NQ (newbie question) - How do I find the centre of a round bar?

Chuck it up lightly and tap the end until it has no runout. Tighten the chuck a little and check it again, then drill the center hole with the tailstock drill chuck. Start the drill with a real light touch.

If the end of the material is not flat (saw cut or whatever), chuck up a small center cutting end mill first and cut a flat in the end of the stock to drill in.

"jt" snipped-for-privacy@spamkiller.hfx.andara.com

Anything that will bisect a right angle and allow you to scribe a line one the end of the round will do it. (Make sure your end is square to the round first.) The most common example is to set the center head of a combination square on the end of the circumference of the round, and scribe several lines from different positions on the circumference. Where they intersect is where to make your hole (prick punch first, then center punch, or however you are used to doing it). Use layout blue if available. You can also use a surface plate. Set a surface gauge to 1 1/4 inch, and make the several scribed lines with that. Or, use a hermaphrodite caliper (one leg has the scribe point, the other is curved to be set on the side of the rod. Or, you could mount the rod in the scroll chuck, and (perhaps a steady rest to basically support the outer end is available? Would help, but not necessary.) indicate the far end with a dial indicator (moving the setup by hand and adjusting by tapping until you get the closest you can to a zero/zero reading all around the rod. If you have none of the above, you can actually get centered close to .001 with the chucking method, using a hand-held) marking crayon, or other marker, and catching a mark at the far end under a light touch of power. Close the chuck jaws snug but not fully firm on the rod. Start the lathe, and mark the far end of the rod. Stop the lathe, and read where the mark is heavy, and tap that side of the rod in, and continue until you have an even mark all around the rod. Then tighten the jaws fully, and peck (a series of fine touches) a center hole with a center drill. Or, you could take an hour and go get the center thingie. FM

Can you make something like this:

I'd scribe from corner to corner and center punch at the crossing of the scribe lines. Center drill on a drill press or even on the lathe. One other way might to be use a steady devise similar to that which John Stevenson built to handle square stock in a steady.

see:

Ha ha !! Sorry about that, I did not have the subject line large enough to see the words round stock. Sorry I was talking square stock.

Bill (excuses excuses) (^:

Bill wrote:

Bill snipped-for-privacy@sympatico.ca

You can also use it for round.

A variation would be a cat head, a steel/iron cap on the outboard end of which you have the center hole to take the TS center. At the sides the same four screws. The simpler cat head eliminates the base to the bed, though you can use it with a steady, too. FM

Oh my word yes, you surely can. (any shape the clamping screws can get a proper purchase on) Ha ha! I was refering to my instructions to scribe from corner to corner. Very hard to find corners on round stock!! (^:

Bill