# 45' big/accurate "framing square"



## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

does such a thing as a 45 degree "framing square" similar to the completely normal carpenter framing square exist?

the longer the legs the better "accuracy" one gets - I'm not entirely satisfied with the "fixed notches" of various 'gauges' / set-ups - but I've not ever seen a steel / alum "45 degree square"


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

big enuf?


http://www.amazon.com/CH-Hanson-Square-Folding-Triangle/dp/B00004TKDP


or use the big 12 


http://www.swansontoolco.com/product/big-12-speed-square-layout-bar/


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

ooooh - that Hanson batch is nice!

I need to go gander about whether the 16" or 3-4-5' is the best choice.
hmmm, the 3-4-5 isn't a 45 degree. 

thanks for the leads!


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## Agility (Apr 28, 2016)

Try this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00002253S/ref=pd_aw_fbt_469_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1GSS5CKN0F2WB51BXJTM


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The prices are certainly big enough. I've always just measured off a 45 and marked a line.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

TomCT2 said:


> ooooh - that Hanson batch is nice!
> 
> I need to go gander about whether the 16" or 3-4-5' is the best choice.
> hmmm, the 3-4-5 isn't a 45 degree.
> ...



right - sorry I picked the wrong one to show.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Ahh... make your own*



TomCT2 said:


> ooooh - that Hanson batch is nice!
> 
> I need to go gander about whether the 16" or 3-4-5' is the best choice.
> hmmm, the 3-4-5 isn't a 45 degree.
> ...


A 45 degree will have equal length short legs. The long leg will be 1.414 times the short length, unless I forgot HS trig.









You can use 1/8" X 1" aluminum bar/flat from the box store. You can use pop rivets to hold them together.
Check for 90 degrees using the "mark and flip" method.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

I saw that 4 ft one - that might be a smidge bigger than practical in my shop (g)
there's also a 45 with 16 inch legs - that will work.

was yakking with a machine shop guy - he's got some leftover alum plate and mega-sized CNC machines - he may be able to whack one out 'just the right size'

there's also a 45 with 16 inch legs - that will work.


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

A carpenter's framing square can be held on matching numbers on both legs to give you 45 degrees.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Hammer1 said:


> A carpenter's framing square can be held on matching numbers on both legs to give you 45 degrees.


It is amazing how versatile that tool is once you get to know it. :thumbsup:


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Good idea to use a framing square! I sold cabinetry for 2-1/2 years and never saw one at a jobsite! Naturally, the workmanship reflected the "guess-and-by-golly" approach to crafting a house.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

the reason you don't see them used that way in cabinetry:

count up the number of hands and fingers required to hold it accurately / perfectly in place and also draw/trace/sketch/mark a line/point/etc.

the theory is sound and works where accuracy is not critical - a 1/8 gap in a birds beak is not going to be noticed or matter much. a 1/8 gap in a mitered frame corner - yeah, that'll leave a comment.

I have 3 framing squares, I am fluent in geometry, I have my old CRC book with tables and tables of geometric ratios, but I find a scientific calculator easier to use in the shop.

what I need is a lightweight quick way to double check my set ups, using one person and two hands.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I use this occasionally..*

This is a 90 angle, with flat sides, so it won't require 3 hands to use. If it needs to be clamped, that's easy also.

Make one from hard wood, or have a metal one fabricated, a pair would be better:


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Maybe I'm not fully understanding your answer,TomCT2. What I meant is that I never saw a carpenter use a square. Saw one house where the closet trim at the bottom was about two inches from the outside wall. At the top of the trim, it was about 5 inches from the outside wall. Three inches in seven feet? Very noticeable! And this was a house that would have sold over $250K here, ten years ago.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

Pineknot - today's approach of assembling factory build panels is a lot different than ye'olde stick build routine. plumb bobs / levels / corner to corner measures are the usual today. there's no field cuts on pre-fab roof trusses - a stair come pre-cut/pre-assembled-drop in-place&nail - etc etc.

for the rough / framing carpenter there's not much old style detail left. fortunately - because the pre-fab stuff is typically way more accurate than field work. finish carpenters are more apt to be using a framing square now-a-days.

regardless, my point was simply that holding / using / marking / whatever - angles with a carpenter square (there's usually a table inscribed, you can do a lot more than 90' & 45' with them....) is ungainly. and, on short lengths, not especially accurate.

...3 inches in 7 feet.... seen some of that kind - substance abuse . . . guys that couldn't even remember if they worked on the site yesterday . . .


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Maybe substance abuse but my observation is the attitude: Throw it together, forget quality, and get on to the next job so we can make more $$$$$. I was at jobsites at all stages of building and, again, never saw any carpenter use a square. Never even saw one at a jobsite.

Quality: I was told of a local builder who was found to staple cardboard to the walls. He had run a string along the wall and was stapling cardboard in the low places. When asked why, he stated that this would make the sheet rock straight where the backsplash of the countertops would be and prevent big gaps between the wall and backsplash. That impressed me!


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

When you use a framing square, you also use the stair gauge buttons. The accuracy only depends on the user. For 45s, a known 45 reference square can be used to help set up the buttons. Set them on the inside edges of the square, then you will be able to use it right up to the edge of the work.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-3-4-in-Brass-Stair-Gauges-2-Pack-105/100162901


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

Pineknot_86 said:


> Maybe substance abuse but my observation is the attitude: Throw it together, forget quality, and get on to the next job so we can make more $$$$$. I was at jobsites at all stages of building and, again, never saw any carpenter use a square. Never even saw one at a jobsite.


wow. around here (rural) we rely on repeat business, satisfied customers calling us back for more work. we would be out of business in short order.


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