Finding Exact Center for Woodworking Joinery

The video “How to Find Exact Center for Woodworking Joinery” is by Inspire Woodcraft. In this informative guide, Jodee shares a simple and foolproof method for finding the exact center of your workpieces, which is essential for operations like half lap joinery.

Sometimes, it’s the simplest operations that we tend to overthink the most. For example, when building a frame with half lap joinery at each corner, knowing half the thickness of the wood is crucial. Instead of measuring and dividing, Jodee introduces a method that eliminates the need for complex calculations.

Common Techniques for Finding Center

There are traditional methods often used to find the center, but they can be finicky:

  • Measuring and Dividing: This involves measuring the thickness, dividing by two, and marking a line. However, this can be tedious and prone to error.
  • Blade Width Cut: Another method is running a blade width cut on a table saw. This involves flipping the piece and trying to get the nub left in the middle as close to zero as possible. While this can work, it’s easy to overshoot and create more work.

These methods can lead to frustration, especially if you accidentally cut too much. But fear not! Jodee has a better way.

A Foolproof Method

This method is extremely easy and requires no measuring or marking. Here’s how it works:

  1. Set up your miter gauge on the right side of the blade.
  2. Attach a stop block using a spring clamp.
  3. Take a scrap piece of the same material that your frame is made from and slide it into place.
  4. Set your blade to 45 degrees and make a cut through the bottom face of the scrap piece.
  5. Flip the piece over and cut another 45-degree angle on the opposite face.
Setup with miter gauge and stop block

The end result will indicate exactly where halfway is. Once you have that, it’s time to adjust your blade back to 90 degrees.

Getting the Perfect Cut

Now, with your blade back at 90 degrees, you can create a line that goes from one tooth of the blade to the opposite tooth. When that line stands perfectly straight up, you know that’s the highest point of your saw blade.

Aligning the blade with the line

Next, rotate your blade until that line stands straight up, just like a square. Position the tooth right at the center point of your workpiece, and once they match, lock it down and make your cuts. The result? A nice, tight-fitting half lap joint!

Making the cut for half lap joint

Final Thoughts

Any discrepancies in your cuts can easily be planed or sanded down, making this method not only quick but highly efficient. Jodee emphasizes that this approach is significantly faster than the traditional methods, even if you need to make slight adjustments to the blade height.

With this simple technique, woodworkers can save time and reduce the chances of error, allowing for more successful projects and less frustration in the workshop. So the next time you’re tackling joinery, remember this foolproof method to find the exact center of your workpieces!

Video

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