Homemade Version of Center Finder?

That isn't so much a center finder as it is a blanks sizer Mike. You can cut rounds from Masonite, cardboard so on. With the wooden or cardboard ones...attach it to the blank and go right to the bandsaw!
 
Mike, that device (and thousands of others) are carefully designed...to remove dollar bills from your wallet. :) Beyond that, it does nothing you can't already do with a variety of other (free) methods. As Jim said, if you want circle shapes to use as a guide, cut several out from cardboard. Personally, I use a compass. I find the approximate center by eye, and draw a circle. If the circle isn't centered, I move the compass point accordingly and draw another circle. It doesn't have to be exact...your lathe will handle the "perfectly round" part for you. ;)

The woodworking market is full of gadgets. Some are very handy, some are kind of useful, and some are junk. For the most part, what the gadgets do can be done without them. (And in some cases, it can be done more easily without the gadget.) Now I do have a lot of these gadgets myself, so I speak from experience here, but every once in a while it's good to remember that even in today's world with lasers and GPS and high tech everything, the finest brick walls are still built with just a piece of string and a bubble level. ;)
 
Its kind of a cool idea though to just visually look at it and pick the most appealing center. Now that I think about it I have a piece of plexi sitting in my unused parts bin... somewhere over there...
 
Closest thing I have to a center finder is one of these, a hand-me-down from my granddad:

Starrett Center Head.jpg

It's handy for finding the approximate center of a large round blank. I've yet to need to find the center of a smaller round like that shown in the photo, though, since if I have round stock that size, I made it on the lathe, and the center is already located by the lathe.

For a square (or octagonal or hexagonal) blank, all you need is a straightedge. Even a plain ol' board will do if the edge is straight, so I don't need a $7.00 to $15.00 piece of plastic to tell me where the center is. It's not rocket surgery. :D
 
[Mike, that device (and thousands of others) are carefully designed...to remove dollar bills from your wallet. :) Beyond that, it does nothing you can't already do with a variety of other (free) methods.

Yep, couldnt agree more. Sorta like two guys standing outside and one says to the other If you give me $5 I tell you the sun is shining.

Its a gadget that is not needed when you can make one out of just about anything.I use an old engineers compass with a pencil taped to it.
 
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