Drawer Bottom Thickness

[Jim]

Hi all,

I'm making a drawer that will hold around 100 CDs as part of an
entertainment center. It will be 18 inches wide by about 26 inches
deep. The sides and back will be made of ash. The drawer front
will be either cherry or maple. I was planning on using 1/4 inch
birch plywood for the drawer bottom. Will that be strong enough
to hold the CDs without bowing significantly?

Thanks,
Jim

[Kevin]

CDs get VERY heavy fast. I would be inclined to go with 1/2" ply as its better safe than sorry :) Also consider your drawer slide load, you may need to weigh all those CDs to see if the slides can handle them.

Kevin

[MadMark]

1/4" is too thin for such a load and such a span. I'd run a support stringer underneath the bottom as well.

[Herm]

Kevin's reply with the 1/2" ply should be sufficient with that size of drawer. If you don't have enough room to use 1/2" and still be able to dado it into the drawer sides, then Mark's idea of using 1/4" with a stringer in the middle would also work (again, with the size drawer you mentioned).