# Drawer lock with Baltic birch



## woodcarver (Dec 12, 2007)

Has anyone had success using a drawer lock bit on half inch Baltic birch? It does fine going with the grain, but creates a lot of tear out going cross grain. By cross grain I mean in relation to the top veneer. I tried scoring, using painters tape, wetting the plywood and multiple shallow cuts. The bit is of good quality and new. I tried three different bits. All the bits do well in solid wood.

Thank in advance,
Tony


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Tony

A clime cut works well for plywood with veneer on it,,, you didn't say if you are using a router table or a hand router... 

The clime is just the wrong way to pulling the router or push the stock by the bit but you should not take more that 1/4" max in each pass..

It will push the veneer back into the plywood unlike the norm that pulls the veneer out and away from the plywood....it will act as a chip breaker in the clime cut way but you must hang on to the stock or the router because it running backwards from the norm.

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## woodcarver (Dec 12, 2007)

*One happy camper*

I was going to bed, but ran out to the shop instead. It worked like a charm. This is the method I use to rout crisp rabbets and it did not occur to me to use it to rout drawer locks. By the way, I use a router table for these joints.

All smiles now,
Tony


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

You'er Welcome Tony

Sometimes doing things backwards works 


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woodcarver said:


> I was going to bed, but ran out to the shop instead. It worked like a charm. This is the method I use to rout crisp rabbets and it did not occur to me to use it to rout drawer locks. By the way, I use a router table for these joints.
> 
> All smiles now,
> Tony


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## dougop (Jul 2, 2010)

I ran into the same problem- see "tear out ! " Your suggestion of climb cuts is good...I'll try it today. Another suggestion was to pre score with a knife; I'll be interested to see if I can score a line that precisely !


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## woodcarver (Dec 12, 2007)

The clime cut worked well for me.


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## BearLeeAlive (Mar 22, 2010)

I wish I had known this a couple weeks ago when I was using a drawer bit with 1/2" BB building drawers for my router table. I did find a slow steady feed and a high RPM helped a lot.

I don't know why I did not try a climbing cut, I have used them for similar situations of tear out. The joints still worked fine, and the only place you can see the wee bit of tear out there was is on the backside of the drawers. The glue up is rock solid with nary a fastener.


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