Thanks again to all that replied, including my follow-up
question.

The conclusion seems definitive -- far too high speed to
take any risk.

I had thought about starting the hole with the router
(going just 1 inch, which is the depth of the straight
bit I have) and use that as a guide.

Some of you suggested using a block of hard wood as a
guide -- problem is, the pieces I need to hole in are
Mahogany (*very* hard -- I found the Honduran one, and
it is extremely heavy and rock solid). What I'm thinking
is that I could start the hole in it with the router,
and then take two extra little pieces, open holes in
those, and glue them together, such that now I'll have
a pretty long guide. I guess that should increase the
precision.

BTW, the main reason why I'm not going for a drill press
at this point is that I have no room for it (I improvised
a small workshop in a pretty tiny room :-( )

Anyway, I'm very grateful for all the advice and the
time you have taken to offer guidance!

Cheers,

Carlos
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