Hi Rob. When I make coasters out of a rough branches, I put the piece in a V block and then use a miter gage to feed the piece in the block through the band saw. I index it the thickness wanted and then make another cut and the piece is parallel. I have to put a wedge under the end of  the piece that is sticking out to support the cut. The same thing can be done on a miter saw, but any movement in that V block and you could have a disaster because of the power of the tip of that blade...........................Cheers, ,Jim

Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day