A carpenter's square is practical for laying out many types of projects. It's made from
one piece of steel and is incremented in inches. Make sure the edge you are working from
is straight. An uneven edge will throw off any line or reading you make with a square.
Checking a Carpenter's Square
To check a carpenter's square for accuracy, hold the body against the straight edge of a
board and draw a line against the blade. Flip the square over and draw another line over
the first. If the lines don't match, the tool is no longer set at precisely 90 degrees.
To recalibrate a square, lay it flat on a hard surface and strike it along the corner's
centerline with a metal punch. A blow near the outside of the corner will move the legs
toward each other by spreading the metal a small amount. A blow near the inside corner
will have the opposite effect. To keep a steel square from rusting, spray it with a
rust inhibitor.
Purchasing
Carpenter's squares come in two common sizes: a small version with a 12-inch body and an
8-inch tongue, and a larger version with a 24-inch body and a 16-inch tongue. Choose the
latter for most carpentry projects.
Other Names
Framing square; steel square
Substitutes
An alternative to the carpenter's square is a try square. This tool is better for smaller
measuring jobs.
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