Help finding vertical center line on large dowel

[mrusch]

I'm starting a new Santa carving on a large basswood dowel - 4' long and about a 5" diameter. I need to run several lines down the entire length of the dowel to mirror the carving on both sides. Anyone have any suggestions getting nice accurate parallel vertical lines along the length of a dowel? I tried my wife's sewing tape with a level, but that tape bends as you draw in a pencil line along the length. A straight edge would work, but I need to be sure that it is perfectly parallel with the wood and not angled in any way.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[kasee]

Try using a piece of aluminum angle for a straight edge. Place the dowel in the inside of the angle and mark the line down one side. Put a line across the diameter of the rod connecting it to one end of the line on the side and you have the start of the line for the other side. You can purchase the metal from most hardware stores. I find the aluminum angle more often to be straight but steel will work also.

[Dicky]

I would try fixing the dowel to flat surface like a table. Then I would attach a pencil to a block of wood of the correct thickness to elevate the pencil point to the desired level, then keeping the pencil in contact with the dowel, just slide the block down the table the length of the dowel. To get the the next line. simply rotate the dowel, re-attach it to the table and repeat the process. If the table is flat and the dowel is round, the lines will have to be parallel. Hope this helps.

[AlArchie]

If you have a table or bandsdaw, lay the dowell in the miter gauge slot and run a pencil along the table surface....gets a nice straight line every time.

Al

[jmischel]

I really like that idea, Al, but how do you then get the line on the other side? Just running the pencil along the other side of the dowel isn't going to work.

Been too many years since I took geometry. Maybe I should go bug my neighbor's kid.

[brent]

If you have or know someone that has a marking guage llike woodworkers sometimes use, it will mark both sides for you.

[sbirkes]

A combination square often comes with a "V" part that allows you to find the center of a dowell and lets you mark opposite sides. You can get them at lots of hardware stores maybe even Harbor Freight. The link below shows the item I'm talking about. Lay your stick in the V and mark both sides on the end and then use the angle iron that others are talking about to make the mark down the side.
ADJUSTABLE COMBINATION SQUARE/MITER GAUGE WITH CENTER FINDER ATTACHMENT

[Spooker]

Mrusch,

Not sure if you've already found a way that works for you but I'm a pipefitter by trade and this is how we get lines on pipe. Pick up a roll or cash register tape from Walmart or any supply store. (It's cheap).

1) Wrap the paper around the dowel so the end over laps a few inches and make sure the edge is lined up.

2) Cut the paper through both layers, (careful not to cut hard enough to mar your dowel) This gives you a paper that when you rewrap it around any 5" dowel and you match up your cut edges will give you a "wrap line" which will be straight.

If you need lines running the length of the dowel:
1)Take that same paper and fold it perfectly in half (lengthwise) matching up the same egde you used to get your wrap line".

2) Folding it once will give you 1/2, again will give you 1/4s , again 1/8s etc.

3) Now you've got a folded piece of paper in your hand, cut the corners off the edge you're using as your straight edge.

4) when you unfold it and rewrap it around your dowel you'll have a little v cut on the 1/2s, 1/4, 1/8s etc and you can tape the paper and mark your length lines.

5) now you can take that angle iron method provided before and use that to get straight lines up and down your dowel and they'll be evenly spaced.

I don't know how well I did explaining this but I'll if I can offer anymore help feel free to ask.

and if you're going to be doing this alot I suggest picking up a "wrap around" from curv-o-mark or flange wizard.
Pipefitter.com - Home

Spooker

[AlArchie]

Jim, I haven't had to do both sides of a dowell, but here's what I would do if I had to. Simply "eyeball" a diameter line across the face of the dowell and then mark a spot on the oposite side of the first longitudinal line. Lay the dowell back into the miter slot, roll the dowell till the mark is level with the table's surface and run another line at that spot.

You could use one of those "V" shaped center finders to draw in the diameter line, but for most small dowells it would seem to me to be just as easy and nearly as accurate to eyeball tyhe durn thing.

Using one of those hand held center finders has always been a problem for me. A few years ago I picked up a wall mounted center marker from Lee Valley (I think). Its a large 90 degree V shaped outfit with a single cutter blade across the diagonal. You can lay a dowell or block in the V, tap the end and it marks a line exactly across the center. Twist the dowell 90 degrees, tap again and it marks another line right across the center.

Veritas® Center Marker - Lee Valley Tools


Al

[mark yundt]

You can buy all sorts of tools to do this but if you have access to a pencil, a piece of paper and a scissors you can do it very easily and quickly.

Set your dowel end on a piece of paper. Trace around the end creating a circle. Cut out the circle after tracing it. Fold the circle you cut out in half creating a half circle. Now just set this half circle cut out on the end of the dowel and the fold line will show you the center line of the dowel. Draw a pencil line across the end of the dowel following this folded paper. Now the line bisects the circle and gives you the starting points directly opposite on each side of the dowel.
Make a mark on each side of the dowel on the side where you need the line. Now using something as simple as your wall and assuming you have flat door or window frames, lay the dowel flat on the wall butting against the raised window/door frame, lay a pencil flat against the frame so the point touches the mark you made on the dowel, hold the dowel and just slide the pencil, laying flat on the frame, down the length of the dowel to make your line. Rotate the dowel to show the opposite mark and repeat the same process.



No guessing,eyeballing, rolling around, no fuss , no real tools to speak of and an accurate result especially on a larger dowel. Simple.