Since nobody else has thrown out an answer, I'll throw in my $0.02...

I suspect what your problem is that the router bit is catching in areas of
wood-grain change, and pulling off chunks of your hard-earned wood. Your
solutions to the problem would be:
1) Cut out the rough shape using a jig saw or bandsaw. Try to stay within
1/4 to 1/8 of an inch of the shape. This will help prevent the bit from
getting too much material to grab onto.
2) In areas of grain change, be prepared to move the router the opposite
way around the pattern. If you look at the way the router bit turns, the
direction you're moving the router, and the grain of the wood, you'll see
that there are probably areas that you're going against the grain, and the
router bit will basically pry up chunks of wood, ruining your pieces and
leaving you with splinters. Having said that, routing with the grain
("climb cutting") can be dangerous, as it may cause the router to move in an
unexpectedly quick manner, as the bit basically accelerates the router in
the direction of travel.

Here's an article that may help:
http://www.newwoodworker.com/clmbcuttng.html (found with a google search).
Have fun, and be safe. If something makes you feel uncomfortably unsafe,
there's probably a reason for it, and you should stop and see if there's
another way. There's almost always multiple ways to accomplish something,
and sometimes the scary ways outnumber the safe ways.

Clint

wrote in message
ups.com...
I would like to cut numerous wood pieces that are identical in shape
and about 6" long 3 inches wide. I want to cut them out of 3/4" hard
maple. I made myself a template from 1/4" plywood and tacked it to a
piece of the 3/4" maple. I then trying using a cutting bit on my router
table to cut out the shape. On the top of the bit is a small wheel that
I used to roll along the edge of my template. The whole idea sounded
easy enough to me until I tried it. The bit would periodically grab
really hard and sometimes it would break chunks of the maple
off...scary! I tried going slower, faster, etc., but could never get
it to work. My Craftsman router table and router only run on one speed
so I can't adjust it. I am guessing that the problem is in the blade.
Does anyone have a suggestion for me as to how to make this work?
Please keep the response at a "novice" level...I am most certainly a
beginner.

Thank you!

II