| One of the more common ways of evaluating the | | | | with hardwood construction such as maple or poplar. |
| quality of a set of cabinets is to inspect the details | | | | Drawer bottoms may be either hardwood (most |
| of the drawer construction. It is commonly thought | | | | likely requiring glued panels), plywood or a |
| that drawers with dove-tailed joinery are an indicator | | | | manufactured product such as melamine covered |
| of high-end cabinetry. While this may be one factor, | | | | MDF. |
| it certainly should not be the sole way of judging. | | | | Hardwood Construction |
| Listed below are some of the more common drawer | | | | Economy drawers are often constructed from |
| construction methods: | | | | melamine covered MDF core material. One easy way |
| Baltic Birch or Apple-ply Construction | | | | to determine if a drawer meets a bare minimum |
| Baltic birch plywood or similar apple ply is high quality | | | | quality standard is to check the thickness of the |
| plywood with more layers (typically 9 layers for 1/2" | | | | drawer bottom. If it 1/8 inch, you may be assured |
| inch plywood) than the generic plywood typically | | | | that every possible corner has been cut. Opt for a |
| encountered. This is one of my favorite materials due | | | | minimum of 1/4" drawer bottoms. |
| to its stable nature and strength. Joints may be nailed | | | | Many factors will determine the longevity and |
| and glued, screwed, dove-tailed, or box jointed (a | | | | durability of a set of cabinets. While dovetail joinery is |
| variation of the dovetail joint). | | | | a nice touch, it is only a minor factor in evaluating |
| Hardwood Construction | | | | different cabinet products lines. |
| The classic dove-tailed joinery is most often paired | | | | |