For the pillow plugs, I then need to round off (pillow) the end with a fair bit of work and switching between machines and sanding grits. Then I need to cut to length and have a square mortise ready.
The pyramids just need the ends cut to a pyramid shape by using the table saw and a miter gauge with a stop set up. I can cut both ends of multiple square blanks in one setup, then set the blade to straight up and cut a narrow tenon which will fit into a round hole (or leave square and put into a square mortise)
Here are some in-process from another project.
Actually the big savings is in profiling the end, Lots of fine hand sanding versus four passes over a 10 degree blade with a miter gauge and stop block.
