Switched from clamp-on t squares to a full framing square for rafter cuts

I used to just use a clamp-on speed square for marking rafters on site. Did that for about 8 years since I started in 2014. Last spring I had a job in a custom house near Albany where the roof pitch was 12/12 and every rafter had to be dead nuts. Borrowed a friend's 2-foot framing square with the rafter tables and it made so much difference. Now I keep one in my truck for any roof work. Anybody else ditch the speed square for bigger jobs like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_flores20d ago

A speed square's fine for 90% of basic roof cuts on a ranch or cape, but a full framing square is a whole different ANIMAL for compound angles. For a 12/12 pitch with tight tolerances I can see the appeal, but that's also a job where you better have your layout dialed in either way. Guess it depends how much you trust your eye for a quick mark versus taking the time to set up the big square every time.

knight.felix20d ago

and what nobody talks about is when you're working old school with a tail cutter, that speed square's actually way more useful for transfer marks than the framing square is. i've had jobs where i'm matching existing cuts on a 100 year old house and the angles are all jacked up, so a square that lets me pivot and lock in on a weird hip or valley faster saves me more time than the bigger one does. plus you can beat a speed square against a nail set without hurting the tool, try that with a cast iron framing square lol.

the_ruby19d ago

Guess @emma_flores trusts their eye, but I'd rather trust a square I can also use to knock a nail in without crying.