center marking gauge

Marking the center of a wheel is a very easy thing if you have the right tool for it. You can buy tools similar to this for as much as $25.00. For a few cents worth of material and less time than it would take you to order one, and certainly less time than it would take to wait for the UPS truck to arrive, you can make this simple center marking gauge.

This center marking jig will work on square, octagonal or round stock, finding the exact center every time. It is useful for wood turning, but also for making small wheels in toy making. Normally the center is found by making two lines at 90 degrees to each other. That I made several intersecting lines that meet at the exact same point, assures me that the jig is dead on.

My center finding jig is made of 1/8 in. thick Baltic birch and the hole is drilled so that it can be hung for storage and also so it will be known to not be a piece of scrap wood available for student use. I am revisiting my chapter on making wheels, simplifying, and improving. This jig is part of that process.  You will find it best to drill the axle hole using a brad point bit.

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