A drill bit finds dead center of a dowel

Locating the center of a wooden dowel can be a hit-or-miss proposition if you try to do it with a straightedge and a pencil. Typically, the smaller the dowel, the greater the chance of missing the middle.

Hit the center by using a Forstner bit of the same diameter as the dowel to bore a hole through a block of scrapwood. Then, insert the dowel into the hole on one side of the block and the bit on the other side. Press in slightly as you twist the bit a few times to mark an indent in the center of the dowel.
—From the WOOD® magazine shop