Engineer's squares

[Zbart]

I am looking to get 1 or 2 engineer's squares from Lee Valley. In your experience, what size(s) have you found to be most useful?

Thanks,

Scott

[joestern5]

Engineers Squares

Depends on what you are doing. I make a lot of jewelry boxes. I have three sizes, but I seem to only use the 6 and 8 inch. Why? Dunno!!

[BobSch]

Enco has a set of 4 squares 2" to 6" for $15.

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...&PARTPG=INLMK3

[LCHIEN]

I am looking to get 1 or 2 engineer's squares from Lee Valley. In your experience, what size(s) have you found to be most useful?

Thanks,

Scott

I find the smaller ones. What I mostly check are:
jointer fence (4" high)
10" saw blade on miter saw and Table saw (3.5" above table)
drill press table to drill bit square (3-4" clearance under the chuck)
drill press fence, router fence 3" tall
Band saw fence, band saw blade square to table (2" to 6" clearance)

It its bigger than that, I'll use my combo square or one of those 24" framing squares.

[Tom Miller]

I think I bought the 3" and 6" Lee Valley Eng. squares first.


Then I bought the others.

Regards,
Tom

[sweensdv]

For around $21 + shipping you can get all three of these sets, Harbor Freight #39047, #39048 and #39049. Many have reported they have checked their sets for square with testing equipment at their places of employment and found them to be very accurate.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search

Sorry, don't know why the link don't work but you can go to the HF website and look them up.

[Bruce Cohen]

Scott,

I'll probably catch it from some of the other members, but I find that when buying measuring tools, you have to spend more, as there is definitely a "you get what you pay for" that applies here.

In buying a square, you're going to use it for lots of stuff, measuring, set-ups and so on. If you use a square that's not "square", everything else is going to end up coming out incorrect.

I'd rather pay more for something I can trust, than some Chinese or Indian piece of junk.

I've always found Starrett tools to be right on the money, unfortunately money is the operative word here. Expect to shell out $70.00 or so for the 12" square, I've been using one for years, so I can only blame myself when I screw something up. I got lots of holes in the sheetrock of my shop/garage to show my frustration, especially when I was first starting out. And a good square will outlive you unless you decide to use it as a hammer.

Check out Starrett's web site: http://catalog.starrett.com/catalog/...sp?GroupID=149

Also, Fine Woodworking did a comparison of squares and Starrett won. Check out their new site http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/
There's lots of stuff you can pick up without shelling out the membership fee, although is worth the money (that is the discounted price, if you already are a magazine subscriber).

Best of luck,

Blruce

[cgallery]

I recently purchased a NIB 12" Starrett combination square w/ 4R (1/8, 1/6, 1/32, 1/64 grads) rule and free bonus 16R (1/32, 1/64, 1/50, 1/100 grads) rule. They are the nicer satin rules and the steel head (I think it is the 33). List price of what I got was about $80 to $100, and I got it for $45 w/ shipping. Not bad.

I had looked at quite a few combination squares. I had purchased a $40 unit at Rockler and returned it because it didn't move well. The rule sorta needed to be lapped! It was made in India.

Cheap combination squares are worthless. Many heads are made of softer zinc and will wear and go out of square w/ use. The grads on the blades often don't start at the right place at the end of the rule. Many are square to begin w/. I checked many at Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards, and found many were off as much as 1/32 in 12"!!!

That said, I think engineer's squares are easier to make and keep square.

I recently purchased a Teclock dial indicator on eBay for $12 including shipping.

Good luck!
Phil

[kwgeorge]

I have to tell you about my experience. Seems like my pieces were not coming together very good. I kind of put it off on my cutting abilities at that time. The tools I was using to set up my saw and other tools were a cheap Stanley 6” combination square and some assorted Craftsmen squares. Well one day I broke down and bought a Starrett combination square after holding it and feeling how nicely it slid and locked into position. Well using that new square to test my other ones I was amazed to find that my others were not square at all! The Craftsmen were not at 90 degrees and the Stanley would lock at different degrees except true 90 all along its width.

I am a firm believer now that you must buy at least 1 square that is of good quality and its accuracy is guaranteed. With that you can check the other cheaper ones you may buy or own. It is also the one tool you should always reach for when setting up your machinery. Your tools and cuts will only be as accurate as the tool you use to align it.

My .02

Ken

[dlminehart]

I got one of the cheap sets from HF, and found that one of the squares had a blade that could only be described as eroded about 1/16" for about an inch near where it attached to the base. Would have cost me more to send it back than to just throw it out. This was the second or third time I'd gotten something both inexpensive and funky from HF, and I decided to only buy at the local (40 mile round trip!) store, and to check the stuff out before leaving the store whenever possible.

[cwsmith]

Personally, I don't use "squares" all that much, especially when checking the alignment on my tools. Most are just too expensive and the inexpensive ones are not all that accurate. What works best for me is the simple drafting triangle. A good quality drafting 30/60 will cost $10 or so and it is usually dead-on accurate. (It really has to be if you're going to use if for any kind of mechanical drawing.) I prefer Dietzen as they are usually the best quality, but I don't think that company is still in business. Staedtler Mars, Alvin, and C-thru are currently popular acrylic triangles, with the Staedler and Alvin being the best quality. Xcto has a little (3") stainless 45 triangle. All of these are under $10 I believe. Check your local art and craft stores.

CWS

[cgallery]

What works best for me is the simple drafting triangle. A good quality drafting 30/60 will cost $10 or so and it is usually dead-on accurate.
CWS

I agree with this. I have never found a new plastic triangle that wasn't absolutely square.

Another thing I do is cut plywood triangles of various sizes that I can use for machine setup. I check them thoroughly and then when it is time to check my jointer fence (for example), I can shove the plywood square against the bed and fence and lock it.

[scorrpio]

I did score a nice Starrett combination set on ebay, but I also own a set from Grizzly ($63). I love this set no less than Starrett. The rule is quality hardened satin finish steel with etched markings, All heads are also hardened steel, very heavy and solid. (Center finder is also very handy as a 'saddle square') And it is dead square. Only gripe is that puttining the protractor head on the rule is rather laborous. Combination and center heads slide on easily.

By the way, checking for square is easy. Hold the head to a straight edge of some plywood, and mark a line along the blade with a knife. Flip the square over, and see if the blade still matches the line.

[Tom Miller]

Personally, I don't use "squares" all that much....Most are just too expensive and the inexpensive ones are not all that accurate.

Are you referring to combination squares (with a sliding graduated rule) or engineer's squares (no graduations, no sliding)?

I agree that it costs more $$ to get a good combination square, and that quality varies greatly. But I think engineer's squares are a great value at $5 to $15, depending on size.

Regards,
Tom

[kwgeorge]

So for you guys singing the praises of drafting triangles I just have to ask, how do you know they are square? Is the 90 degrees really 90 degrees the whole length and is the edge flat? What have you checked them with for a baseline or are you just assuming? Not trying to start an argument just curious as it goes back to my point of having something as a baseline to check everything else against.