After a Budget square that’s accurate

[Roboboyo]

Hi guys

Was wondering about Squares, combination/ carpenters/ engineering/ etc.
What company makes the most accurate (at a DIY,ers budget) I tried bacho, Presh, parkside, all are accurate in small size but the longer the rule the less accurate they become.

Can’t justify the 3 sum figure of a starrett, but is there any company with good accuracy?

Cheers

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Perhaps not helpful, but years ago I was very pleased to receive a large Trend T square for Christmas. Sadly I’ve never found the need to make parallelogram shaped stuff, and since it was swmbo bought it it still hangs in my workshop to this day.
Stuart

 

[Orraloon]

I am currently using an empire 12'' combination. Been good for the 2 years I have had it. I did however first do a check for square at the shop before forking over the money. I would do that whatever the brand. You only know its square by checking not by someone's word.
Regards
John

 

[Jacob]

Hi guys

Was wondering about Squares, combination/ carpenters/ engineering/ etc.
What company makes the most accurate (at a DIY,ers budget) I tried bacho, Presh, parkside, all are accurate in small size but the longer the rule the less accurate they become.

Can’t justify the 3 sum figure of a starrett, but is there any company with good accuracy?

Cheers

Buy a budget square. Check it for accuracy. If no good get your money back and buy another one. Even the cheapest can be perfectly accurate, it's not rocket science.

 

[seanf]

If you go by reviews you will drive yourself crazy, as every single square being sold seems to have 50% positive reviews and 50% saying it isn’t square. I am looking for a 12” one to buy, so will just follow the guidance above and test and return until I am happy

Sean

 

[ajs]

Either buy a square that actually quotes an accuracy standard e.g. BS939 or DIN875, or go for a speed square where the accuracy of mass production works in your favour. Their construction means they hold their squareness well too.

 

[Bingy man]

Problem is you will only know if it’s square by testing it against a true 100% square frame. Also your proved square can be dropped rendering it no longer accurate and your back where you started .I guess it comes down to how accurate you need to be .

 

[MikeK]

At one of the hardware stores in Darmstadt, the manager put up a one-meter wide piece of 15mm melanine offcut and pencil next to the carpenter square display so customers could check the accuracy of the square before buying. I suppose the staff got tired of customers wandering off in search of a suitable spot to test and then abandon the square.

The board is wide and allows a square to be aligned along the top, a pencil mark made vertically down, and then the square flipped around to check how close it is to the pencil mark. For carpentry, close enough is good enough.

 

[Jacob]

At one of the hardware stores in Darmstadt, the manager put up a one-meter wide piece of 15mm melanine offcut and pencil next to the carpenter square display so customers could check the accuracy of the square before buying. I suppose the staff got tired of customers wandering off in search of a suitable spot to test and then abandon the square.

The board is wide and allows a square to be aligned along the top, a pencil mark made vertically down, and then the square flipped around to check how close it is to the pencil mark. For carpentry, close enough is good enough.

Yep. That's the way to do it! And if in doubt do it again against another bit of MFC.
Even for fine joinery is good enough - perfect fits obtained by offering components up and adjusting how they fit together if necessary - not relying on a square or anything.

 

[thetyreman]

get an old second hand rabone/chesterman combi square on ebay, that was my first square and it's just as accurate as the expensive starrett to be honest, as long as you find a good one, engineering squares are very good as well by moore and wright or kinex and not mega expensive.

 

[Spectric]

You know a square is no good when you have two back to back and can see daylight down the middle.

 

[Myfordman]

My most accurate budget square turned out to be a roofing square I got from screw fix. Made from sheet steel they can be adjusted with a centre punch if needed although mine was spot on from new. YMMV

 

[Ttrees]

A cheap 150mm engineers square can be bought for a tenner,
if you could find a precision straight edge cheaply, hopefully a tool steel one which would last, doubtful, but worth looking around I suppose.

Though it might be either a more practical option, should you have use for one,
or infact the exact opposite depending on your plans.

Or you could make one once you've got that setup,with something like an ali framing square which can be knocked about if firmly in both camps.

Lastly, and possibly a more fancy buy it now option, might be to look into Japanese types,
some of them look to be made in tool steel from a glance.

Tom

 

[TheUnicorn]

I'll just mention it as no one else has, but you can adjust a combination square simply and in only a few minutes to make even the cheapest square acceptably accurate, try youtube for the method

 

[ajs]

Yep. That's the way to do it! And if in doubt do it again against another bit of MFC.
Even for fine joinery is good enough - perfect fits obtained by offering components up and adjusting how they fit together if necessary - not relying on a square or anything.

I'd apply a little caution there - it's unlikely to pass a bad square but can easily fail a good one. The back to back lines method is highly sensitive to the straightness of the reference edge. If it's concave or convex by a half mm that can easily end up as an apparent error of several mm at the end of the beam depending on it's length. Even the odd tenth out can make a good square look bad.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Hi guys

Was wondering about Squares, combination/ carpenters/ engineering/ etc.
What company makes the most accurate (at a DIY,ers budget) I tried bacho, Presh, parkside, all are accurate in small size but the longer the rule the less accurate they become.

Can’t justify the 3 sum figure of a starrett, but is there any company with good accuracy?

Cheers

The Starrett are very good but iGaging are a lot cheaper, check out Stumpy Nubs video at 4.36



Or our customer reviews.

https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/igaging-precision-combination-square-300mm-12-dual-scale/
Cheers

Peter

 

[Jacob]

I'd apply a little caution there - it's unlikely to pass a bad square but can easily fail a good one.

Same risk either way.

The back to back lines method is highly sensitive to the straightness of the reference edge.

That's the idea. It'll magnify any error by 2 and make it more visible.

If it's concave or convex by a half mm that can easily end up as an apparent error of several mm at the end of the beam depending on it's length. Even the odd tenth out can make a good square look bad.

Or a bad square look good.
Not 2 squares back to back, just flipping over one square. Repeat the procedure with a different straight edge, or different part of the same straightedge.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

That's the idea. It'll magnify any error by 2 and make it more visible.

His point was that if the edge you're working from isn't dead straight an error will show where none exists.

 

[Jacob]

His point was that if the edge you're working from isn't dead straight an error will show where none exists.

Yes obviously. Hence the need to double check - first that the edge is straight and second by repeating the exercise on other parts of the same edge, or another one.
It's not rocket science.
I've used lengths of MFC 6" shelving as straight edges, with no problems.

 

[Simon89]

I got a cheap set of 4 from Amazon, not sure I paid £35 though

Faithfull FAIESSET4 4 Piece Engineers Square Set 50,75,100,150 mm (2 Inch, 3 Inch, 4 Inch, 6 Inch) in Wooden Presentation Case Amazon.co.uk

All were perfectly square and all will have since been dropped on the workshop floor, rendering anything of value scrap.

In a working workshop, I wouldn’t waste my money on anything fancy. If you want a decoration though…