Most woodworkers know that crosscutting dowels on a miter saw can be dicey because the blade can grab the piece and spin it out of your hands. To prevent this, you can secure the piece in a sandpaper-lined wooden V-cradle, or temporarily affix self-adhesive sandpaper to your fence and table. However, I’ve found that the quickest approach is to simply press the dowel in place against a scrap of nonslip bench padding like that used for routing and sanding. 

—Charles Mak, Calgary, Alberta