Cutting a Drawer Bottom With a Router

Equip your router with a carbide bit, which caters to soft and hard woods. Choose a router bit suited to the type of edge you'd like to create, such as a flush trim, rabbeting, chamfer or edge-forming bit.

Place thin rubber pads, available at most hardware stores, on the work surfaces of your sawhorses to keep the drawer bottom from slipping as you work. Place the drawer bottom, completely removed from the front and sides of the drawer, atop the sawhorses so that it is securely balanced. Test the balance by applying downward pressure with your hand. Allow the lip of the side you wish to rout first to hang over one edge of the sawhorse's work surface.

Sand the edges of the drawer bottom with medium-grain sandpaper. The router bit may cause flaws in the wood if it encounters a rough patch. Always sand in the direction of the wood grain.

Place the base, the disc-like circular bottom of the router located under its handles, atop the drawer bottom so the bit rests against the edge of the wood. Start at one end of one of the drawer bottom's long sides. Firmly grasp the router by its two handles, applying downward pressure. Turn the router's power on.

Slowly guide the router along the edge of the drawer bottom. Never let the base slip – keep the base flush with the surface of the wood for the entire routing process. Cut in one direction; avoid backtracking if possible. Work the router in a counterclockwise direction around the edge of the drawer bottom until you've finished all of the edges. Power down the router and dust its surface with a small dry brush before storing it for next time.