Combination Square Curves

[Stephen Musial]

I was re-reading an old FWW the other night and they had a review/test of various combination squares. They had a shot of all of the different squares and every one of them seems to have the same curves on the outside.

What are they used for? I thought maybe it was an easy way of filleting corners but it isn't. Anybody? Bueller?

[Garth Almgren]

Interesting question... They're all similar, but not exactly the same so my guess would be a combination of function, tradition, and aesthetics. You need material to support the 45 and 90 degree legs, bubble level, thumbscrew, and any other features, but you still want it to be fairly lightweight and easy to grab in your hand. Plus it looks good. :)

Edit: here's an example (http://www.bridgecitytools.com/blog/2009/07/23/bridge-city-essentials-combination-square-too-sexy-for-mass-production/) of one that doesn't follow the traditional shape (also doesn't have a level).

[Peter Quinn]

Hand grip. It follows the shape of your hand so you can conveniently hold it in any position while marking with the other hand.