Easy way to center a square

[Steve Clardy]

I had an old timer to show me this trick several years ago. It's an easy and quick way to get the center point on a square blank for centering in a lathe. Just rip a piece of scrap 1/16" narrower than half the width of your square blank. Lay it down on the bench against the blank and make a mark across the end of the square. Do this 4 times,turning your square, and you have a center point. Ths eliminates dragging out the tri-square and holding it up on end fumbling around trying to mark it. Steve

[Todd Burch]

Since it's square, how about just drawing diagonals? Any straight edge will work - I usually grab a wood scrap. Todd.

[Steve Clardy]

Since it's square, how about just drawing diagonals? Any straight edge will work - I usually grab a wood scrap. Todd.

This other way is faster for me, especially if you have a mountain of them to do, 100 or so at a time. Try it, you'll like it. Steve

[Roger Myers]

use a marking gauge, set to aprox. the midpoint, and scribe from all 4 sides...is easy to judge the center of the resulting small square...quicker than marking diag., and no cutting of a gauge block....
Use this method all the time....
Whatever works for you, is the best method of all...

Roger