Shoutout to the foreman who showed me a trick with a speed square

I was on a site in Denver last month framing a weird angled wall. The print called for some funky cuts and I was about to guess and waste a couple studs. This old foreman walks over, grabs my speed square, and shows me how to use it to find common rafters. I've been framing for 5 years and never knew you could do that with a basic speed square. It saved me like 30 minutes of math and a trip to the lumber pile. Has anyone else picked up a simple tool trick way later than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_avery4d ago

Bro you just described my whole life. I was 8 years into drywall before someone showed me you can use a chalk line to snap a straight line faster than any level. Felt like a total idiot standing there.

taylor.amy3d agoMost Upvoted

Lol I read somewhere that old timers would call the chalk line a "poor man's laser" and after using one for the first time it made so much sense. Same energy as using a speed square for cuts instead of guessing, I swear half of this trade is just learning the shortcuts nobody tells you about. The chalk line is one of those things where you kick yourself for not picking it up sooner, but hey better late than never. I bet your lines got way cleaner after that switch too.