Need to find the center of a board? This no-measure method is as easy as it gets.

It works best when you need to find the center point on a board’s long grain or end grain edge.

But it can work on faces as well, as long as your board is less than around 6” wide.

This is my favorite center-finding technique when I need to resaw a board on the table saw…

Or want to quickly layout mortises and other joinery.

And best of all, it can often give you more accurate results than measuring.
 
All you need is a marking gauge and a trusty set of eyeballs.

Here’s how it works.

Start by setting up your marking gauge so the cutter is roughly centered on the board.

Press the fence against the edge of the board, position the cutter, and lock it down.

No need for the calipers. Just use your eyeballs here.

With the fence firmly against the board’s edge, mark a light line (or a deep line if you're feeling wild).

It doesn’t need to be deep. A scratch will do.

You can even just compress the blade into the wood slightly to make a mark.

Now repeat the step above — but with the marking gauge fence referencing the opposite edge of the board.

If the marking gauge cutter drops perfectly into the first line you scribed, pat yourself on the back. You nailed center first try.

But more than likely, you’ll have two parallel lines. And center is right between them.

When to call it quits depends on what you’ll be doing next.

If you're resawing a board on the table saw, for example, two parallel lines with a gap between are actually more helpful than a single center line.

That’s because that gap lets you account for the kerf of the blade.

But for joinery where you need a precise center line, I like to repeat this process until the blade sits in the same position from both sides of the board.

When it’s all set up, scribe the final center line and you’re ready to keep working.

Want to know other techniques for finding the center of a board? Read this.

What’s your favorite no-measure method for marking center? Let us know in the comments below!

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