Amazingly Simple Way to Find the Center of Round Restaurant Table Tops

Why would a person need to determine the center of a round table? Many times restaurant table tops and bases are not made by the same manufacturer, so there are no markings on the bottom of the table identifying where to center and attach the base.   Since there are no markings on the bottom of the table, the people responsible for attaching the base to the table need to know where the center of the round table is, so the metal table base can be attached in the correct spot.

To find the center of a round table you will need:

A tape measure

Some string

A pencil

Place the table top face down on the floor on a padded surface, using something like a moving blanket, to protect the table top. Measure from one side of the table to the other to determine the diameter. For example, 36” is a typical diameter.  The determine the radius by dividing diameter by 2. So the radius for a 36” round table divided by 2 is 18”.

Tie the string to the pencil, one inch above the pencil tip.  Tie a knot in the string the distance of the radius from the tip of the pencil, for this example is 18”.  So now the string is tied to the pencil, and is 18” long from the tip of the pencil to the small knot in the string.

Hold the knot in one spot anywhere on the edge of the table and draw an arc about 5” long.  Repeat this step about 6 times holding the knot at different points on the edge of the table, and making a 5” arc with the pencil.  The string should not bend, and should always 18” from the edge to the arc.  The pencil needs to be held perpendicular to the table top.

After making several arcs, there should be a common point where the arcs intersect.  This is the middle of the table.  The arcs may not intersect exactly, but for the purpose of attaching a base, all the arcs should intersect fairly closely. The assembled metal restaurant table bases can now be attached to center of the table location.