This speed square just keeps getting better and better. You can't get any better. The 12" model is great as well.

I use this tool the most, only followed by my measuring tape and my cordless drill. If you include a pencil as a tool, then this barely slips to #2!

I had a plastic one, and it broke. Replaced it with this one, and it's fantastic. I use it whenever I cut any 2-by, and the only complaint that I have is that it's a little short for 2x12 boards. I use the 12" Speed Square for that!

Be the first on your block to figure out the rafter computations as described in the handy pocket book. Then use the markings and scales on your Swanson speed square to figure your rafter lengths and roof pitches. Amaze your freinds, dazzle your co-workers.

Or just throw the book on the shelf and use this baby to mark perfect right angles on your dimensional lumber before you cut.

Either way, you definitly get your 8 bucks worth.

My husband and I are finishing our guest bedroom in our log home and have found this tool to be very useful. We are currently putting tongue and groove paneling on the walls and ceiling and it has helped with many of the phases of this process.

Well it is a speed square that does what it is suppose to do!

The square itself works alright and I do like the way you can find so many degrees quick and easy. However I do not like whatever material it was made out of, feels very cheap. It looks like it was stamped out and instead of inspected for flaws just tossed into a blister pack and tossed on a truck. I don't know if I just got a dud or if all of them are like this but I won't be buying another to check that out.

The difference between this and the dollar or two cheaper model is that all of the marks and numbers on this are painted black. Which means if you are going to be using this for more than drawing a straight line across a 2x8 the contrasting numbers will speed you up significantly. Just thought I'd throw this out in addition to all the other wonderful things that have been said about this great tool.

This is another essential item in every wood workers arsenal. Use it for layout, squaring up table saw blades on the job, check running width on a board or beam, guide for the skilsaw, parallel guide for the drill. Don't think there is a measuring tool that is so versital. The booklet that comes with the tool goes into great detail on how to use it to lay out rafters, stairs, etc. Have had one for a lot of years and finally felt I needed a new one,(some of the numbers on the old one are worn off). I also have one of the 12" "plastic" ones. Pretty tough also. Not only recommend this tool, but suggest that you've got to have one, at least one.

I've seen many plastic speed suqares that are broken in one way or another, but this one is indestructable. I've dropped it off of second floor roofs onto concrete and it is still fine. I agree that the book is confusing for a DIY user, but the tool is great for framing, I always have it in my belt.

I like this tool. It makes it easy to cut a accurate right angle with a circular saw. It is very sturdy and should not break. This the best thing if you don't have a miter saw handy.

This 7 inch Swanson Speed Square is great for the "On Site" situation. I know others have mentioned how many Pros use this square and I can see why. It's also perfect for the Weekend Warrior set. Makes fast work of cutting straight with a circular saw on 2X material and set up for making stairs for decks and figuring angle cuts. I also own the 12 inch model and both are top drawer!

This is a very handy and useful tool, it's used every time I do woodwork instead of my T-square. However, the manual is more of a reference and assumes that the reader is an experienced construction framer. Undoubtely, if you are a framer and build roof trusses, there are a lot of short-cuts that you can use if you build alot of trusses. If you don't, it's still a good tool for a good price.

As goes the case of many great tools, they don't always stay in your possession.

The latest version with the scribe marks is awesome. The Big 12 is even more awesome.

Enough said by my counterparts below. It is found on every jobsite in America.

Swanson rules when it comes to the speed square. I have this products big brother the 12'' model also and cant imagine life without one.These things are bomb proof. In an everyday carpentry kind of way this tool will last forever.It's an aluminum calculator you can use as a saw guide.on any given day you can walk up to a job site and see these squares hard at work and you know if the industry has adopted it you can rest assured it has proven itself over and over again.Now get out there and square something up.

Swanson rules when it comes to the speed square. I have this products big brother the 12'' model also and cant imagine life without one.These things are bomb proof. In an everyday carpentry kind of way this tool will last forever.It's an aluminum calculator you can use as a saw guide.on any given day you can walk up to a job site and see these squares hard at work and you know if the industry has adopted it you can rest assured it has proven itself over and over again.Now get out there and square something up.

Every carpenter I know carries one of these in his belt, yet few of them actually use it for framing calculations- they use larger squares for that. So what's the attraction? Simple. By bracing the raised edge along a piece of wood, you can make pefectly square cuts with a circular saw on framing lumber. It's like have an accurate miterbox with you at the top of a ladder. A must for the homeowner who doesn't have twenty years of practice making cuts with a framing saw.

I am amazed you're allowed to buy a saw without proof that you own one of these. This simple right angle is difference between tables that rest on four legs and those that float on three. It is the hard edge that is always perfect (you cannot chip or damage it) and it is small and light enough that it should follow you everywhere. If that weren't enough, there are markings and measurements on its face (including a hole to mark 2x4 widths) that have common board thickness and sizes. If you're only an occasional builder, you are freed from having to remember them (more convenient than you realize). Something like a workmate toolbench: you didn't know how much you needed it until you use it.

Here is an indispensable tool for any woodworker or hobbyist! Great for quick 90 degree marks and saves time without using a tape measure. Here is a list of options this tool will provide...

1) Notches to make scribing lines a snap 2) Can be used as a protractor or rafter square 3) Can be used as a 90 and 45 degree square 4) Use it as a try square 5) A great accurate saw guide 6) Comes with a "Blue Book" that explains formulas and procedures for all types of roof style construction (with diagrams) 7) Made of aluminum alloy 8) Easy to read

I have used one of these for a number of years. It is real handy laying out rafter angles, but is great for just laying out a square cut and using it as a circular saw guide. Just line up the blade, slide the square against the saw shoe and hold it square to the board as you make the cut, sliding along the side of the square. Don't start the saw until you have everything in position!