This idea is not original but I got motivated to make it a few days ago while reading the thread on Woodpecker's framing square and seeing how Seth used it for cross-cutting plywood.

Today I stopped work right at 5:00, walked out to the work-shed and had it completed by 6:30. Granted, I am set up for simple metalworking and had everything I needed on hand.













The 2 legs are each 600mm long. Total materials needed are 4' of 1/4" by 2" aluminum flat bar, a dozen M6 cap screws, leftover rail clips from my Rip-Dogs adventure (the secret ingredient...) and a couple t-nuts. I drilled the through holes to 1/4" (6.35mm) to give the M6 screw a tiny bit of wiggle room so I could tweak the alignment to square the "T" and snug the leg against the guide rail.

It wouldn't be too hard to replace the the guide rail clips with something shop made, but that might take nearly as much time to make as the rest of the parts together.

Have not tested it but I can't see any reason it would not be dead-on square with a bit of tweaking.

Thanks for looking.

RMW

Well, I do still need to buy the big, precise square to make sure this is perfectly square... 

RMW

The gear used to check the square will cost more than the Woodpecker square. However once you have the surface block, angle block, micrometer, dial gauge etc. you'll be set up to make precision jigs plus be able to set up any machines you have accurately.

It's why I want the wood pecker square for my guide rail


An idea I was thinking about of making is like yours but wood   cus da is wa I work with see how it goes and hope the guy down the road can make me a metal one.

If you come up with something good and well priced I would be interested.



I have always had the idea of a tape measure attached to the square.    So the tape measure is built onto the square with a metal piece on the end which is permantly over hanging on the end but does lift up out the way if needed.   The tape is calibrated to the splinter guard cut so the tape would need cutting in length at least the width of the rail.       You have a metal arrow which indicates the length from the end of the board to the splinter guard on the rail. This arrow(marker ) can be adjust to calibrate it.      So I can simply pick up the rail with the square attached bring it to the end of the board the tape with the lip hooks the board and I just drag the rail along till it measure what I want!  

For site work this would save a lot of time!    It saves getting your tape out and pencil all the time to hook over your board then mark where your cut going to be to then place the tape back and pick up your saw and rail.   A square eliminates one for the tape measure markings cus you just tick the length and your square cuts it square but a tape measure attached eliminates any markings.  


Jmb

Yea, I NEED those too, in addition to the Woodpecker square...

Now if I can just figure out how to get the UPS man to hide it in the bushes to avoid "troubling" my wife with details she does not need to know. 

JUST incase I might not of made my self very clear to what I was thinking of! Here are some sketch up drawings! 

I believe this would be a very handy tool! Or in my HEAD it seems like it would be very handy! Maybe in practice it might not work as well I dont know!  I would like to think it will!











The tape even has a parking bay to protect it!

Got it, I did not understand at first.

What I was thinking was mounting a self-adhesive scale/rule to the "T" and then using a block with a lip as a stop. The block would slide in a groove cut parallel to the scale,with a t-nut and knob to lock it in place.

The scale/rule is show in yellow.





The downside to my method is it is limited to the length of the "T". Your idea does not have that limitation.

RMW

I had anther idea which is more ''SOLID''  appose to the tape measure idea  so you can still get longer lengths but not as long as a tape measure.   You know like the UG-arm extensions you have this piece which slides out and you flip this bit of metal which acts like a stop you can add that but a smaller scale to your square which will allow an extended stop.


JMB

i am thinking of trying this with my fold up layout square.
that thing is massive . like the one posted in a different thread a while back .
it would be a lot easier to use on site  and to transport.
might have to come up with a way to create a lip and to join onto the rail.

i dont think i would drill them because i would rather have a seperate system so that the brackets are ready for use on the mft . having to un screw the would really anoy me and i wouldnt end up using them.
if you were able to have a pin on the square so that your brackets worked the same as on the mft it would be great. that way swaping set ups would be seamless.

i might have to buy another set

My need is to do production crosscutting of sheet goods for entire large kitchens.  Dozens of crosscuts one after the other as fast as possible.  Minimal material handling.  Slide full sheets onto the 4x8 cutting platform and lift components cut to size off.  Then over to the MFT for holes and edgebanding and whatever.

I keep thinking that the real answer for crosscutting is a dedicated implement.  A solid 1/4" aluminum square with a bar screwed to the top to guide the saw.  You'd lose cutting depth but I'm focusing on sheet goods.

No friction tape.  One strip of splinter guard tape on the cutting edge just like a normal guide and a strip of teflon tape to level the square.  The square is held in place by hand pressure on the square itself.  Maybe a handle would be required to get more leverage.  The point is that the thing needs to be slippery enough so that it slides easily to the mark with no resistance from the far side.  This is drop dead crucial if you are going to incorporate a stop.

Here's a sketch of what I'm talking about.



Seems like Woodpeckers could knock these out with no problem.

That would be perfect!  If festool or woodpecker or any one could machine up a one piece rail and square!   Down side to it if you wanted a 800 version and/or. 1400  or longer it could end up costing you alot of money.

Alan the sketch up drawin I did was just rough not to scale hence why it might look massive!

Jmb

Here's a rough idea...

How about start with a commercial drywall T-square for $20.

You'd have to use it on the far end because of the asymmetrical fit of the head
to the leg but that shouldn't make any difference.

Figure out a bracket (need a pair) to attach the leg to the outboard slot of the guide rail.

Cut the leg down to about 24" and use the offcut to make a triangle to stiffen the thing
and provide a way to tweak the angle.

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