Wow.

Well, first things first, welcome. It certainly sounds like you're in the right place and will fit right in.

My advice is to find yourself a comfortable chair, a large alcoholic beverage of your choosing, a pen, a notepad, and a new book marks folder on your favourite browser.

Then, methodically work your way through the build logs:
http://www.mycncuk.com/forums/253-DIY-Router-Build-Logs

(I suggest using the filter at the bottom to sort by number of replies/views to get an idea of "good" threads)

Note down and book mark when you see something you like. Litterally, anything you like - good control cabinets, good wiring, good styling, good chip management, good gantry design. Collect them all together and start a build log of your own, ponting out what your priorities are for the machine (what you want to be able to do with it when its finished) and any requirements.

Start by skim reading the final few pages to get an idea of where the project is up to and if it's worth reading fully. Look for threads with the stars and lots of pages initially. I can't mention all of the amazing build logs, but some of my favourites are:

El Beast - A smaller desktop style machine, but Zeeflyboy does it to perfection, and it looks stellar to match.

Joe's Build - A roughly 1x1.5m build, made with hand tools. I like this one especially because it has some great discussions about the details, and it followed a classic known design and took on board the suggestions made. Joe also started making videos of the build on youtube, so its quite approachable to see how its been done. I built mine heavily based on this and am very pleased with the results.

RouterCNC's 4th build. What can I say? If you want a strong design made with precision... Also another one that has a video blog element to it.

This way, you'll also get to know some of the characters on the forum, and know where to shove their advice or how many hobnobs it will take to convince them to help you ;)

Good luck :)