WP1 Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Hi. I have been using my combination square for about 20 years now, and I need to find a replacement rule. Unfortunately the square has no manufacture name on it, only serial number 14D031 on the rule. Does anyone know who the manufacturer might be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Welcome to the forum! Can you post a picture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 No need to go through all that trouble. Put the old one in a box and buy a PEC from Harry. The best value in woodworking. You can thank @wdwerker for turning us all on to Harry's PEC Emporium. http://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/12-2-pc-combination-square-4r-usa.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 58 minutes ago, Eric. said: No need to go through all that trouble. Put the old one in a box and buy a PEC from Harry. Ding, ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. Although I have the requisite Starretts, Woodpeckers and treasured older measuring tools in the shop, my PEC are my go-to for combo and double square daily users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denette Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 No need to go through all that trouble. Put the old one in a box and buy a PEC from Harry. The best value in woodworking. You can thank @wdwerker for turning us all on to Harry's PEC Emporium. http://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/12-2-pc-combination-square-4r-usa.html This is the first I've heard of this thing - at the risk of sounding like a smart-aleck, what makes it so special? I want to believe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Harry sells high quality tools at very good prices. They may have cosmetic blemishes, but are perfectly functional. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Yep, they're manufacturer seconds. Usually there's a little void in the head casting and they'll grind out the "PEC" on the blade. I probably have 8 or 10 squares from Harry of varying sizes and every one of them arrived perfectly square. They're the same ones that Lee Valley sells...re-branded, private labeled PEC. I sold my Starretts after Steve introduced me to Harry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Thanks for the credit but I heard about harryepstein.com from someone on the Forum several years ago. This is a great community ! I enjoy learning and sharing tips, techniques and sources just as much as the rest of you do. Do some poking around on Harry's website there is plenty of interesting items available and good prices too ! I found this drill guide there. http://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/tool-brand/big-gator-tools.html I saw an infomercial about it and Harry happened to carry it. I have screwed it to a jig and was able to drill accurately placed holes that were perfectly straight in places that wouldn't have been possible to reach with a drill press. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Yeah the website is massive but I haven't found a whole lot of compelling stuff for woodworkers. I did buy a handful of solid carbide carving burrs for ridiculously low prices from him. But the squares alone make Harry's a gold mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 45 minutes ago, Denette said: This is the first I've heard of this thing - at the risk of sounding like a smart-aleck, what makes it so special? I want to believe! PEC (not to be confused with the relatively new Delta PEC) makes their own tools and of course we see them labeled Lee Valley and Woodcraft and I imagine others. No magic here, just a well made accurate tool for a good price. My 12" PEC combo is more comfortable in the hand and moves smoother than my near-tripple-priced Starrett. Often when folks ask about most often used tools the 4" and 6" double square get mentioned. I have them handy at locations around the shop where they are often used. I liked my Starrett (Christmas present) 12" combo but at the price picked up a PEC during an ordering frenzy. I was directed to PEC by a machine shop that makes molds for aerospace. They use them all around the shop for "roughing" but, their rough estimate exceeds my minimum requirement so I gave them a go. Bear in mind that a high end machinist would probably consider them crude but, he has measuring tools that costs more than a used Corolla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I also got a couple of 24" blades for my combination squares which are very handy. I remember paying around $100 for my 24" Starrett blade many years ago. Maybe a machinist can tell a difference but I couldn't . Only flaw I found was slight areas where the engraved markings weren't completely filled with the black enamel. I like to set a square for each repeating length during a project and keep it set during the whole job. I might have 6 or 7 different squares set and labeled on a piece of blue masking tape for quick reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Thanks for the credit but I heard about harryepstein.com from someone on the Forum several years ago. This is a great community ! I enjoy learning and sharing tips, techniques and sources just as much as the rest of you do. Do some poking around on Harry's website there is plenty of interesting items available and good prices too ! I found this drill guide there. http://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/tool-brand/big-gator-tools.html I saw an infomercial about it and Harry happened to carry it. I have screwed it to a jig and was able to drill accurately placed holes that were perfectly straight in places that wouldn't have been possible to reach with a drill press. What's the jig look like? Take a picture I wanted to get a 24" rule for my PEC, but the only ones Harry carried looked different and made in China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I often slap together a jig for a project from scrap. Plywood, nails, screws whatever is handy. I use it for that job then strip off hardware like the big gator drill guide and trash the jig. I used a couple of screws through the other holes in the drill guide to attach it to the jig. There are center lines so you can put the guide in an exact location. Availability of the Products Enginerring seconds does vary from time to time so check back occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 A combination square is one of those tools where it really will make no noticeable difference in woodworking whether you get a cheap one, or a high dollar one. The important things are: dead square, easy to read, accurate scale, slides easily when unlocked, and easy to lock and unlock. I have a number of the best ones made, with different length blades, because I was left all the tools in a dear friend's estate. He was a machining and welding instructor. I'm just throwing that in to make the statement that I do know the difference between a good one and otherwise. I do use the Starretts occasionally, but it doesn't matter to me which one I use. The combination square I use the most, and carry in my toolbelt, is a stainless steel bladed Craftsman. I bought it years ago in a Sears store. Now I did have a good one with me to check it by, and this might be a problem for a lot of people. I checked a number of them hanging on the peg until I found one that operated smoothly enough to suit me. Interestingly to me, they were all square. I have never had one of the PEC's, as already mentioned in the thread, but trust the guys here enough that I would go by their recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeardedCarpenter Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I'll have to consider these PEC squares. I bought a 12" Swanson Combo Square at the big blue store, but that thing wasn't even in the neighborhood of being square. I took the blade off and now just use it as a ruler. I know Starretts are good, but a bit too expensive for me right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 BeardedCarpenter, Welcome to these forums. I've been a bearded carpenter, for a living, for 43 years, and still going. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Eric. Posted July 31, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Tom is our Norm. And I think I'm gonna make it official. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Wait, Kiki can assign photos to profiles? You about to recieve a flood of PM requests @Eric. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I've tried to figure out how to use an avatar here with no luck so far. But Norm?? Thanks, but no thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 10 minutes ago, Tom King said: I've tried to figure out how to use an avatar here with no luck so far. But Norm?? Thanks, but no thanks. Do you have any requests then, good sir? Norm sure fits you like a glove I must say. 48 minutes ago, C Shaffer said: Wait, Kiki can assign photos to profiles? You about to recieve a flood of PM requests @Eric. ? Yeah probably a can of worms I didn't wanna open with all the old guys around. LOL Closed for business until further notice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov163 Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I have the 4" and 6" PEC double squares I got from Harry Epstein and love them. I have a 12" Starrett and it's excellent but expensive. I like to peruse their website every so often just to see what kind of stuff they have on sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Edgar Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Norm on "Cheers" was my first thought, but now I see the Yankee in him, hiding in Dixie. Lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I picked up a $100 starrett on ebay for $34. It's good. I plan to buy a ton of the PEC ones though just so I have a lot of them laying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 I have four or five of the 4" double squares scattered about my shop. I use those little guys far more than any other size. So handy, I love 'em. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 11 minutes ago, Eric. said: I have four or five of the 4" double squares scattered about my shop. I use those little guys far more than any other size. So handy, I love 'em. I don't have any of those. But they are high in priority on my list. I feel like I'm missing something but not having them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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