Squares for guide rail

[tvgordon]

What squares are you guys using with your guide rails?

I was going to buy an Incra square but 12" is the only size I could find.  This isn't large enough for a guide rail is it?  Then I was looking at Incra's 24" t-square, but the short side sets on the board so the guide rail would be setting on the square. 

Now I'm not sure where to find an accurate 2 - 3 foot square.

Tom.

 

[Qwas]

Tom, I couldn't find anything I liked so I made my own out of 1/4 inch thick, 3/4 inch wide aluminum bars. My bars are about 50 inches long so it covers a sheet of plywood.

I used the MFT holes and bench to get it square and drilled, tapped, holes in the bars where necessary. There are other ways to test for squareness, whatever works best for you.

 

[greg mann]

Tom,

If your cuts are only 1 to 3 feet long a 12 inch square should be pretty good. The longer your cuts the better it is to have a longer length to reference. In theory, at least, if you can set a 12 length square to .005" then a 2 foot cut should be out no more than .010". Where most folks get into trouble is when they want to use a 6 inch square, even if it is certified by the National Bureau of Standards and God as well, and then try to use this setup to cut 8 feet of plywood. Errors you cannot detect at 6 inches get magnified as you project them too far. If you have a 6 foot drywall square that you know is out .010" then you should be able to duplicate that level of accuracy over a similar distance and it would still be a better tool for setting a 6 foot cut than a Starret square that is accurate to .0000000000000001". Of course they are never anywhere as good as their owners imagine they are anyway.

 

[poto]

Eiji showed me an 18 inch Woodpecker speedsquare that he uses for the task:http://www.woodpeck.com/speedsquare.html Expensive, but it looks perfect for squaring the fence.

 

[Hotwheels]

I use one of the 18" "Precision Indicating Squares" on this page: It solved some problems for me, but I also use a nice square piece of MDF.
http://www.ts-aligner.com/accessories.htm

 

[MarkF]

I'm using an 18" drafting triangle to square my MFT fence to the guide.  Best $10 I've spent in a while.http://www.dickblick.com/zz554/47/

 

[tvgordon]

Thanks for the help!

So far, woodpecker's speed square seem closest to what I'm looking for.  Does it have enough thickness to it to square the guide rail? 

The TS looks nice but at around $150. is a little expensive for me right now. 

Tom.

 

[Per Swenson]

20 bucks

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[Eli]

Ditto speed square

 

[Daviddubya]

I use one of the 18" "Precision Indicating Squares" on this page: It solved some problems for me, but I also use a nice square piece of MDF.
http://www.ts-aligner.com/accessories.htm

You will find the same squares at Enco for a fraction of the TS-Aligner prices.

 

[josephgewing]

Enco is at use-enco.com.  The 12x18 engineer square is about $40 plus shipping.

Me?  I measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk and cut it with an axe.

Joe Ewing
Las Cruces, NM

 

[Per Swenson]

We have the enco square.

Real nice hunk of steel

we actually use it once and awhile.

for a single(important) setup.

Maybe to make sure the MFT is okeydokey.

But for work? No.

You know repetitive tasks. etc.

There isn't a edge to register like on a speed square and lets face it

square is square. It doesn't get any squarer the more money you throw at it.

Unless of course you guys have figured out a way to make wooden firearms. ;D

Per

 

[semenza]

Hi,

  Its not the matter of the money 20 or 150.

  It is the matter of getting one that is truly square.

Seth

 

[Qwas]

I don't know Seth. I hear guys spending $100-$200 on a square.

I've not heard from one on how to grind that square to be a true square.

 

[Per Swenson]

Seth,

I guess I wasn't clear.

I get silly like that sometimes.

First, being Norwegian they call us squareheads's

I like to believe it's not about the shape of our noggins.

Second, I collect squares. Yeah we all have our peculiarities,

for some its matchbooks.

Any way besides collecting as with most people here I work with one.

emphasis on the work part as its in my hands all the time.

dropped, misplaced, abused and misused all day long.

Construction is never pretty or delicate.

And for that reason, my rather expensive sets of squares just don't get used.

Since all you have to do is check two squares together to see if their is a problem with either,

I prefer to use the 20 dollah swanson speed square that has been right on for as long as I can remember.

It ain't about the money, remember I am here. ;D

Its about the practicality.

Per

 

[Tinker]

Per, you are a "square head" 'cause your Nowegian. 
do you suppose I get called a "block head" 'cause I was a mason? ???
now I'm into landscapin' and occasionally spread fertilizer around, i suppose some might call me a s--- head.
Oh well.  I guess i better get off of that topic :-[

I'm with you on the Swanson's Speed Square.  I have them in every corner, hanging on every wall, in tool boxes.  When i was a mason contractor, I always had one in a back pocket (7").  A couple in each of my trucks and any place else that might be near me as I plied my trade.  I've checked them all and have yet to find one of them I could determine as questionable for square.  They were all aluminum, as is yours.  Some were (are) plain aluminum while others are painted black.  I like the plain aluminum as the appearance and readability never changes.

Now that my work is more around my indoor shop where i set up for repeatabilty, I have a 12" plastic or fiberglass, whatever, that is my square of choice.  It also has that flange on the back that makes it perfect for squaring up my MFT guide rail to the fence.  It is also perfect for setting my MFS profiles to 90? and 45?.

As my old HS shop teacher used to say, There's no such a thing as guddenuf, its gotta be purfec.  Those speed squares are purfec 8)
Tinker

 

[tvgordon]

Per,

I have a speed square.  I didn't think to use it, but I like to use something larger to maximize the contact between the square and  the guide rail.  It just seem to me that using a 12" square on a 55" guide is asking for trouble.

Most of my work is done in my shop, so I don't have to have a square that I don't have to worry about dropping or worse.

The next time I need one though, I will try the speed square before I buy something larger.

Tom.

 

[HowardH]

I guess my mfs 700 setup as a square is overkill...  ;D  That is a seriously long and accurate square!  Checked my miter sled against the  Masterplate on the table saw and it very easily would have shown whether or not the sled was out of square with the blade.  Worth the price for the MFS by itself, well, almost...

 

[Warrior]

Eiji showed me an 18 inch Woodpecker speedsquare that he uses for the task:http://www.woodpeck.com/speedsquare.html Expensive, but it looks perfect for squaring the fence.

I didn't buy it because it was expensive. I just wanted an accurate 18" reference for the guiderail. I didnt feel that the 12" legs of any of my other squares was long enough to set up for a 4' cut. If swanson made an 18" speed square I would be all over it.

If I didnt spend so much money on tools I wouldnt be able to spend the money on tools.

 

[bill-e]

I use a square of MDF.  It started out life a little bigger being used to check the adjustment of my TS using the 5 cut method. When the TS was square it became my MFT square.