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A rolling router table that's a real shop cabinet underneath — bit-storage drawers, two deep drawers on slides, a face frame, and casters. The drawer prep order is the whole trick.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carcass horizontals Bottom, mid shelf, and top. | 3 | 3/4" × 19" × 26 1/2" | 3/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Drawer bay dividers | 2 | 3/4" × 19" × 8 1/4" | 3/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Carcass sides | 2 | 3/4" × 19" × 28 1/2" | 3/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Top cleats Or the width of your plywood if you went 18". | 5 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 19" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Face frame stiles | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 28 1/2" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Face frame rails | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 25" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Face frame drawer dividers | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 7 1/2" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Small drawer sides | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 16" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Small drawer front/back | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 5" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Bit holder block Drilled 1/4" and 1/2" holes hold router bits upright by their shanks. | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 14 1/2" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Small drawer faces | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 5 1/2" | 1x8 | ☐ |
| Large drawer sides | 4 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 22 1/2" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Large drawer fronts/backs | 4 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 16" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Large drawer bottoms | 2 | 1/4" × 16" × 24" | 1/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Large drawer faces | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 24 3/4" | 1x8 | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Plywood, 3/4", 4x8 sheet Ripped into two 19" x 8-ft strips. The leftover strip can replace some 1x6 — the source suggests an 18" cabinet depth to get two 5-1/2" strips from scrap. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Plywood, 1/4", 2x4 project panel Large drawer bottoms. | 1 each | ☐ |
| 1x6, 8 ft Drawer boxes. Skip if using the plywood scrap. | 3 each | ☐ |
| 1x3, 8 ft Top cleats and drawer-bay framing. | 1 each | ☐ |
| 1x2, 8 ft Face frame. | 2 each | ☐ |
| 1x8, 6 ft Drawer faces. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Drawer slides, side mount, pair One small pair for the bit drawer, two for the large drawers. | 3 each | ☐ |
| Casters At least two locking. A router table that creeps mid-cut is a hazard, not a convenience. | 4 each | ☐ |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 100 each | ☐ |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 100 each | ☐ |
| Wood glue | 8 oz | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Pencil, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: Plywood, 3/4", 4x8 sheet, 1x3, 8 ft
Before any glue: lay out the top horizontal, the two bay dividers, and the 1x3 framing exactly as they'll assemble, and mark where the small-drawer slides land.
This is the step the whole build pivots on. Once the box is together, no drill on earth fits into an 8"-tall bay to mount slide hardware. Anything the drawers need — slide cabinet members, screw pilot marks — happens now, on loose panels.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Drill Bit Set. Materials: 1x6, 8 ft, Finish nails, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Build the small drawer that stores bits: sides, front, back, and the 14-1/2" holder block drilled with rows of 1/4" and 1/2" holes — bits stand upright by their shanks, visible and rattle-proof.
Space the holes with room for the largest bit bodies (panel bits are wide); a block that's all shank-spacing puts cutting edges in contact, and carbide chips carbide.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Pocket Hole Jig, Speed Square. Materials: Plywood, 3/4", 4x8 sheet, Drawer slides, side mount, pair, Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Install the slides' cabinet members on the bay panels — remembering the face frame adds 3/4" to the front, so set the slides back accordingly. Hang the bit drawer and test its travel with everything still clamped, not glued.
Happy with the fit? Now assemble the carcass: bottom, sides, mid shelf, drawer bay, top cleats — pocket holes and 1-1/4" screws, glue at every joint.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Pocket Hole Jig. Materials: 1x2, 8 ft, Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4", Finish nails, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Pocket-screw the 1x2 face frame together flat, then glue and nail it to the cabinet front. The frame stiffens the box and gives the drawer faces something to land against — and its openings are what you'll measure for the big drawers, so install it before cutting any drawer parts.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: Plywood, 1/4", 2x4 project panel, 1x6, 8 ft, Drawer slides, side mount, pair, Finish nails, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Measure each face-frame opening and build each drawer box 1" narrower (standard 1/2"-clearance slides, both sides). Square boxes, glued and nailed, 1/4" plywood bottoms.
Build ONE, install it, and confirm it runs sweetly before building the second — small errors adjust out through the slides' slotted holes, but only if the drawer erred small.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x8, 6 ft, Drawer slides, side mount, pair, Finish nails, 1-1/4"
Mount the big drawers 3/4" inset from the cabinet front — that's the thickness the applied faces will claim. Then attach the 1x8 faces with an even 1/8" gap all around: tack each face with two brads from the front, open the drawer, and screw it on properly from inside.
A playing card stack makes a fine 1/8" spacer.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Jigsaw, Pencil, Random Orbit Sander. Materials: Plywood, 3/4", 4x8 sheet, Casters
Bolt on the casters — locking ones at least on one end, because a router table that migrates during a cut is genuinely dangerous. Then cut the top's router opening to YOUR router's base (trace the baseplate, or the mounting plate if using an insert kit), jigsaw it out, and fasten the top down.
Mount the router, stand a straightedge fence on top, and go make some rabbets. The bits are in the drawer, standing at attention, where they'll actually stay.