Good Morning Friends ,

Sorry for being so late posting the quiz but, I had been called away Saturday morning and completely forgot to post it; So here we go ,

It's kind of hard to cut small dowels for buttons on the table saw or miter saw, so what methods do you use for this chore?

Edited November 28, 20169 yr by Ralph Allen Jones

Small handsaw

plug cutter a piece of scrap and resaw...

watch out for thrown pieces..

drill a hole(s) in a block of wood to fit the dowel..

insert the dowel into the hole...

raise the blade just enough to cut the dowel(s),,,,

repeat a often as required,,,

 

  I set up a stop block on my band saw.

I don't like the end grain we get from dowels.  I like to take a scrap from the project and drill with a plug cutter, apply masking tape over the drilled end to keep the plugs from flying while running the scrap through the saw to cut the plugs to the length I want.

I have a wooden block with a V-groove in the top that clamps to the miter saw table. Put a kerf in the block, mark the thickness to the right of the kerf and feed the dowel from the left (I'm right-handed). Use the dowel to push the disc to the right and then pull back to the marked line.

My goodness.  I have used several of these techniques, and I usually use the plug cutter and pry them out.

If it is dowel stock though, and I am installing them proud of the surface and planning/sanding smooth - I just go over to the scroll saw and cut the required number off.  I don't even measure them, just cut them long.

Cal

I replied to thison another thread. I don't like to cut dowels on the TC,cant find them after they go air born, so cut them on the Band saw.

Make a jig out of a block with a hole cut thruit the size of the dowel.

Set the fence on the band saw the length of the cut.

Insert the dowel into the hole ,riding against the fence. Make the cut and withdraw the block.

Keep doing till the number of dowels required is cut.

 

The dowel buttons are all the same thickness, they are trapped against the fence,so they don't go airborne and is a safe way to cut a small piece.

6 minutes ago, Dadio said:

The dowel buttons are all the same thickness, they are trapped against the fence,so they don't go airborne and is a safe way to cut a small piece.

same for a TS only you raise the blade enough to cut the dowel meanwhile yur not cutting through the jig only kerfing...

use the dowel length to push out the button...

Similar to combining @HandyDan & @Dadio techniques...use plug cutters for standard sizes through face grain, then resaw on BS to release plugs. Think I learned this trick from WoodSmith or old ShopNotes. Woodsmith also had a design plan for a TS small sled set-up specifically for making plugs from dowels to prevent notifying NASA. 

I also use the plug cutters,have various sizes ans shapes of them, this is for trying to hide or minimize the screw hole. But there are times when I want to do the opposite and accent the hole by using an end grain plug or even leave them proud .

Herb

Lets see  I might use a Light Saber, Sthil 440 Magnum Chain Saw, a double bit axe, or most likely a band saw.  I could use a hand saw but  then I'd I miss an opportunity to fire up the DC and the BS and make the little pixies run through the eeelectrikal wires?

 

Good Answers all and as for myself I just feed the dowels into the BS blade turning as I feed and they all come out fine and no kicking off the table.