A Scrap Wood Project
Why buy another workshop tool when a few scraps and a screw will do the job?
I even mentioned the possibility of a post about making the scribe and wuddaya know - here it is!
What Is a Center Line Scribe?
I guess the first thing I should mention is that a center line scribe is used for determining exact centers on the edges of boards when making biscuit slot cuts, drilling dowel joints, for assembly work and more. I should also mention that such a scribe can be purchased just about anywhere, and most are listed at less than $20.
Making the Scribe from Scrap Wood
So, obviously making one myself wasn't as much about the money as it was my insatiable search to find ways to use scrap wood left over from other projects. Here's how I made it, so incredibly simple! Besides my drill press and a hand saw, these were the only supplies required...
I used scrap pieces I had on hand including:
1"x2"x5" piece of pine
Two 1 1/2" pieces of 1/2" diameter dowel
A 1" drywall screw
After cutting the body of the scribe, I cut the dowel pieces...
Then I marked out the placement of the dowels and drilled the holes to 1/2" depth with a Forstner bit to the holes a flat bottom.
If you noticed, I marked out the lines for placement of the dowels and to find the exact center between them. After the holes were drilled, it was just a matter of applying some wood glue and making sure the dowels were inserted at 90 degrees to the base of the body.
Finding the Exact Center
This is the most important part of the scribe, take the time to find the exact center between the dowels.
And there's really the whole secret to this little tool. Because the screw sits exactly halfway between the two dowels, when both dowels are touching opposite sides of a board, the screw has no choice but to be centered on the edge. No measuring, no dividing fractions, and, most importantly for me, no opportunity to mess up the math!
Once that was determined, I used my drill press to pre-drill a pilot hole to make sure the scribing screw went into the body at a right angle also.
From there it was pretty much done! I screwed the drywall screw in slowly because only a tiny bit of the tip is needed to scribe the edge of a board. In the picture below, the screw needs to be backed out a bit because even that little bit is a smidge too much.
Of course I also finished it with what's becoming the signature stain color here at 173 - Minwax Gunstock stain.
Putting the Center Line Scribe to Work
To use the scribe, the guide posts straddle the workpiece, rotate the tool so the guideposts contact the wood, and then scribe. It's just that simple! No muss, no fuss and no figurin'!
Is it fancy? Nope. Is it something I couldn't have bought for fifteen bucks? Nope. But there's something satisfying about reaching for a useful little tool and remembering that it started life as a few scraps lying around the workshop. Those are becoming some of my favorite tools here at 173.
And all from scraps and a screw!
See ya next time!
George
I like projects like this because they're almost an argument against throwing anything away.Most people would look at a five-inch scrap of pine, two little pieces of dowel and a drywall screw and see absolutely nothing worth saving.You saw a tool.And sure, you could've bought one for twenty bucks and had it delivered to the house without ever leaving your chair. But twenty years from now, the store-bought one would just be another tool.This one has a story.Besides, any woodworking project that eliminates both measuring and fractions deserves a permanent spot near the workbench. - The Scrap-Bin Woodworker
Keywords
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