OK...I’ve never owned a Carpenters Square. Is this Square that much better then what I would find at the local box store?
http://chappellsquare.com/
http://chappellsquare.com/
fishingpol said:I have not used the Chappell. That square looks pretty complex and made for professional framers. What are you looking to do? I own a few speed squares that have basic roof rafter angles marked on them. The speed square lets you put the plate of a circular saw against it to make square cuts quickly. Angle cuts are simple using the marks. They fit in a carpenters tool belt and take an absolute beating being made of aluminum. Here is a link to one kind. It is basic, but my go-to square. I have built sheds, decks, additions and a friends garage using the speed square.
http://www.swansontoolco.com/s0101.cfm
fossil said:Yup to all of the above. As a lifelong tool person, I'd say there have been many times I've bought a cheap tool and regretted it later...but there have also been times I bought a lot more tool than I needed. If, as you said, you've never owned a carpenter's square before, I have to guess you're not a professional. If that's the case, but you're an accomplished DIY'er, then you want good tools, but you don't really need the very best tools made. That's a nice looking square, but I bet either of my old beat up steel squares is dang near as accurate. What are you going to use it for? How often will you use it? How complicated are the structures going to be that you anticipate using it on? Rick
Dune said:Just the fact that it is stainless steel makes it better than most squares.
How much does it cost?
Semipro said:Well, what features do you want/need and what are your criteria? Are you doing framing, roofing, trim carpentry, tiling, etc?
Stainless is nice as mine have rusted making the numbers hard to read. Standard steel ones typically come with a plastic coating but it fails after time.
If you just want a durable and "square" square. Buy a steel one and adjust it to perfectly square using a ball peen hammer if needed.
ironpony said:Sure is pretty
but unless you use it alot
and have someone show you what all those formulas
and measurements mean and how to use them
its just a big L used to make a line square to the edge of a board
buy a speed square and be happy
a 6 inch and 12 inch
you will understand all the markings
and actually use it
Rex said:Semipro said:Well, what features do you want/need and what are your criteria? Are you doing framing, roofing, trim carpentry, tiling, etc?
Stainless is nice as mine have rusted making the numbers hard to read. Standard steel ones typically come with a plastic coating but it fails after time.
If you just want a durable and "square" square. Buy a steel one and adjust it to perfectly square using a ball peen hammer if needed.
That is a good question what am I doing??? My wife and I just bought a large property which we are going to turn into a hobby farm or maybe more then a hobby farm. And maybe Farm Winery. So at some point I hope to convert a very large garage into a fermenting area. Maybe build a small barn at some point. We have lots of both hard and soft wood on our property so maybe milling that for the barn (this may be a pipedream). Lots of big plans that is very much in the dreaming stage right now.
Danno77 said:What's this square business? All you need is a tape measure and a level.
I'm no master carpenter, but I do know the Pythagorean theorem and tend to just use that to figure out what I need. I've never thought about using a square to do anything with rafters, lol. I must not know what the heck I'm doing (no shocker there)woodsmaster said:Danno77 said:What's this square business? All you need is a tape measure and a level.
Not to layout rafters and stair stringers.
Danno77 said:I'm no master carpenter, but I do know the Pythagorean theorem and tend to just use that to figure out what I need. I've never thought about using a square to do anything with rafters, lol. I must not know what the heck I'm doing (no shocker there)woodsmaster said:Danno77 said:What's this square business? All you need is a tape measure and a level.
Not to layout rafters and stair stringers.
Rex said:My dad has some speed squares I think I’ll liberate one from him. He has borrowed enough of my tools and by borrowed I mean taken and not given back. Looking back I’ve used a speed square a number of times. I guess I just didn’t see the speed square in the same class as a big square. So what could the Chappell square or another bigger square do that a speed square doesn’t do?
woodsmaster said:Ironpony is right. I'm a professional carpenter and use an aluminum one from a big box store. works just fine for
under $10.00 If I remember right. I don't recomend steel becouse they rust and you cant read the numbers. I do use my speed square more and have a 6" and 12". I pretty much only use the framing square for stairs, and rafters.
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