I need to cut 1/2" x 1x4" dowels, thousands of them.
I was thinking about buying surfaced boards that were 1/2" thick already from the local wood distributor and stacking them as high as possible and then running them through the bandsaw. Obviously I would have the fence 1/4" from the blade.
I tried a sample of this with only one board and the cut was not only not as straight as I had expected, but I was getting tons of "fuzz" that had to be sanded off. Hard to describe, but if I push the board against the fence before and after the blade, it closes the kerf on the back side of the cut and seems to bow the board toward the blade and makes, especially if I am pushing beyond the fence, then it really bows it.
Having the table saw blade a 1/4" from the fence and stacking the boards then cutting them seems like a kickback waiting to happen...
I can cut them out of either poplar or clear pine, whichever is cheaper, as long as there are no knots.
I have a 14" planer that I could take them down to thickness, but if the price is right to buy them surfaced to thickness already, I would much rather go this route.
Any suggestions?
DW