Hi Folks - after the feedback (some helpful and some ... unhelpful), I thought I'd make a video of the full process of me making these rings for dog bowl holders in the cabinets I'm building.
On the final ring (the one I had to remake because the first one exploded at the router table), I did change my order of operations to route the inside first as was suggested in a prior post; then bandsaw off the excess from the outside and route the outside diameter. I honestly didn't feel an improvement in control from the adjustment. With the 2 pads (and eye protection) I felt equally safe with the narrower rings at the router table.
Once I gave myself some helpful arrows about feed direction, the process worked great for me. If it's not for you, no worries. I thought folks might like to see how these turned out. #diy source