Making Lightweight Boxes and Drawers

Here is another video about the 2022 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter Van I'm converting. One of the methods I'm implementing to save as much weight as possible is to build my drawers our of 1/4" (6mm) plywood. Traditional methods of screwing or butt jointing and glueing are not feasible with such thin material so I use finger joints.
And one last little part of my kitchen build is requiring a finger jointed box so I've decided to cover how I like to build them. Hopefully you find this interesting and useful for future projects.
This video should be considered an addendum to whatever finger joint cutting jig you use. Study the manual or videos about those to get good results, and then this video covers what extra information I wish I had known when applying finger joints to thin materials.
If you found this entertaining, educational or even enraging, consider buying me a coffee...or a beer;). Please use the link:
www.buymeacoffee.com/projecto...
Thank you for your support!
Products (Amazon links help me out, Thank you!)
I'm a big fan of the Incra iBox: amzn.to/3U8j9jT
If you enjoy woodworking then this would be a worthy investment, but if this is a one time project I would consider making a box or finger joint jig like the one William Ng presents: • Make an Accurate Box J...
Dado Blade: amzn.to/3m3GxTf
Although you could maybe try to make consistent fingers using a single saw blade and making multiple passes, it could be a maddening process. A dado blade allows you to make a 1/2" wide cut in a single pass. I chose this Dewalt model because it has a very logical method for knowing what thickness you are setting up for various projects.
And a note, if you haven't used a dado stack on your table saw you will need a new throat plate.
A cheaper option than a dado stack would be to use a router table if you have one. A router bit like this would do the same trick: amzn.to/3nOKwmX

[@Waynemanner]

Awesome work my friend

[@catrice6095]

I struggle with a good technique for attaching the first side of hinges to the opposing wood. Would you please explain your “spacer” tape technique. Thank you. Your patience in teaching is top notch!

[@ifell3]

Wow you have such skill and intelligence to go with it. I think I will use the butt joint and strengthening brace 😅

[@vociferonheraldofthewinter2284]

What a way to end it. lol!

[@grantholliday6057]

I love your attention to detail!

[@blandry021]

Thanks, I asked in your another video, how to make the finger joint drawers before looking on your KZbin site. Great instructions how to layout the finger joints for all joints of the box. I have already built a finger joint jig for my table saw which I used to make drawers, using ⅝ Baltic plywood. I would never thought ¼ plywood would of been strong enough. And I didn’t finger joint the drawer bottom piece. Something I’ll try the next I’m building drawers.

[@glenncarruthers3515]

Nice work. You're a true craftsman. I like the sandpaper attached to the thin plywood tip.

[@rickt7425]

Really love your PencilPad technology - it’s what I use too 👍 Enjoy videos Thanks

[@rickt7425]

Enjoy ‘your’ videos

[@dmwi1549]

At $200-$209 from several suppliers it’s not too pricey for what you are getting. I expected it to be more. That said, Norm Abrams and others had some pretty simple jigs on a table saw sled to perform this same function years ago. I really enjoy your videos and look forward to my 2.0 reboot of my van that has utilized (GASP) 2x4 & Kreg Screw construction for the original build to confirm my layout works for me. No rattles, squeaks or regrets from the last 3 years and 15k miles. Looks crappy but performs great. Now it’s time to lighten it up and make it pretty. I would enjoy a video on how to Attach cabinets to the van if you have one or plan to make a video on this topic? My van is also my pickup. It needs to serve multiple tasks. Thanks again!

[@AllanLaal]

8:06 what about just cutting fingers into a really really long piece and then using that as a ruler to see how much to make the first finger smaller, so it always ends in a tooth part?

[@alankita1059]

You could also have made it a box with the top side open like one of those narrow IKEA shoe/storage cabinets so what you pack it with will be completely inside of it.

[@scottcates]

very helpful

[@patrickluppi2005]

Love your work. Have you ever considered using aircraft-graded plywood? I think that one could get away by building van furniture with a 3.5-4mm ply. Also anyone with experience in building furniture with fiberglass sandwiched honeycomb material? Would love your input on this

[@friedaspyder8485]

I like your video. Will try to catch more of your Van builds. Out of curiosity, I checked laser based finger jointing, and ran across a python project called plycutter, that may interest you. It's described as a '- STL to finger-jointed DXF slicer'. One of his goals was a dollhouse for his daughter. Lasers cut 6mm, pretty readily, but of course a lot of testing would need to be done for whichever laser is used. I installed & ran his software on Windows without issues. Cheers.

