Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Bandsaws are relatively safe. As the blade moves, it pulls the wood downward and against the table. When the wood you’re cutting sits flat, the most obvious danger is the moving blade and…your fingers.
But the moment you place something round on the table, the rules change.
A flat board has a wide surface resting against the bandsaw table. As the blade cuts downward, the table supports the board and prevents it from moving in that direction.
But if we look at something that’s circular, like a dowel, it doesn’t have that flat surface. It balances on one narrow line of contact and is free to roll. If the blade catches the dowel even slightly away from its center, the cutting force creates leverage around the center of the dowel. Instead of simply cutting through it, the blade can make it rotate.
And once it begins rotating, things go downhill fast. You’re not going to win a tug-of-war with a bandsaw. The dowel can be ripped from your hands and pulled into the blade—and if you try to hang on, it can pull your hands toward the cut. It can also bind, twist, or break the bandsaw blade.
The problem doesn’t automatically disappear when we move to a table saw or miter saw—but there is an important difference. With either of those saws, the dowel is normally supported by two surfaces: the table underneath it and a fence behind it. Those two points of contact make it much harder for the dowel to roll.
On the bandsaw, we can create that same kind of support with a V-groove jig. The jig has two angled faces that cradle the dowel from both sides, while its flat bottom gives us a stable surface to move across the table.
Place the dowel in the groove, press it against both faces, and move the entire jig and dowel as you make the cut.
If you’d like to build this jig, I have a set of free plans on my website. It requires very little material and can be made from scraps you probably already have lying around.
Check out the build here → youtu.be/U-C8KXAuSAM
Like step by step projects? Check out the second channel! → @makethingswithrob
Buy me a beverage! → buymeacoffee.com/makethings ←
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Marc B.
Richard B.
Ben. K
Bill Patterson
D. Lundman
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
Bandsaws are relatively safe. As the blade moves, it pulls the wood downward and against the table. When the wood you’re cutting sits flat, the most obvious danger is the moving blade and…your fingers.
But the moment you place something round on the table, the rules change.
A flat board has a wide surface resting against the bandsaw table. As the blade cuts downward, the table supports the board and prevents it from moving in that direction.
But if we look at something that’s circular, like a dowel, it doesn’t have that flat surface. It balances on one narrow line of contact and is free to roll. If the blade catches the dowel even slightly away from its center, the cutting force creates leverage around the center of the dowel. Instead of simply cutting through it, the blade can make it rotate.
And once it begins rotating, things go downhill fast. You’re not going to win a tug-of-war with a bandsaw. The dowel can be ripped from your hands and pulled into the blade—and if you try to hang on, it can pull your hands toward the cut. It can also bind, twist, or break the bandsaw blade.
The problem doesn’t automatically disappear when we move to a table saw or miter saw—but there is an important difference. With either of those saws, the dowel is normally supported by two surfaces: the table underneath it and a fence behind it. Those two points of contact make it much harder for the dowel to roll.
On the bandsaw, we can create that same kind of support with a V-groove jig. The jig has two angled faces that cradle the dowel from both sides, while its flat bottom gives us a stable surface to move across the table.
Place the dowel in the groove, press it against both faces, and move the entire jig and dowel as you make the cut.
If you’d like to build this jig, I have a set of free plans on my website. It requires very little material and can be made from scraps you probably already have lying around.
Check out the build here → youtu.be/U-C8KXAuSAM
Like step by step projects? Check out the second channel! → @makethingswithrob
Buy me a beverage! → buymeacoffee.com/makethings ←
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Marc B.
Richard B.
Ben. K
Bill Patterson
D. Lundman
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
