Cutting Dowels to Length

by Mike Circo

Make a hardwood block with a through-hole the same diameter as the dowel. Clamp the jig to your tablesaw miter gauge and cut a kerf half way through the block, but completely through the dowel hole where the distance to the right of the cut is the thickness of the piece you wish to make..

While still clamped to the miter gauge, insert the dowel from the left until it appears on the right side of the blade. Then pass it thorough the table saw blade. Your usable piece is trapped in the hole to the right of the blade kerf. Retract the jig, advance the dowel a measured amount. The working piece falls free and you are set for another cut.

With the dowel trapped in the hardwood block during the cut, tearout should be reduced