I think Norris sums it up - the key is decent, accurate templates that are securely clamped in place and have been tested on scrap first!
I have a basic Black and Decker router that cost less than £50 and I get some very accurate results. The pictures on here for my current build were done with that router.
Like Norris, my templates are just made from mdf. And I completely agree from the safety perspective.
Cheers
Jez