Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get 2,000+ tool plans, full site access, and more.

User Tag List

Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Miniature center finder

  1. #1
    Supporting Member mklotz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    LA, CA, USA
    Posts
    3,433
    Thanks
    357
    Thanked 6,378 Times in 2,116 Posts

    mklotz's Tools

    Miniature center finder

    When I built my tensegrity model...

    Miniature tensegrity table

    I had to find the center of the sides of a number of 1/4" square pieces.

    My homemade center finder...

    Large scale center finder

    is too big and clumsy for such small pieces so I decided to make a QAD (Quick And Dirty) tiny center finder...

    Miniature center finder-center-finder-1.jpg

    The body is a coffee stirrer. I drilled a 1.5 mm hole in the center to accept the tip of a 0.5 mm mechanical drafting pencil. Using a compass centered in this hole, I laid out arcs on each side of the stirrer to establish the spacing of the pins. After that it was just a matter of lopping some pins from a small dowel and gluing them on the stirrer at points marked by the arcs. The spacing between the pins affects how close to the end of the stock the center finder can be used. If that is a concern, the spacing should be only slightly larger than the width of the stock.

    In use...

    Miniature center finder-center-finder-2.jpg

    the device is twisted on the stock until the pins touch the sides which puts the hole in the middle of the stock. A pencil marks the stock through the hole. Drawing the device along the stock makes a line if that is desired.

    The take-away here is not so much the device but the method of construction. Not as accurate as my use of a DI to lay out the holes on my metal version but plenty accurate enough for woodworking.

    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook
    ---
    Regards, Marv

    Home Shop Freeware
    https://www.myvirtualnetwork.com/mklotz

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to mklotz For This Useful Post:

    old_toolmaker (Jun 22, 2021), Paul Jones (Jun 22, 2021), Toolmaker51 (Jun 21, 2021)

  3. #2
    Content Editor
    Supporting Member
    DIYer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    3,056
    Thanks
    772
    Thanked 1,850 Times in 1,652 Posts


    Thanks mklotz! We've added your Miniature Center Finder to our Measuring and Marking category,
    as well as to your builder page: mklotz's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:




    2000 Tool Plans

  4. #3
    Supporting Member Toolmaker51's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Midwest USA
    Posts
    5,330
    Thanks
    7,041
    Thanked 2,977 Times in 1,892 Posts

    Toolmaker51's Tools
    "The spacing between the pins affects how close to the end of the stock the center finder can be used. If that is a concern, the spacing should be only slightly larger than the width of the stock.
    ........the device is twisted on the stock until the pins touch the sides which puts the hole in the middle of the stock. A pencil marks the stock through the hole. Drawing the device along the stock makes a line if that is desired.

    The take-away here is not so much the device but the method of construction. Not as accurate as my use of a DI to lay out the holes on my metal version but plenty accurate enough for woodworking.
    "

    This is standard for Mr. K and a limited number of folks, wish it was more universal.
    It's not easy to visualize without prior experimentation and some failures. Increasing that ratio depends on observation and suitable records. Like many tools, applicable to various types of work.
    BTW, the tool is seen on different workbenches too. First I saw, a gunsmith used it centering sighting beads on a shotgun rib.



    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook
    Sincerely,
    Toolmaker51
    ...we'll learn more by wandering than searching...

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •