# Bench Square



## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

Looking for a decent 4 or 6 inch square to use for general purpose woodworking that might be more accurate than a typical square from a big box store but not wanting to spend $100.

I came across these two squares on line and wondering if they would be worthwhile? Thanks

https://www.chipsfly.com/bench-squares.html


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Those look OK ...*

I have a set of these from Harbor Freight, but without the bubble levels. The rule is a square is either "square" or not and that is not related to how much it costs , typically. More quality controls at the factory insure accuracy, no doubt and precision machining is better than blacksmithing. 



https://www.harborfreight.com/l-square-set-with-levels-3-pc-63033.html


Grizzly has a 4 pc set:
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Gr...Dgoxgyu0xz7dR05s9UHGLZzybOeTp1vgaAmjVEALw_wcB



Then there are these from China:
https://www.ebay.com/i/153575924810...3FKZ-RPGG0plACp86z7NRctBt8W_GfXEaAk1VEALw_wcB


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

You can check a square for accuracy before walking out of the store door. Square is square regardless of the price. Yes, it does our ego good to say we bought a "?????" square, but it does not improve our woodworking.


George


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

I guess you guys are right and there’s a lot of hype about certain tool manufacturers that top dollar while claiming it’s justified due to their manufacturing and tolerances. 

Adjustable Squares are convenient and handy since they offer the slide ability to check and duplicate depth, however they all seem to have some play since they’re held square by the flat threaded bolt.

Woodpecker sells a 4 inch triangular square for about $60 and a 6 inch fixed square for $85 so from my standpoint that’s crazy and won’t be something I’d be buying. 

Thanks for the comments!


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## kiwi_outdoors (Jan 15, 2020)

Buy a plastic drafting triangle - they come in various sizes, including quite large


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

I actually own about 3 rafter triangular squares in two different sizes but was thinking for real woodworking, there are more accurate ones that should be used, perhaps not!


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

Theses are the two squares that seem to be really nice, however the set that includes both the 4 and 7 inch squares sell for about $69.


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

You should be looking at a combination square, not a carpenter's square. 

Like any tool, buy the best you can afford. All I can say is unless its a Starrett, don't assume any square you buy is perfectly square!!

There are ways to tune up a cheap one tho.


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## _Ogre (Feb 1, 2013)

i keep a speed square and tri-square at my workbench
nothing in woodworking is very precise, we cut on pencil lines with wood that moves in perpetuity
finish requires sanding smooth, which imo is as imprecise as ever


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I never sand my joinery .....*



_Ogre said:


> i keep a speed square and tri-square at my workbench
> nothing in woodworking is very precise, we cut on pencil lines with wood that moves in perpetuity
> finish requires sanding smooth, which imo is as imprecise as ever


For joinery, I use the wood right from the table saw cut, no sanding. I only sand the top surfaces that will get a finish, especially clears.
Sanding is "abrading" rather than cutting or shearing the fibers. A card scraper gives a shearing action, rather than abrading like sandpaper, so on critical surfaces, that's what I use. 

The squareness of cuts, is determined by the setup of the saw. After the cut is made, it's too late to change anything by any process. A square should be used to set the blade at 90 degrees on the table saw and the fence at 90 degrees on the jointer. Your table router in a lift, has no adjustment on the lift itself. So, no means other than leveling the mounting plate which should be flush with the top. A bandsaw needs to have the table adjusted to the blade using a square. The degree marks on the trunnions are useless for precise angles. 

The primary use of a square in my shop, other than set up, would be marking the material with a sharp pencil, ball point or marking knife. I don't do many hand cut joints because I'm just not that accurate with hand saws. As a result, I use machine made joinery and methods that are accurate and expedient for me.

A speed square is a different animal. Again, because cutting a perfect 90 degree across framing material is not something I need to do any longer, I use a cutting guide and always have for the last 40 or 50 years. The miter saw has made accurate cuts on framing material so easy, it's the standard method when it's available.. I think my large construction projects are over now like this garage addition:










Or cross cutting 4 X 8 panels:


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

Guess I’m the opposite, always doing framing and carpentry at Habitat work sites and never have owned a table saw, drill press, jointer or thickness planer. Just trying to set up the basement so I have a place to tinker but not sure what I need or want to build yet. First job will be playing with my new router and building a wall rack for my bar clamps. 

And I guess your right about a speed square, I do have a DeWalt mitre saw and some aluminum straight edges for cutting plywood with a circular saw.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

I have the 4 inch model and absolutely love it. Expensive but oh wow!

https://www.woodpeck.com/saddle-t-square.html

I think that I only paid about $40 for mine but that was ages ago. 

I also put some walnut handles (scales) on a small framing square that I've used for years. 

To find a square / square just compare different brands in the home center. Check one against the other. It is unlikely that you will find two different manufacturers' products in error that are complementary.


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## B Coll (Nov 2, 2019)

A square has one purpose only, to be, and remain square. I have purchased less expensive squares that seemed good when I purchased them. I always check before I buy. Later to find that they have wandered out of square. Sometimes it is just a matter of tolerances. Sometimes extreme accuracy is not that important, other times it is critical. I found that for me the investment in some Starrett squares were worth the one time investment. I take care of them. I also purchased some good machinist squares, though I do not recall the brand. These are ideal for checking the fence of my jointer, or blade to table. It can be very frustrating, at least for me, when tools can not do their sole purpose. Prom time to time I worked in a shop with an incredibly expensive 12" jointer. The only problem was the outfeed table could not be made perfectly parallel to the infeed table. It was useless. Just something you may want to think on.


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

NoThankyou said:


> I have the 4 inch model and absolutely love it. Expensive but oh wow!
> 
> https://www.woodpeck.com/saddle-t-square.html
> 
> ...


The woodpecker tools appear to be amazing and I’m sure their accuracy is the best, however for the price of some of heir hand tools, I could easily justify a track saw instead.

As many others have explained, the power tools are the ones that ultimately determine the squareness and accuracy of the cut rather than the squares. 
From past experiences, I’ve noticed that most combination squares always have a little bit of play and variance since it’s basically a single point of contact at the squared off tightening screw. Even some of the Starrett squares have plenty of bad reviews where users have found them to be not so accurate. A triangular square is either manufactured correctly or not and has almost no chance of getting worn out or being out of square. 

For what I’m doing and going to construct in the future, there are more tools that would benefit me rather than spending a ridiculous amount of money on a square.


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

My go to squares are combination squares. Both of them are quality hand me down squares used by machinists. One is a 12" and the other is a 6". I use them for every project. My 12" also has a angle protractor and a center finder which I use often. When used with a marking knife they are hard to beat.


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## TwoRails (Jan 23, 2016)

SWrick said:


> Looking for a decent 4 or 6 inch square to use for general purpose woodworking that might be more accurate than a typical square from a big box store but not wanting to spend $100.
> 
> I came across these two squares on line and wondering if they would be worthwhile? Thanks
> 
> https://www.chipsfly.com/bench-squares.html


 Those are very nice squares. I got a set after seeing them on Stumpy Nubs' YouTube channel. High quality and very accurate. And they are very handy. I used a 'certified' engineering square set to check them and they were dead on. I'm glad I got them.
.


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

TwoRails said:


> Those are very nice squares. I got a set after seeing them on Stumpy Nubs' YouTube channel. High quality and very accurate. And they are very handy. I used a 'certified' engineering square set to check them and they were dead on. I'm glad I got them.
> .


Guess what, although I thought they were too expensive, I ordered the set a few days ago. I did find them first on line and then caught the Stumpy YouTube video and that clinched it for me. I’m sure they’re very precise and I’ll love seeing them on my bench!


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

I received my new square set today and they are pretty awesome❗


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## TwoRails (Jan 23, 2016)

And they look good on your wall, too


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## hoowasat (Dec 2, 2019)

I'm curious about your squares, but your wall is too darn clean. Come on down to coastal VA where we building nuclear-powered airports. Speaking of which, is where I received my 12" Starrett combination square as part of my standard apprentice pipefitter issue tools back in 1978.

I grew up in the Appalachians and miss the hills. Dislike the mudflats around these parts.


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

hoowasat said:


> I'm curious about your squares, but your wall is too darn clean.


Do you still think my wall is too clean❓


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## hoowasat (Dec 2, 2019)

SWrick said:


> Do you still think my wall is too clean❓


Yep, and your floor looks spotless. I'm envious. :nerd2:


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

SWrick said:


> Do you still think my wall is too clean❓


Yes. ... and the same is true for the rest of the photo. 

My spouse would assert that there is no such thing as "too clean."


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## hoowasat (Dec 2, 2019)

SWrick said:


> Do you still think my wall is too clean❓


The fact that you have available wall space makes me envious. What may appear like some wall space below the cabinets on the right is occupied by my oxy-acetylene torch and extra tanks on the floor. Table and miter saws reside in a detached shed ... I use them outdoors.


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

hoowasat said:


> The fact that you have available wall space makes me envious. What may appear like some wall space below the cabinets on the right is occupied by my oxy-acetylene torch and extra tanks on the floor. Table and miter saws reside in a detached shed ... I use them outdoors.


Nothing to be envious about, you have a nice set up there and just need to move stuff around when doing a project, indoors!

We happen to have a full basement, unfinished with a double door entrance so it’s very spacious with plenty of headroom.

On the down side, our gas furnace is nearby with the air intake over pipe so I’m not so sure how good that is with saw dust? We all have some limitations.

Most all wood shop videos and photos on line are usually in a persons garage which isn’t ideal if you like keeping your auto garaged but it all many people have. Guess the key is to get the most out of what you have!

Rich


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## kwoodhands (May 1, 2020)

Harbor Freight , Grizzly etc all sell engineer squares that are more accurate than combination, speed squares etc. 
I bought a set of four 20+ years ago that included 2",3", 4" and 6" squares. Probably under $50.00 todays prices, you can check it yourself. I also have 12", 6" Starrett combination squares that I inherited. I generally reach for the engineer squares unless the work is longer than 6".
mike


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## hoowasat (Dec 2, 2019)

I believe Woodcraft advertised a 3-piece Groz engineer square set for a certain dollar amount. Not being familiar with that brand, I searched around a bit and found the *4-piece* Groz set below at a lower price. Tempted to buy it.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200667463_200667463


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

Looks to be a good set for the price!


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Why would you need anything smaller than the 6"?


George


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

GeorgeC said:


> Why would you need anything smaller than the 6"?
> George


I use a four inch double square every day. It is one my favorite marking/measuring tools. For me, it is the perfect size for many uses.

I bought Spouse a 2 inch mini square for squaring the blade on her scroll saw. It is a perfect fit, even with the blade guard attached.


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## SWrick (Apr 8, 2020)

GeorgeC said:


> Why would you need anything smaller than the 6"?
> 
> 
> George


Small squares are handier when laying out and marking the edges of boards or plywood but a 6 inch would accomplish the same task.


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