'd go for the box joint.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

I would go with the box joint too. If you look at old packing boxes they mostly are joined with the box joint.


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## williamm (Oct 10, 2011)

I have used box joints on this napkin holder I made using 1/4 inch poplar.
The bottom is attached with a rabbet.


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

Jigs has a link for everything.

I occasionly swing by the local cigar dealer and buy empty wooden cigar boxes. I use them to store all those little parts pieces and accesories every tool needs. I am fascinated with the joinery using such thin wood. and no idea how they are made. here is an example
Boite_Nature


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Working with solid wood is very different from plywood. With glues available today the wood will fail before the glue does. James, even with thin 1/4" plywood the joints will hold fine; remember that the stresses applied to a small box built with 1/4" material will be far less than those on bigger boxes. This type of joint gives you three times the glue surfaces that a butt joint does. Another option is a locking rabbit joint.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

If it was a box just for me, or for general use, I'd probably just put a glue block in each corner.


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## AndyL (Jun 3, 2011)

JOAT said:


> If it was a box just for me, or for general use, I'd probably just put a glue block in each corner.


That's a good suggestion, no need to make things fancier than they have to be!

I guess another alternative would be the flight-case type approach, where the plywood panels are joined by metal angle sections at the edges.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Kevin

Easy with the right router bit in any type of wood..(plywood/real wood/etc. )


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kawisser said:


> I need to make a box out of some thin 1/4" plywood. What would be the best type of joint to use on wood that thin? They all seem they would be very weak with wood so thin, am I wrong? What joint would you use?


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## TomE (Dec 17, 2010)

Checking out an IBox jig on the tablesaw, I ran some 1/8" fingers on 1/4" "luan" plywood , the glueline rip blade leaves a crowned bottom so not the best solution for accurate joints.

The visible "dings" are the result of the pieces kicking around the shop for a while, a backer board on the jig left fresh cuts virtually tearout free.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

Very nice jig BUT for 250.oo bucks I think I will pass.(Woodheaven jig almost the same thing for 64.oo bucks)

i-Box Jig By Incra

http://www.amazon.com/Woodhaven-455...UTF8&qid=1342056169&sr=1-1&keywords=i+box+jig

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TomE said:


> View attachment 53490
> 
> 
> Checking out an IBox jig on the tablesaw, I ran some 1/8" fingers on 1/4" "luan" plywood , the glueline rip blade leaves a crowned bottom so not the best solution for accurate joints.
> ...


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## TomE (Dec 17, 2010)

bobj3 said:


> Hi
> 
> Very nice jig BUT for 250.oo bucks I think I will pass.(Woodheaven jig almost the same thing for 64.oo bucks)


Heh, I wouldn't pay that much for it either. 

I like Woodhaven gear but that box jig doesn't come close to the IBox, just different animals altogether. My old homemade "micro adjust" jig needed the miter gauge too, IBox doesn't.

In the end, whatever method used will work, IBox just get's it going quicker.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Jerry Bowen said:


> they say that there are no dumb questions,


As retired Army, I can guarantee you there are 'plenty' of dumb questions.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

The Freud SBOX8 table saw blades are designed for cutting 1/4 or 3/8" square bottomed, and relatively chip free, box joints using a table saw. They work very well, but on plywood I would also make sure there is a zero clearance fence against the back side and a sacrificial board on the front side when using it for plywood. 

The Ibox jig is now listed on Amazon but is not in stock yet. At $126.43 I think it's a very good price and hope they will be in stock soon. Save this link if you are interested, because it doesn't show yet in the searches.

Amazon.com: INCRA I-BOX Jig for Box Joints: Home Improvement


Charley


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## Little boxes (Dec 24, 2017)

*Rabbets are good*

Rabbet joints work very well with quarter inch plywood. Make the groove 1/8 inch. Glue. Brace tightly while it dries. No nails required. Putting the rabbets on every edge maximizes the glue surface.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I like miter joints on plywood boxes. The solid wood ones get the box joints. The miter joint eliminates the plywood end grain which I don't like showing on a box.

On small boxes, I miter the corners cut a rabbit for the bottom, and lay them flat on the workbench outside face up with the corners butted together and against a straight edge along the top edge. Then tape the joints together ,turn them over put glue in the joints and insert the bottom in the rabet (no glue), then roll it up around the bottom panel. Tape the last joint and check for square. No clamps needed, just set a side to dry.

I have found the miter joint has a lot of glue area and is very strong.

Herb


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

bobj3 said:


> IMHO - Definition by AcronymFinder
> 
> ===


Thanks. I don't use abbreviations online. IMHO, it fails to communicate and makes one sound like a drone.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I like using the incra IBox jig with the Freud box joint cutter set (XBOx8). Lots of good options already presented. The jig is $130 or so, the blade is just under $100. Not cheap, but then good ain't cheap and cheap ain't good. You could use your dado set and make a jig--but that's fraught with its own issues.

I bought these for making a bunch of drawers of half inch Baltic Birch ply. In figuring that out, I came to see that blades are not necessarily 1/8th, and a stack of blades might be an odd dimension, and that cheaper dado sets might not produce a flat bottom. Given that, I think the IBox jig is a very sensible tool that adjusts to the stack size and makes box joints easier. 

I also think that if I were going to make quarter inch thick boxes, I'd want to make it out of resawed, thicknessed hardwood.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

DesertRatTom said:


> I like using the incra IBox jig with the Freud box joint cutter set (XBOx8). Lots of good options already presented. The jig is $130 or so, the blade is just under $100. Not cheap, but then good ain't cheap and cheap ain't good. You could use your dado set and make a jig--but that's fraught with its own issues.
> 
> I bought these for making a bunch of drawers of half inch Baltic Birch ply. In figuring that out, I came to see that blades are not necessarily 1/8th, and a stack of blades might be an odd dimension, and that cheaper dado sets might not produce a flat bottom. Given that, I think the IBox jig is a very sensible tool that adjusts to the stack size and makes box joints easier.
> 
> I also think that if I were going to make quarter inch thick boxes, I'd want to make it out of resawed, thicknessed hardwood.


I use the Freud Box Cutter blade for most of my box joints, or the dado set I had sharpened w/flat top cutters for the ones wider than 3/8". I make aome 3/4" wide. in 3/4" thick stock.

Herb


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