My Router Cabinet Upgrade #1: What it looks like and what I want to accomplish

Years ago I built a large cabinet to hold my (then) new Jet table saw. The preliminary design of the cabinet was to give a long enough extension for the fence as well as eventually provide me with a router table.

As with most projects, it took a while, but I eventually found a Freud router that would work with what I wanted, so I got the router, a router table plate from Rockler, and the template to match the place, and installed it.

The cabinet was very raw in it’s design, though has proven very sturdy. While there’s a part of me that says “rebuild it from scratch”, the frugal Cajun in me (a small percentage, but there it is) just can’t see all that work going to waste.

Since the original build I have done little to improve on it, spending time on other projects, jigs, etc., but the time has come for an upgrade, and so I’m choosing the router table portion as my starting point.

To tell the truth, I’ve been inspired by several posts on LJ concerning various router table cabinets and designs. It’s one of the reasons I keep coming back to the site.

So.

Here’s the router cabinet area in it’s current state:

Note the lack of dust collection, protection of items in the shelves … the list goes on.

Here’s what I get after taking the two drawers out.

And here’s what I finally cobbled together in Sketchup.

Here’s what I plan to accomplish:

Enclose the cabinet in 1/2” plywood
Rebuild the bottom drawer so that it functions on full-extension pull out rails
Add a middle drawer for other storage items
Add drawers along one side of the router for holding various router bits
Dust collection/containment
Better routing of the power cord
More Handy On/Off switch.

It’s a big list, but something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I plan to use as much scrap wood as I can for the additions.

And off we go.

-- Making scrap with zen-like precision - Woodbutchery