Swanson Tool Co., IncSwanson T0108 Big 12 Speed Square Layout Tool with Blue Book, Plain gradations, 12-Inch

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Works well as it should. Great for measuring and getting the right angle. Material is solid and lettering is easy to read. Durability:veryValue for money:affordableAccuracy:veryWeight:great

This is a nice tool to have for corners/etc. It has a rustic/old quality look to it but it is pretty solid.

Love all the scribe marks, embedded markings, and other useful features built in. Best square to have on the jobsite. The brushed metal funish helps cut down on glare when using it on outdoor jobsites, best color in my opinion.

Bought the 12 inch tool. It is great quality while not being too heavy.

Great tool, well made

I'm always trying to increase my knowledge of building and carpentry and recently decided to incorporate a rafter (with bird'smouth) design into my window awning project. The Swanson square was perfect for the job and with the book it came with I was able to learn the "One-Number" rule that makes it real simple to build your roof rafters. I'd advise all first timers to do it on a smaller project--such as dog house or small shed--before a home's roof. I'm not a natural numbers guy so only read the book in a few parts, watched a quick video on the Swanson square and then went to work.I went through three sets of 2x4 rafters templates until I got the angle just right for the rafter to sit up against the ledger against the wall and the birdsmouth to land on the lower 'sill plate' that would support the window awning. I think my "ONE" number for pitch was 9 (I was using degrees{36}) and from that number you can essentially build a real roof. It came out great and from this one project I''m pretty sure I can build a real roof for any structure I design at this point. If you know your 'one' number prior to building a new project but we didn't because of other concerns such as making the awning tall enough for my clients to walk under while slope had to be steep enough to provide sufficient shade to window. As a result, my assistant and I had to test angle cuts (and then hold them up against the framing structure) until we got the approximation of 36 degree-which makes all the rafters plumb cuts. Then using the square we got the pitch of 9. More importantly, you can use a simple formula to find the distance for your birdsmouth (where your 'seat' and 'heel' cuts meet the outer edge of your bulding/sill plate). Prior to this project I only used my squares for 90degree cuts. Now, it's opened up a whole world of building possibilities. Thanks for the book, Swanson.

Excellent quality product

Best speed square I’ve seen