I'm putting down pine flooring and using 5/8 dowels to cover the screws. I am cutting them from a length of dowelling. My chop saw does a fine job excerpt for one thing. It tends to eject the cut piece forcibly and then you have to find it. So I've gone back to a hand saw but it's more work that way.. Any thoughts on how to keep the pieces from flying off. -- ds
"17 whiskies... A record, I believe." Dylan Thomas' last words.
This isn't answering the question you asked, but I'm wondering why you're not using a plug cutter to make pine plugs which have the grain running the "right way"?
'Course, maybe your staining those dowel bits black to make them show up and mimic the way some real old time floors used to look.
Good Luck,
Jeff
Tape it down before cutting.
I recommend using a fine tooth hand saw such as a dovetail saw. Even a hacksaw will work. You can stack several dowels together before cutting. Use an inexpensive wood miter box to get a nice 90-degree cut.. You'll have less waste and less chance of a lethal projectile. If you have a 10+ year old available, hire him/her to cut the dowels (by hand).
Dust tape the hose to your shop vac near the back of your saw. Just turn on the vac and it should suck up the plugs nicely.
Clean out the shop vac first though.
Also, I agree with the other poster about using a plug cutter for a few reasons.
Dowels are not round but oval and there maybe gaps, the fact that dowels cut this way are end grain and I don't think that you are going to get a lot of usable plugs. Unless you make fairly long plugs they and going to shatter and splinter.
You could also find a source to buy them.
Labrador retreivers work good,
Some "Shop Tip" I read somewhere uses the vac with one of those fishnet style vegetable bags to catch the pieces. Nylon hose may work too.
-- Mark
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