larger squares, new and old

[curlyoak]

The old combination starrett square has a 24" blade. The newer red one is 18 x 12 inches. I have recently semi retired the combination square. It lost its square due to the frequent sliding has worn a part. I got many years so no compliant. I was amazed at the price of larger squares. I paid $175. A 26" just like it is 250. add if you want a fancy case. No case for me. Even with the crazy prices I am glad to have this square. It gets a lot of use.

Please consider posting a picture and description of your best squares.

Thanks

[Tom King]

Not really a large one, but probably my favorite square that is hard to replace.   It's a Craftsman with stainless steel blade combination square.   I have a variety of others, including Staretts that have to stay in a waterproof toolbox to keep them from rusting.  This one gets left out all the time, and has to be over 20 years old. 

I checked all the ones hanging on a peg for ease of working, and square back when Sears stores were open and selling tools.  This was the only one out of the bunch that I really liked.

It was missing for a couple of weeks.  It had fallen off the back of the truck when I was working on the dock.  Pam's Sister found it when she was walking up the hill.  It was in the grass that I had cut over but didn't see it.  I took it apart, blew the grits out of it, lubed it a little, and it's not much worse for the time on the ground.  Some paint is missing off the black part, but it works as good as it ever did.

 

[Immortan D]

The ones I use more often are a 6" Empire combination square and a Starrett with 12" and 24" inch blades. I had them for years and they still work well, no reason to buy new ones.

[G Ragatz]

Small squares are the ones that get the most use in my shop. I have a 12" Craftsman combination square that's probably older than Tom's - pushing 40 years. It has seen tons of use over the years.

More recently, a friend suggested small double squares for joinery layout. I bought a couple of 4" PEC blems from Taytools (~ $25 each), and they have gotten a lot of use over the past 2 or 3 years.

[Mark J]

My assortment of squares includes a 12" square, a 6" triangle and a two inch machinist from Woodpeckers, as well as a 4" Groz.  I also have a Starrett combination square (in the red box).  For straight I have a 3' Woodpeckers straight edge.  These things live safely behind the clamps on my rack and only come down when it counts, e.g. machine set up, or checking square on a turning blank.  Otherwise I have a $15 combo square in the tool box.

 

[Coop]

@Mark J, are the clamp ends of your clamps just resting on a flat surface of the rack? 

[Mark J]

Yes.  The clamp heads sit flat on a "shelf".  The bars are held up by finger boards.

[wtnhighlander]

These are my two most used squares.

Starret 6" combo, and a 24" drifting T-square. The drafting square pulls double duty as a straightedge for checking planed surfaces. I alsofind the the wide blade and T head make it much less likely to slip when striking a long line. Both of these have seen a lot of use, but still perform quite well.

Having said that, I recently acquired an inexpensive (~$75) set of 10 machinists 1-2-3 blocks, and their squareness is handier than a shirt pocket.

[curlyoak]

This is my 6" square. I have had this square for at least 25 years. My new 1812 woodpecker above is a real help in cabinet work managing sheet goods.

[Tom King]

When that Craftsman combination square with the stainless steel blade seemed like it was lost for good, I ordered the only one I could find on Amazon with a stainless ruler-an Empire.

I opened it today, and checked it for square.  I was disappointed to find that it was off a tiny bit.  I wasn't going to put a lot of time in it since the Craftsman had been found, but I looked it over.  The only problem was there was the tiniest bit of paint holding the blade up on one end of the slide.  Simple fix, and now it really is a square.

 

[wtnhighlander]

@Tom King, how heavy is that Craftsman square? I have one inherted from my FIL, not stainless, and the head is at least twice as thick and heavy as the Starrett, also inherted from FIL.

[Tom King]

I don't think it's as heavy as a Starrett, but not nearly as light as the aluminum head on that Empire.  I think my Craftsman has a cast aluminum head, but there is more to it than the Empire.