Something we do not talk about a lot is finding and marking the center on a piece of wood.

    1. The easy way is to mark a square blank with a line across opposing corners and where they cross is the center.

    2. A little more is a tool for lathes to find center on either square or round blanks and mark a line. With this tool you can do some irregular shapes by making several lines across the piece and select a spot in the center of all the marks. 

    3. Use a pencil in your hand extended but not to the center . Rubbing your finger on the edge of the blank mark all four sides and then select a spot roughly in the center of those marks.

 

    When center is determined use an awl or center punch to make your center for drive spur and then the opposite end for revolving tailstock.

 

    When starting to turn a bow blank with knots or protrusions it may be necessary to balance the piece to turn safely. In this case the center is the center of gravity for the piece and not the visual center. Mount the piece between centers and spin by hand . If it stops in the same place each time with a heavy spot down you will need to adjust the center you used toward the bottom and try again til you are satisfied with the balance and then try at a low speed by turning speed up til shake starts and then back slightly for a safer turning. as the unbalanced areas are removed speed can be increased.

@John Morris can you move this to tips? Guess I missed something

Done, and great tip Gerald! Nice formatting of the topic too, with a nice clean image layout, thanks!

Well done. Finding center can be challenging, Knowing what you stated, makes it much easier.

I read an ad on the internet about an invention for accurately marking the center of any shaped object. A guy had a patent on it and I was interested. You placed several extensions of this rig around the object (any shape) and an arm came down to mark perfect center. He did not sell the invention, he sold plans to use on a GNC, for you to make your own. That left me out. I have been keeping an eye out for a retail version and have not seen anything. This leaves me doubting this device.

Thanks, @Gerald! I have a plastic one just like that!

1 hour ago, lew said:

Thanks, @Gerald! I have a plastic one just like that!

 

That's my go to center finder as well.

Just an out of the box thought...the Phoenix Suns could use a good center finder.

On 3/9/2019 at 1:28 PM, Gerald said:

@John Morris can you move this to tips? Guess I missed something

Great tips Gerald and something I'll be needing in a while as I need to start doing some turning with my Shopsmith. I've done the X on square/rectangular woods but what about round? Is that a tool in the picture and if so which one?

 

Thanks for the tips. 

 

-Steve

If you are spindle turning a dowel, an easy, cheap way to find center is to use a Forstner bit to cut a hole in a square of 3/4 stock the same diameter as your dowel. Only drill deep enough for the Forstner center cutter to peek out the bottom. Then run a short dry wall screw, or similar, up through the hole. Stop the screw as the point clears the bottom of the Forstner hole. Insert the dowel and the screw marks the center.

 

12 hours ago, sreilly24590 said:

Great tips Gerald and something I'll be needing in a while as I need to start doing some turning with my Shopsmith. I've done the X on square/rectangular woods but what about round? Is that a tool in the picture and if so which one?

 

Thanks for the tips. 

 

-Steve

The center finding tool works for round too. You can get this center finder in many places even Amazon.

Don't know how I missed this earlier but great tips Gerald. Would never have seen it if not for Lew's recap!!

 

Steve

I needed to do some center finding for a turning project tonight and it was getting a bit frustrating.

Enter the jury rigged center finder.

If you have a combination square, a piece of wood with a flat side, a 90* corner and a flat base that you can index on the 45* portion of your combination square, you have a center finder.

Align the flat against the 45* side of the combo square even with the inside edge of the ruler where it intersects the 45* slope and clamp it in place.

It probably isn’t quite as user friendly as the one @Gerald posted, but it works well in a pinch.

 

Cool idea,thanks @forty_caliber

Bowl Blanks and faceplates. 

After finding the center of a 1/2 log.  I drill a 1/4" hole about an inch deep.  That hole works with my circle cutting jig.  Once the 1/2 log is cut into a circle I use a device like this to center the faceplate on the work using the hole.  No guess work or squinting.  Faceplate in the center of the wood every time. 

 

http://www.carterproducts.com/band-saw-products/accuright/1-1-4-x-8-accurightr-center-mastertm-solotm

 

.40

 

15 hours ago, StaticLV2 said:

It probably isn’t quite as user friendly as the one @Gerald posted, but it works well in a pinch.

 

Some are combination squares are sold with center finders.  Maybe you could make one for yours. 

 

 

Dan Beat me to it and I think I have two or three of those