How do I cut half-round molding?
I'd like to slice some dowels in half lengthwise to make half-round molding. But when I tried a test cut at the bandsaw, the stock wanted to twist.
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A nailing plate attached to a wood strip keeps dowel stock from twisting as you slice it lengthwise.
Q:
I'd like to slice some dowels in half lengthwise to make half-round molding. But when I tried a test cut at the bandsaw, the stock wanted to twist. How can I get a clean cut?
—Felipe Juarez, Houston
A:
As you've discovered, Felipe, the trick is guiding the dowel without twisting. The jig shown here is easy to make and serves as both a splitter and stabilizer behind the blade. Simply screw a piece of metal slightly thinner than the blade to a wooden block, and clamp it to the bandsaw's rip fence. To place the metal plate in line with the blade, make the thickness of the block just under half the diameter of the dowel you're cutting.