Doing my first stacked cake today and I am planning on using wiltons wooden dowels what is the best way to cut them so they are flat across the top.

TIA

i use gardening shears or a serated knife and just bend them at the edge of the counter and rub off the unwanted splinters

I use the serrated knife method ^^^^ mentioned.

After this one, can I talk you into SPS?

leah i need to loook into sps... i know its beeter

leah i need to loook into sps... i know its beeter

I did a post here before on using plumber pipe cutter (mine is by Greenlee is 8 1/2" long and is lightweight- has one large blade bought at hardware store). Its not very expensive and it gives me a straight across cut that bypass blade garden shears cannot provide IMHO. It also does almost to no splintering (I simply turn the stick and score first and it easily cuts the wood like butter) . I love to do 3D type cakes and if I do tiered cakes I like to make them in different heights so at this time SPS (even though its great) is not in my near future. I never have to ask for dowels back which means client doesnt have to worry about washing or returning. Honestly I also still like using the decorator white plastic tubes (and so do a lot of very well known cake decorators) which can also be cut with the plumber pipe cutter without crushing the tube and never need them back.

Pets toenail clipper. Given this tip by a master cake decorator.

...I saw some anvil garden pruners that do not have bypass blades today at the hardware store ...that would work too (the type that has the rounded base that the blades touch when it is compressed). Lowes or Home Depot would carry them.