There’s a quick and easy way to find the center of a board — and you don’t need your tape measure or to work complicated math problems.
Just make a self-centering jig!
To do this, drill three holes into a short length of 1-by-2. On each end of the 1-by-2, drill a 3/8-inch-diameter hole, and then drill a 5/16-inch-diameter hole in the middle.
Then take 2-inch-long, 3/8-inch-diameter wooden dowels and hammer them into the outside holes. These are the pins.
When you use the center finder, simply sit it on a board and rotate it until the pins make contact with the edges.
Then, put your pencil in the middle hole and slide it along. You’ll have a line right down the exact center of the board!
It doesn’t matter what size the board is, as long as the jig is long enough, and the jig’s center hole is exactly centered between the two pins.
Watch the video above for Joe Truini’s center finder in action!
