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This method I've tried out of curiosity.  Much to my surprise, it worked. The dowel wasn't the size I was shooting for, but it was round.

Oh it's beautiful on the cut but the setup is very painful. Did you watch the video by Rob Cosman ?
Tweaking it to get an exact size has always been a test of patience for me. Like I said... once you get there .... undoing it will exacerbate your pain reassembling it again. 

If it is difficult to set up then it is out of the question for me. 

So thanks for your test and contribution.

The chisel technique is very long winded if you want precise diameter dowels. I've put it to the test numerous times and don't use it. Not my favorite for sure.