Speed squares

[PCustoms]

What's your go-to speed square?

I've got a few cheap (harbor freight?) aluminum ones that were so far out I touched them up on the sander. They're fine for quick layouts at the weld table.

I have a Swanson orange nylon square, no idea when or why I bought it but I've framed plenty of projects with it. Went to trim some more decking yesterday and it's cracked. Not sure if I sat on it, dropped it or what. Still works, mostly, but a pain in the **** as it will twist out of plane.

Had I known yesterday morning have grabbed another at the store, but before I do, am I missing some better option? For $5 I feel like that answer is no...

 

[WisJim]

My old Macklanburg-Duncan speed square is good but I like the original Swanson, which I think is still available. A lot of the new ones are a lot lighter and thinner than the original, and I don't care for the plastic ones. I don't know if ones by companies by Milwaukee are any better, but there sure are a lot of imitations.

 

[redwrench60]

No need to reinvent the wheel here. Go to Lowe’s and get an aluminum Swanson speed square. The markings are deeply stamped, and contrast well for easy viewing. They are tough and very affordable.

 

[mike93lx]

Swanson, both aluninum and plastic. The aluninum is a lot easier to read

 

[Hakeem]

There’s only one speed square and they’re made by Swanson here in the US

Everything else is just a rafter square…

The updated version & the trim square are both well designed and available for less than $20. Why get anything else?

 

[speed bump]

I think I have a Johnson in my framing bags, a Swanson and and empire on the wall in the garage. They all seem to work, I don't use the scribing feature a lot but I feel like that could be handy and was something Milwaukee made better on their squares than anyone else (although pretty much everyone offers the feature now).

 

[dutchgray]

I have the big aluminium Swanson one as my main square, don't think I have cut less than a 7" board for a rafter in a decade or more so the bigger size is needed.

I have an Empire for the normal size and a Swansom trim square which I use far more for marking out steel sections when fabricating.

 

[PCustoms]

Swanson, both aluninum and plastic. The aluninum is a lot easier to read

Can't say I've ever had a complaint there with my old orange one, but now that you bring it up I won't be able to unsee it.

 

[mike93lx]

Can't say I've ever had a complaint there with my old orange one, but now that you bring it up I won't be able to unsee it.

Yeah, not saying the orange one is hard to read... I have one too, but the aluminum is easier

 

[liliysdad]

I have Swanson's all over the place, but I have an old Stanley that is the first one I grab. Its black with yellow indices, and its super easy to see.

That being said, I use a speed/rafter square more often on metal than wood.

 

[cgrutt]

Another vote for aluminum Swanson I don't know why but I have about 1/2 dozen of them. They last forever. I have a couple of other speed-style squares. One of them is a Milwaukee. Nice square, aluminum but smaller than the standard size Swanson. I thought I'd like it better because it fits better in my leather pouch but I don't use it that much keep going back to the Swanson. I don't remember brand of the other one and don't even recall seeing it lately might have gotten lost. I use the Swanson alot. Always mark first but I tend to use Swanson to guide cuts on framing and flooring lumber. I don't even bring my miter saw unless it's a big job or doing complicated trim. The Swanson is awesome.

 

[speed bump]

Yeah, not saying the orange one is hard to read... I have one too, but the aluminum is easier

Color the markings in sharpie and wipe off the excess. On the aluminum ones I like a red paint pen.

 

[PCustoms]

Funny that Swanson seems to be the go to, half expected some new fangled $50 amazasquare.

I threw one in my cart when I was doing an order, be here tomorrow.

 

[Rusted Nut]

I have a 40 year old Swanson still in a pocket of my nail bags. Still have the little blue book tables for cutting roof rafters that used to come with the square.

 

[PCustoms]

Still have the little blue book tables for cutting roof rafters that used to come with the square.

Hah

Forgot about that. I think it's in the drawer of my toolbox with the scales and combination squares

 

[mike93lx]

Funny that Swanson seems to be the go to, half expected some new fangled $50 amazasquare.

I threw one in my cart when I was doing an order, be here tomorrow.

If you really cared, and were cool, you'd get a martinez

 

[PCustoms]

If you really cared, and were cool, you'd get a martinez

I'm guessing I don't care that much, and I've never been cool.

 

[mike93lx]

I'm guessing I don't care that much, and I've never been cool.

Well that's no fun

 

[PCustoms]

Well that's no fun

For fun (it's raining again) I looked it up.

Does a $150 square mark rafter angles any better then a $15?

Does it make my skillsaw cut faster, squarer cuts?

How about when I drop it from a ladder, does it bounce right back to me, or do I still have to go down and get it?

Maybe Festool makes one with built in dust collection.

 

[txvwnut]

I got a couple Empire speed squares, 6” and a 12”. I saw them at Northern Tool one day liked the contrasting colors making it easier to read so I bought them. It wasn’t until a few days or more later that I noticed they are made in USA.

 

[dutchgray]

Funny that Swanson seems to be the go to, half expected some new fangled $50 amazasquare.

I threw one in my cart when I was doing an order, be here tomorrow.

The Swanson squares are good enough quality for a good enough price and for most carpenters the speed square gets quite a hard life so there is little incentive to spend a lot on a premium version.

 

[mike93lx]

For fun (it's raining again) I looked it up.

Does a $150 square mark rafter angles any better then a $15?

Does it make my skillsaw cut faster, squarer cuts?

How about when I drop it from a ladder, does it bounce right back to me, or do I still have to go down and get it?

Maybe Festool makes one with built in dust collection.

All that and more!

