This means when a board is squared off the tool reads 0°. Speed squares made by the Swanson Tool Company also have a diamond shape cutout on the ruler side at 3½ inches.Īmong its basic uses are marking common, hip, valley and hip, or valley jack rafters, laying out stair stringers, determining and marking angles, and making square cuts on boards.Ĭommon lines made using a speed square include perpendicular cut marks and Angles definition of an angle for roofs, stairways, and decks. Some models have divots for fitting a writing utensil to mark lumber with. Hip/Val indicates the rise in inches over a 17 inch run for hip or valley rafters from 1 inch to 30 inch.Common indicates the rise in inches over a 12 inch run for common rafters from 1 inch to 30 inch.Degree indicates the angle in degrees from 0° to 90°.It is marked with the word Pivot at the right angle point and displays Degrees on its hypotenuse, Common and Hip/Val markings on its midsection. The tool is an isosceles right triangle with a ruler on one equal side and a fence on the other. They are also made in several sizes, including 7-inch, 8-inch, 25-cm and 12-inch sizes.Įmbedded degree gradations on the tool eliminate the need for trigonometric calculations and allow for lines to be more easily made.
Speed squares are manufactured from a variety of materials such as aluminum, steel, and composites such as HDPE. Today, Swanson Tool Company still manufactures and distributes the Speed Square and other carpentry tools from its headquarters in Frankfort, Illinois. He later founded Swanson Tool Company to produce it. Swanson invented the A Speed Square in 1925 as a carpenter's layout tool. The term "speed square" is a genericised trademark based on those owned by Swanson Tool Company which first manufactured and sold the tool.Īlbert J. Carpenters use it to make basic measurements and mark lines on dimensional lumber, and as a saw guide for short 45 and 90 degree cuts. Its functions include many of those of a combination square, try square, and framing square. A speed square, also called a rafter square, rafter angle square, and triangle square, is a multi-purpose triangular carpenters' tool use for marking out.
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