digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Every homeowner should keep a speed square (also called a rafter square) on hand, since it does far more than cut rafters. It works as a square marking guide, a straight-line guide for a circular saw, a protractor for angles, and a stud-layout and spacing tool. The host also shows how to make a simple belt holder for it.
Key Points
- The speed square's 90° and 45° edges let you mark square and mitered lines, and flipping it gives the 45° angle.
- Pressing the lip against an edge lets you use the square as an instant fence for a saw, giving a straight, square cut anywhere.
- The pivot point and degree markings let you lay out custom angles; Tommy shows swinging to 50°, then stopping at 22 1/2° as an example.
- For framing, it speeds up marking 16-inch on-center studs and squaring lines across studs, and its increment markings help place jack studs.
- The diamond notch at 3½ inches marks the width of a 2x4, and the notches let you scribe a parallel line for ripping.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Marking a square line: press the lip tightly against the edge, then draw along the square.
- Marking a 45°: flip the square so the 45° edge lines up with your reference point and draw.
- Using it as a saw guide: draw your cut line, set the saw blade on the line, bring the square over, press it firmly against the saw's edge, and cut.
- Setting a custom angle: hold the square tight to the edge, pivot it, and read the degree markings (e.g., 22 1/2°), then mark that angle.
- Placing a jack stud: slide the square so the 1½-inch mark sits against the stud edge, since a stud is 1½ inches thick, and mark there.
- Scribing a parallel line: put a pencil in the notch at the desired offset (e.g., 2 inches) and drag the square along the edge.
- Making a belt holder: cut a PVC ballast to length, add a ¾-inch plywood piece for stiffness, cut a slot with a screw at the bottom as a stop, reinforce one side with a screw, and screw a belt clip on the other side.
- Tommy confirms the speed square is a quick reference that can show whether a given stud is square to the plate, and in this case indicates one stud is not square.
- The original holder Tommy has used for years is from a company that appears to be out of business, so he shows the host how to make a homemade version instead.
Bottom Line
A speed square is a cheap, versatile tool that replaces several separate instruments for layout, saw guiding, and angle work, and a PVC-based belt holder can keep it handy on the job.
