Word of the Day
25 February 2026
self-centering
adjectiveMachining
Tending to walk toward the proper center of a hole when cutting.
Why this one
The word describes geometry doing the locating instead of the operator. Same idea, different hardware: a scroll plate in a three jaw chuck pulls all jaws in together, so the part lands on center whether you aimed it there or not.
In use
Once it bites it's self-centering, so quit leaning on the handle and let the point find the middle on its own.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.