Place the vertex of a right angle (90 deg) anywhere on the edge of the circle stock with the sides running across the surface to separate points on the edge. Mark where the sides of the angle cross the edge. Draw a line between the two points. Move the vertex of the angle to another point on the circle and do it again. The intersection of the two lines is the geometric center. I do it with fresh business cards.
Any time a right angle rests with its vertex on the circumference of a circle the intersection points with the sides will form a line that bisects the circle exactly. Two lines that bisect a circle at different angles will intersect at the center.
I work with a lot of small wood dowels and find it to be a difficult problem. I am speaking of 1/4" , 3/8" and so forth. Working with such small sizes requires the center to be pretty near dead center. Any and all suggestions would be appreciatd. Thanks much, Don
How about using a forstner bit the size of the dowel to drill almost through a piece of scrap. Then drill a small (1/16 ~ 3/16) hole centered on the indent left by the forstner bit the rest of the way through the scrap. Now you can insert the dowel into the forstner hole and mark your center through the small hole. The attached images show you what I mean. You can make center jigs like this for almost any size dowel.
I think the Veritas center marker is a brilliant method... mostly because I can never find a pencil in my shop.
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