Price point for a good square

[Rob Luter]

I have a selection with examples from Empire, Starrett, Mohawk, Stanley, and anonymous. The Empires are from the home center and the rest are from yard sales or antique malls. They are all super accurate, with the Starrett stuff leading the pack. That said, checking them with a knife line reveals almost no difference, and certainly more accurate than I can usually cut.

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[Jim Dwight]

I use plastic and aluminum speed squares in my shop - after checking them. I find the 12 inch more useful in the shop and the more typical 6 inch. I use engineers squares, inexpensive ones, too but mine are smaller so not useful for where I would use the 12 inch speed square. If I am crosscutting away from the shop I use a plywood square, I think it came from anderson plywood that is 18 inches on the two legs. I added a stop that can be removed so it works like a speed square. I also have a cheaper brand combination square, I think it is a General, that I use. It is square.

For tool setup or to check something like a combination square before you buy it, plastic drafting triangles are quite inexpensive and very accurate. I keep a couple in the shop and use them, mostly for machine setup.

I haven't purchased a woodpecker anything yet. I'm sure they are nice tools but they seem overpriced to me.

[Ray Newman]

Squares? I had – maybe still have -- a weakness for them. But a few years ago, I weeded the collection and now down to Starrett combination and double squares in various sizes. I did keep the Bridge City combination square and saddle squares because of the rosewood inserts.

Most reached for framing square is a Shinwa 24x16” from Lee Valley ----very robust square and accurate despite being dropped a few times. Against my better judgement I bought a Woodpecker’s one-time tool framing square 26x16” that I have grown to dislike. Just too weight in the 16” arm and it felt cumbersome the few time I use it.

Fellow Woodworkers have questioned my sanity about several things, especially for having so many squares. But there were a few projects where I utilized 2 or 3 as I dislike changing the head location on the rule only later needing to return it to original setting.

Good advice in previous posts. I'll add: buy the best you can afford, then spend a few dollars more. Well made and accurate tools will last a lifetime, keep their accuracy, and are a pleasure to use.

[johnny means]

I've never come across a task that couldn't be done with a sub $30 measuring or marking device. If budget is a thing, avoid the collector approach to tool acquisition. I enjoy having a few shiny toys, but consider them as personal indulgences rather than great leaps in functionality.

[Bill Dufour]

I bought a cheapo adjustable square at horrible freight. I wanted to buy one for myself and one for nephew.. they had 6-8 of the desired size. I rejected all but one. On many the line to read the angle was too wide and not really able to be read to one unit, much less split the unit on the scale. Others the blade or blade screw was too sticky.
Bil lD

[Jim Matthews]

...horrible freight...
Bil lD

I'm stealing that.

[Andrew Seemann]

I've never come across a task that couldn't be done with a sub $30 measuring or marking device. If budget is a thing, avoid the collector approach to tool acquisition. I enjoy having a few shiny toys, but consider them as personal indulgences rather than great leaps in functionality.

Despite owning several Starrett tools, I would have to agree. I'll catch flak for this, but if you are using a tool to mark something with a knife/pencil, or measure by eye, it doesn't need to be accurate to the thousandth, or even five thousandths. The main reason I have Starretts is that I like them and the satin chrome is easier to read.

That said, about 75% of my layout and measuring is done with a Stanley 16' tape measure, some old Stanley try squares, and a Starrett 414-1 steel rule, the wide stainless steel one with etched not scribed graduations. I like that one because I can actually see the d@mn thing. Those 32ths and 64ths on my combo squares and machinists rules have started to blur together a little bit as I have gotten up there in years.

[Frederick Skelly]

Those 32ths and 64ths on my combo squares and machinists rules have started to blur together.

+1. I've been buying rules that are graduated in 1/16's. My eye can gauge a 32nd from that, if needed.

[lowell holmes]

Go to Home Depot and Lowes.
You can fondle their squares and you will know the one to buy.

[David Bassett]

Go to Home Depot and Lowes.
You can fondle their squares and you will know the one to buy.

I don't know about Lowes, but Home Depot has their squares packaged so you can't check them in the store. (Without being a jerk and ripping open the package.)

I just grabbed the Milwaukee Trim & Rafter squares that Pop Wood recommended on their blog a while back. (They seem square after a quick check once I got them home.) Bright red, without a Woodpecker price (or fit & finish either.) Time will tell, but they seem like they'll be a good value.

[johnny means]

One of my favourite combo squares is from HF. It and it's case look suspiciously similar to a house brand one I bought at certain woodwork specialty store. For $12 it's a gem. I wish I had bought the entire lot, because I've never seen them there again.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Just buy what catches your eye, don't even think about what we all think about how much you should spend. A good square is just that, a bad one is not. Price makes no difference.

I personally seem to collect them, but you certainly shouldn't just because I do. If you do want to though, Starrett made/makes a lot of models, kind of like Stanley planes. Then there are the different types, and all the oddities in the types. Like I said, I don't recommend it. Ahh, I think I'll go try to figure that Chappell Hill out again...

[Alex Zeller]

Like others I have several. Everything from a 24" Starrett combination down to and old Stanley with an unknown brand rule. I also have a set of cheap Chinese machinist squares that are 30/60 and 45/90. They are great for setting up blade angle on the table saw. They probably aren't that accurate for metal work but for wood they are more than enough and were less than $20 for the set.

[Anuj Prateek]

Hi Everyone,

I've been working with a aluminum speed square, and some of my grandfathers old framing squares (which I can't imagine are still square given how many times i've personally seem them fall onto the concrete floor of our garage growing up)

I'm a little lost on how you evaluate if a square is square or not, without a true square to reference off of. Speaking of reference squares, I should probably get one that is (really really close to) square. How much do you really have to spend to get an accurate square? The $5 square with 3 stars probably isn't what I should use as a reference, but what should I be shelling out for accuracy? A simple engineer square should probably be what I'm looking for? What are the benefits to something crazy expensive from woodpecker? These look super cool, but are probably a bit excessive? https://bridgecitytools.com/products/ts-2v2-try-square

What are peoples go to squares? And the key to keeping them square?

Best,
John

I bought a few sizes (3", 6", 8", 10") of Kinex machinist square when I started. They all agree with each other and that's my test for squareness. These normally come out as reference or machine setup. Each of these square were in range $20-50.

Day to day, I like my Starrett combination square and double square. These again agree with Kinex square and each other so I believe these are square.

Edit:

Auto correct decided Kinex is Knipex.

https://www.kinexmeasuring.com/en/products/squares
(Have no affiliation with the company. Bought them from Amazon.)

[John Strong]

Again a ton of very helpful comments. Thanks everyone for their input.