When used in joinery, dowels work better if they’re grooved to let glue and air escape during installation. Commercially-grooved dowels are available, but you can easily saw the grooves yourself on the tablesaw. To set up the saw, crank the blade over to 45° and raise it level to the tabletop. Locate the rip fence so that a dowel placed against it is centered over the teeth tips, and then lock the fence in place. Fasten a strip of plastic laminate to the saw table against the fence, using double-faced tape. Hold the laminate down with a block of wood, while raising the blade until it projects about 1⁄32". To cut the groove, feed your dowel past the running blade, holding it down firmly and rotating it after each pass to cut three or four grooves. The plastic laminate will prevent it from diving into the throat plate opening.
