John,

It is good that you respect the router, but it is just like any other power
tool, if you want to keep your fingers, the tools deserve respect. But
"Fear" may be more than the router deserves!

The PC Router you have should be doing a good job for you, it is a quality
tool. Some people almost worship a router as the finest tool in the shop
and gravitate towards it for a lot more than I would ever use it for, but
that is their choice!

Router bits need to be sharp or you will almost have to take a hammer and
drive them across the edge of wood. If you can locate a router bit with the
design you want that has a ball bearing guide on it that makes work easier
too.

Each wood has it's own characteristics and require a different feed rate for
best results. Some woods require progressive multiple passes to obtain the
desired final result.

In my opinion, tools like the table saw and jointer don't demand a lot of
skill, you turn them and they cut the wood. A router requires a lot of
practice to become proficient using it. So, just practice up on some scrap
wood before you get into an important cut.

I wear a full face shield when using a router so I can clearly see what the
cut is doing.

Don Dando