Need design advice on a basic tray w/ plywood bottom

[Chris Lukowski]

Hi,

I'm having trouble finalizing a design on what should be a basic project. What it amounts to is a tray that sits atop a dresser that will hold a baby changing pad and accessories. The sides will be 1x4 maple boards, and the bottom 1/2" birch plywood. Sounds simple enough, but I'm having a tough time figuring out how to attach the plywood to the side rails. Thoughts varied from cutting the plywood bottom exactly to size and securing it with pocket screws (which I suspect would lead to gaps and irregularities), using my table saw w/ dado stack to cut an open bottomed 3/8" rabbet [or a raised dado groove] w/ mitered corners, or assembling the frame and cutting an open bottomed rabbet with a router (which admittedly I don't own yet). The tray will be secured to the top of the dresser via a lower extension (which I will pocket screw onto the back bottom of the tray) attached to the rear of the dresser. I've included a sample pic for reference, though my design will be wide enough for a divided accessory tray. Any advice on this would be much appreciated!

[Glen S]

Here's my idea.

I would rout a 1/2" groove 1/2" up from the bottom in the Maple sides for the plywood. Then I would put those little clear rubber non slip bumpers on the cornerson the bottom. Rout both top edges with a round over to soften them.

The sides can be either butt joints or miters with pocket screws on the inside. Keep the upper pocket hole low enough that the pad covers it or just put a plug in it.