OSB for drawers

Kevin Sadaj

Member
Messages
144
Location
Michigan
What are your thoughts on using OSB for shop cabinet drawers? I've got 1/2 OSB. On second thought, I am not sure if that was a wise decision.

Any tips as far as using nails or screws, glue, duct tape? :D
 
Personaly I don't care for its looks. It's what I'd call construction grade materials. Like 2x4's.


If someone asked should I make a bed out of 2x4's I say the same thing. It will look heavy duty vs furniture-ish.

If you just loking for quick and easy down and dirty storage, it will do the trick, but if you want to build cabnetry this stuff is better left for home construction.

But there is the cost factor too. If you can build what you want for the cost of glue and screws vs shelling out a few hundred dollars for cabnet grade materials,

that has to factor into it too.

(slivers, slivers, and more slivers)
 
Another perspective. Working with inferior or inappropriate materials does not enhance the woodworking experience. It will definitely affect your appreciation of what you have built.

Another story. My brother (the one who just lost his brain tumor) is so tight with a nickel he makes buffalo hide before he spends it. So he made some drawers with what he had laying around. OSB, exterior C grade sheathing, etc. No slides. He loaded them with hardware. He hardly could get them opened and closed without a come-along. When I sold my house I gave him a shop cabinet I had made. Drawers were machine dovetailed 1/2" Baltic Birch plywood on 100# bottom mount slides. All in all, not that pricey.

Now he wants to know if I will make him some more. Told him I would teach him how, but he has to buy decent materials.
 
What are your thoughts on using OSB for shop cabinet drawers? I've got 1/2 OSB. On second thought, I am not sure if that was a wise decision.

Any tips as far as using nails or screws, glue, duct tape? :D

Can it be done? It sure can. I had shop cabinets I made out of osb that I used for 5 years with out a problem. Here's a video of some one who has used osb for shop drawers.
 
If you want cheap materials, I would at least use MDF. I built a bedroom set for my BIL, because I was tired of a bare mattress on the floor when I visited him. That set is still in use. No drawers. Dadoes for shelves solved the end joints. Enamel paint hid the sins and protected the material from moisture.
 
If you want cheap materials, I would at least use MDF. I built a bedroom set for my BIL, because I was tired of a bare mattress on the floor when I visited him. That set is still in use. No drawers. Dadoes for shelves solved the end joints. Enamel paint hid the sins and protected the material from moisture.

This

MDF also machines rather well, if you are smart about it, you can make decent paint grade cabinets for sure
 
The video that Alan shares makes it obvious that there are different grades of OSB. The material shown in the video is superior to any OSB that I have ever seen. Living on the left coast, we are handicapped. Lacking any actual weather, we are allowed to build homes out of materials and using methods that would perish in one average Nebraska winter. This may explain why the OSB I can get is quite different than that shown in the video. I use mostly Baltic Birch ply for my shop cabinets but, have used some 'shop grade' ply for a few fixtures as well.
 
To save a few dollars, I've used a ton of SandePly from Home Depot. All of my shop drawers are made with it - over 50 drawers so far. I've also used it for the corebox for some furniture pieces, since it won't be seen.

As to joinery on shop drawers, I use only lock rabbets - no dovetails. Lock rabbets are strong and take a lot less time than dovetails.
 
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