[@jaymiddleton772]

It actually wouldn't be too difficult to 3d print a jig. It'd probably take some back and forth testing to get it just right but very cost effective for a one and done van bulider. A table saw with dado stack is the limiting facor for me personally

[@leblancexplores]

What do you mean?

[@daan3298]

Nice! Sounds like a reason to invest in a cnc (laser) in my head :) If you do this regularly that is. Should be easy to make the joints fill out without corner gaps.

[@projectofscience]

I've definitely thought of a CNC. As for drawers and boxes like this, I would describe it as "I do this regularly a few times a year" so I don't know if I would ever recoup the cost. Definitely more efficient, but I do enjoy the process and woodworking, even thought some people would say just the materials I'm working with are getting further and further from that. Thanks for watching!

[@i_know_nothing7788]

Thank you.

[@tonyaquinoxx]

What makes you so smart?

[@xrphqlic9763]

Great and informative videos u produce. Keep up the good work. What apron are u using?

[@projectofscience]

Haha, I made my own apron. I need to make another one and a few people have asked about it so perhaps I'll get the sewing machine out one of these days.

[@MrRossAlexander]

thankyou!

[@finnanloveday]

Just found your videos. Man oh man the level of detail your achieving is insane. And your a very good teacher. Thanks. Also just curious what kind of building you're in? Can't figure it out. Looks in some shots to have a domed roof? Like an old hanger?

[@projectofscience]

Yep, its an old Quonset hut. It's been a process to turn it into a shop...not one I'd like to do again. I'm used to it now, but early on it felt like a lot of: "alright, I need another shelf let me just put one...oh wait, no where to mount anything." Thanks for the support!

[@Sustainavore]

I'm super interested in trying something like this as we rebuild our van. Have you seen Bourbon Moth Woodworking's video comparing the strength if different joining methods? I'm curious what you think about their results and whether you'd go their route. It seems like doing miters with splines would be a lot faster.

[@leblancexplores]

Help!! I picked up a bunch of Baltic Birch thinking I need this fancy stuff a few months back at 1/2” and 1/4” but after research I’m thinking this stuff’s too heavy. I was going to use those sizes basically for everything but had everyone moved onto lighter (and indirectly cheaper) materials?

[@CogitareEstVivere]

Your videos man ! Thank you ! I hear and understand EVERY single word you’re saying ! Thanks for speaking your mind ! Btw, what you think about the Festool Domino system to make ( invisible ) strong joints ? Thank you.

[@projectofscience]

Dominos (formerly known as loose mortise and tenon haha) are great but they wouldn't work on material this thin. Perhaps 1/2" material and definitely thicker. But even then, I think their true strength is much more of a benefit in things like table and chair legs, not completely boxed in projects like cabinet carcasses where there is so much glued-length at the seams that by the time you are concerned of breaking many other things have probably gone wrong.

[@EngineerMikeF]

Check out OTB-Thinker, Russ Veinot here on YT for his ideas on bamboo skewers as dowels for .25/.25 butt joint reinforcing. Russ drills the corner like doing mini-dowels @ closer to a pocket screw angle rather than 45° I would call your joints "box" rather than "finger" joints.

[@paulhorn24]

Has someone experience with Robinia pseudoacacia wood?

[@alexrains1893]

Very informative video. I'm actually wondering what tank you use over the wheel well?

[@projectofscience]

I get my tanks through Northwest Conversions at nwconversions.com. This van is specifically using the driver side 20 gallon (SP-R-20). Thanks for watching!

[@alexrains1893]

@@projectofscience Thank you!

[@stevel1451]

I build my cabinets and drawers with sheet aluminium then powder coat or wrap. Looks awesome and is a fraction of the weight of wood

[@YT-MY]

Wouldn't dovetail joints be stronger? Rather than expense box joint fixture, get a dovetail fixture.

[@jsmxwll]

The plywood is too thin and isn't full through grain so its effective thickness is halved. I've done it both ways and they fail about the same but dovetails break out more during assembly due to plywood's inherent weakness to delamination when the edges are abraded perpendicular to their edge. In thicker plywood, dovetails are fine and good when resisting a force that may fatigue the glue joint. But it is still prone to tearing out during assembly. Hope that explains it.