Botched rafters made me see the light on speed squares

I always thought speed squares were just for rookies. My angles kept coming out wrong on a garage build. Finally caved and watched a tutorial online. Now I mark every cut with one, and it's so much faster. Feels good to fix a dumb habit.

3 comments

3 Comments

valc222mo ago

My contractor uncle swears by a four-foot level for foundation work. That basic tool saves so much headache later when you're hanging doors in a finished garage.

angela_knight2mo ago

Man, I get that so hard! I used to freehand all my trim cuts and could never figure out why things looked wavy. My buddy finally forced a speed square into my hand on a deck project. The fascia boards actually met at the corners for the first time ever. It's crazy how the right simple tool just clicks and fixes years of frustration. That garage is gonna be solid now!

reese_hill2mo ago

But come on, is a wavy trim cut REALLY that big of a deal? My old shed looks like the trim was cut with a butter knife and it's still standing after ten winters. Maybe @valc22's uncle has a point for a whole garage foundation, but for a few boards? I feel like we get too hung up on perfect lines for stuff that just needs to keep the rain out.