It can be yours with 48 payments of 4.99 a month, too

 

[PCustoms]

It can be yours with 48 payments of 4.99 a month, too

Snapon has entered the chat....

 

[tarbellb]

Got half a dozen, Empire, Swanson, etc...

cheap enough to have aluminum and plastic- (cracks before it warps which is good for knowing when to get a new one)

also cheap enough to shave a miter into the 90 corner for gapping over weld beads

I believe someone is making a version with a fatter fence for some unique situations, it's also 5x the price

 

[FigN⋅m]

To be a total nerd about it, I have a Swanson for messing with wood, and a Milwaukee for steel layout.
I don't like the feeling/results of a scribe or plasma nozzle rubbing the engraved markings, but the
tradeoff is the laser ones tend to get beat up a little bit quicker. Both offer great trim squares too.

 

[NoahG]

Can’t go wrong with the OG, Swanson.

My go-to is a green anodized aluminum one I bought at Menards almost a decade ago. I think Empire was the OEM, as it looks like their blue versions, and the red ones they make for Milwaukee. I love those little Milwaukee trim squares.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

I wanted to buy Milwaukee because it's red and would accessorize with my mobile tool kit more, but it has mixed reviews, as so most of their hand tools. I sit true that Empire OEMs them? Is so, maybe it was just a few bad ones because I think Empire is pretty good.

 

[PCustoms]

I wanted to buy Milwaukee because it's red and would accessorize with my mobile tool kit more

Is this for real?

 

[Beerhippie]

Rekkin' that spent some time in my bags?

I'm not sure, but I think Swanson was the original Speed Square. I've been through a lot of different brands over the years--not because I wore them out, but because of jobsite loss. Current one is a Johnson, which appears to be a perfect clone of the old Swanson, right down to the "little blue book". The only way I've damaged one was using it as a guide for a plasma cutter.

I once watched a crew boss on a roofing job drop a guy who was trying to steal our compressor--on the run--with a perfectly thrown Speed Square--from a second story roof. It was a thing of beauty--hit him right in the occiput and dropped him like a rock. The guy was up and gone by the time we got there, but he left the comp behind and I'm sure he had a hell of a headache for days after.

No one messed with the crew boss after that incident.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Is this for real?

haha it's a joke

I've been spending some time on the Milwaukee Tools subreddit and there are some interesting characters there!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Can’t go wrong with the OG, Swanson.

My go-to is a green anodized aluminum one I bought at Menards almost a decade ago. I think Empire was the OEM, as it looks like their blue versions, and the red ones they make for Milwaukee. I love those little Milwaukee trim squares.

First one was a Swanson. Second one for the job box was a green Menard's piece.

 

[PCustoms]

haha it's a joke

I've been spending some time on the Milwaukee Tools subreddit and there are some interesting characters there!

Good.

Yep, the fanboy club runs deep red. I figure if I see a contractor exclusively using one brand tool, they're either:

-New and walked the HD aisle
-A sponsored shill
-fanboyz charging too much. Check for brodozer in driveway

I'd rather see a contractor with a worn, but not abused, mixture of tools. I figure that's the guy whose spent years working and has put together the best mixture of brands/tools/methods for his work.

 

[AEAdam]

Just bought a mini Swanson speed square. 4 or 4-1/2”. Wanted to draw a square line on a 2x6 wall. Finding it helpful for a lot of jobs beyond that. Still use the 6 and 12” to guide my circ saws tho.

 

[GeoBruin]

My Swanson is over half a degree out on one side. You wouldn't think it would matter that much but in some situations it throws me off. I've learned to start using only one side although that's not always convenient. I've threatened to machine it down but never got around to it. I should just replace it but it never dawns on me to do so until I'm mid-project and I need it again.

 

[mike93lx]

My Swanson is over half a degree out on one side. You wouldn't think it would matter that much but in some situations it throws me off. I've learned to start using only one side although that's not always convenient. I've threatened to machine it down but never got around to it. I should just replace it but it never dawns on me to do so until I'm mid-project and I need it again.

Its aluminum. Throw it on your table saw sled and cut it

 

[PCustoms]

My Swanson is over half a degree out on one side. You wouldn't think it would matter that much but in some situations it throws me off. I've learned to start using only one side although that's not always convenient. I've threatened to machine it down but never got around to it. I should just replace it but it never dawns on me to do so until I'm mid-project and I need it again.

I bet you that protractor has a +/- 1 degree variation.

 

[FigN⋅m]

I bet you that protractor has a +/- 1 degree variation.

Claimed spec for that is +/- 0.3*
If I had a full 1* variation, I'd throw it in the trash.

 

[Beerhippie]

My Swanson is over half a degree out on one side. You wouldn't think it would matter that much but in some situations it throws me off. I've learned to start using only one side although that's not always convenient. I've threatened to machine it down but never got around to it. I should just replace it but it never dawns on me to do so until I'm mid-project and I need it again.

Do I sense sarcasm here?

 

[PCustoms]

Claimed spec for that is +/- 0.3*
If I had a full 1* variation, I'd throw it in the trash.

I'll have to look it up, that seems phenomenal for a $25 tool from home depot

 

[tak1313]

My Swanson is over half a degree out on one side. You wouldn't think it would matter that much but in some situations it throws me off. I've learned to start using only one side although that's not always convenient. I've threatened to machine it down but never got around to it. I should just replace it but it never dawns on me to do so until I'm mid-project and I need it again.

Maybe it's the way the image comes across, but in the first pic, it looks like the bottom blade of the digital isn't quite touching the square - such that the digital WOULD be reading less than 90 degrees.