A framing square, also known as a steel square or carpenter’s square, is a tool used by carpenters, contractors, and DIYers to create clean angles and measure joints, joists, and planes. It is shaped like an L and made of aluminum or metal with a long arm that forms a right angle with a shorter arm. It is portable and opens to create a perfect 90° angle. It is commonly used in construction to lay and space rafters, stairs, and hip beams. It also has scales and conversions for measuring and scaling. The first models were used by European craftsmen and builders centuries ago and received a US patent in 1819. Today, many options are available and the tool is in widespread use around the world.
A framing square, also known as a steel square or carpenter’s square, is a type of tool perhaps most commonly used by carpenters, general contractors, masonry contractors, and do-it-yourselfers to create clean angles and accurately measure joints , joists , and planes. Despite the name, the tool is actually shaped like an L rather than a square in most cases, although it is used in many framing projects, from framing photos and artwork to providing framing structures for buildings. The main advantage of the tool is its ability to identify clean and even angles. It is usually made of aluminum or other metal and has a long arm that forms a right angle with a shorter arm. The longer arm is typically used for measuring right angles, as well as providing tables and scales commonly used by carpenters on a variety of projects on its surface. Anyone involved in a construction project or a project that requires ready access to tables and scales will find a framing square extremely useful in many aspects of calculating angles, cuts and steps.
Basic appearance and identifying characteristics
The shape of the tool is often the best way to identify it. Most of the time, it looks like two rulers or flat measuring rods are bolted together to create a hinge. When folded, the tool is often quite portable and looks a lot like a thick measuring stick. It usually opens to create a perfect 90° angle, which can be used to test and lay out many different building projects.
A standard framing or carpenter’s square typically measures 24 inches (60.96 cm) long by 16 inches (40.64 cm) long. The narrowest arm, called the tongue, is usually 1.5cm wide. The widest arm is referred to as the blade and is usually 3.81 inches (2 cm) wide. There are variations however, and longer, shorter, narrower and wider instruments are available in many places.
primary uses
The perfect angle provided by the tool allows crafters to create perfectly balanced corners and edges. There are obviously a couple of ways to ensure consistency and accuracy in these areas, but the process can be challenging and often requires a lot of painstaking calculations. Framing tools don’t take all the work out of the process, but they tend to make things easier and make accurate results more likely in less time.
Testing angles is one of the simplest uses for squares. When beams have been erected, beams mounted, or artwork prepared for matting, for example, a person can assess the fidelity of the angle by testing it against the square. The tool also has a number of uses in actual construction. It is commonly used to lay and space rafters, stairs and hip beams, among other things.
Scales and conversions
These tools also have an important role to play when it comes to measuring and scaling. Squares usually have three scales: diagonal, foot of the board, and octagonal. More modern iterations also have degree conversion charts for a variety of pitches and their fractional counterparts. There is also usually a table of numbers called a strut table on the face of the square. This allows a carpenter to quickly calculate shear angles and construction factors based on the Pythagorean theorem.
The first models
Most scholars think that primitive tools that fit the basic description of today’s square frame were used by European craftsmen and builders centuries ago. It also received a United States patent in 1819. The man who patented it was a blacksmith from South Shaftsbury, Vermont named Silas Hawes. A peddler is said to have paid him to shoe his horse by giving him some old saw blades, which he welded together to form the first carpenter’s team in the country. He founded the Eagle Square Manufacturing Company in 1820 with partner Stephen Whipple and was, at least for a time, the authoritative and most respected supplier of these tools anywhere in the U.S. Today, many more options are available and the tools are in widespread use around the world .
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