In spite of my best attempts to convince her that the gift of a small decorative box would be delightful, my daughter-in-law holds very sweetly to a request for a sign with the family name for their house.

I have no experience doing this, and thought I’d be able to route it freehand if I were careful and followed a design applied to the surface of the wood. I am considering using my small “trim” router and a 1/4” spiral upcut bit.

Can anyone alert me to pitfalls of this crude technology: suggestions, even just regarding bit choice would be welcome.