Can we talk about buying a proper layout square

I spent $45 on a 12-inch aluminum one after trying to mark rafters with a speed square and a framing square for too long. It cut my layout time in half on a shed build last month, anyone else find a simple tool that just clicked?

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3 Comments

emery_young136mo ago

My old speed square felt fine until that deck build.

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blake6916mo ago

Why spend that much on a single tool though? My old speed square does the job just fine once you get the hang of it.

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caleb2626mo ago

Honestly @blake691, I felt the exact same way for years. My trusty old speed square was all I ever reached for. What changed my mind was finally using one on a bigger framing project. Having that digital readout lock in the angle and just transfer it directly to the board cut out so many steps and chances for a small error. It just made the whole process faster and more sure, especially when you're doing a lot of the same cut over and over. The time it saved me on that one job made the cost feel a lot more reasonable.

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