DIY Center Finder Tool

Hi everyone!

In this quick ible I'm gonna show you how to make a useful Center Finder tool using just scrap materials that you can find easily in your home.

Thanks to this simple, yet accurate tool you will be able to quickly mark the center of your square or round workpiece, saving a lot of time.

MATERIALS:

- 2x scrap pieces of wood

- 10cm x 10cm plexiglas
(the clear side of a CD cover would work as well)

- 3x long wood screws

- 2x flat-head screws

TOOLS:

- drill

- wood glue

- clamps

- precision square

First of all find or cut two small pieces of scrap wood (mine measure 8cm x 10cm).

Apply wood glue on the joint and clamp the pieces together being sure to let them dry in square (photo#1).

After 15 minutes reinforce the "L piece" adding 3 long screws.

Be sure to pre-drill the holes in order to avoid cracks.

It's time to work on the plexiglass piece.

First of all cut a piece of the right measure (mine is 8cm x 10cm), and then make a 45° cut.

Plexiglass is an easy material to work with. You could cut it using a jigsaw or a metal saw but I found easier to cut it making a lot of scores with a knife, and finally I bent the piece with my hands breaking it along the line.

In order to secure the plexiglass to the wood I drilled two holes in both pieces, and then I secured it using two flat-head screws.

NOTE: don't tighten them too much or you will break the plexiglass.

And here it is! After just 20 minutes (I hate to wait for the glue to dry) we have a simple yet accurate tool that will save you lot of time when you need to mark the center of a workpiece.

It's specially useful for round pieces. Lay your workpiece in the corner against the plexiglass and the wood, mark a line along the 45° plexiglass edge, rotate the piece a little and mark another line. Congratulations! You found the center. (a 3rd line is needed just the first time to check that your DIY tool is accurate)

Thank you for reading my Instructable. ;)
Feel free to comment and ask if you need to know something!

manuelmasc