Centerscribe

Re: Centerscribe *LINK*

Eric Hedberg

>Chad,

Lee Valley offers this device (see link) as well as a ruler designed specifically to find the center of a width (see their measuring tools). Hope this helps. Eric


http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=32575&category=1,43513&ccurrency=2&SID=

easy homemade

Clay C in Miami

>I haven't seen the BC geared precious, know an easy homemade way.

Take a squared piece of hw a little longer than the widest measurement you'll take (mine are about 1" by 1/2" by I guess, and it's best to have a few in different lengths)

Insert two dowels so that they are perependicular to the flat side of this piece (UHMW dowels are good here - slick), one near each end. No measurements are critical so far.

Now, insert a cutting point (screw, brad, japanese hand-made melted-down-from-decommissioned-Shinto-gongs marking blade, whatever) so that the point barely protrudes from the same surface as do the dowels, at a point exactly halfway between the dowels.

Put it on the piece to be marked dowels and point down, rotate till a dowel registers on each edge, engage the point and slide down the edges to mark. Dead center every time - but will follow bows, etc. And, will not mark all the way to the end - needs either more of the same stock to ride on, or maybe it's just one more reason to work a little long, as long as you can. (Easy to finish the line with an edge of course.)

Maybe this is so commonplace that you have those, and specifically want something that does more ... but it's cheap and reliable, and leaves you more $ for other tools (that we non-Ernies can't make for ourselves)!

Clay

Re: Centerscribe

deanj

A hunk of wood, two dowels and a pencil.

Grab a piece of wood a bit wider than the width of the piece you want to mark the center of.  Say a piece 1" x 8" x 1/2" (for that 7 inch board you want to find the center of) -- drill a hole on each end (as if you are making a tiny bench and the dowels are legs) and glue in your dowels.  Now, find the midpoint between the dowels, drill a whole that fits your little mini-golf pencil (I knew there was a good use for these after the game).  Slip in your pencil.  Viola, you have a centerscribe.  You simply place the two dowels on either side of the board, turn to "lock" the dowels on either side and draw your line.

Probably a bad description, but easy once you "see" it.

(one can make a few of these in various sizes for ease of use)

So here is a side view:

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Re: like this.

Michael Suwczinsky

>I made this little gauge to find the centers of some big timbers I was mortising and tenoning. Easy to make and use.

Michael

Thanks everyone!!

chad pearson

>I want to use the scribe for finding the center near the end of a board on 1.5" and .75" stock. I think making two separate scribes as described is the perfect solution. (since I'm working near the end of the board I need to make them only slightly wider than the stock because otherwise one reference point could not be registered on the board.)

Thanks everyone.

Chad

Re: Centers - and octagon - scribe *LINK*

paul womack

>From way back...


old usenet post

Re: Centerscribe

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>Since you have gotten several good idea for substitutes I will make a couple of comments on the BCT device itself.

This devise, probably more than any other, got me to purchase several BCT tools. It is indeed unbearably cute, and rather ingenious in its own way. It is well made, though a bit smaller than I expected. It is that small size, coupled witht he fact that it can move out of position, that makes it little more functional than more primitive and far cheaper alternatives.

I'm not sorry to have it, as it is a neat tool, but in reality I have it to visually appreciate and find I but very rarely use the tool.

Precious, My Precious

Chad Pearson

>I admit part of what drove my question is that I liked the thought of drooling over the BCTW centerscribe.

My ostensible purpose for "needing" this tool is to find the centers on the ends of boards for making tenons with my Leigh FMT Jig (its ok to mention this jig on the hand tool side because I can just convince people that I have it hooked up to my Stanley 71 router). The FMT sight requires you to line up the center of where you want the tenon. When I use a center finding tool (or just mark a line from corner to corner) the scribe lines don't line up with the sight as well as two lines perpendicular to the edges of the board would.

As you can see my purpose for the tool is entirely frivilous... which means I must obtain it.

Chad