Thread: Square issue

I assume that when you say "wood handled" you mean that there is a steel blade at 90 degrees to the wood handle (often the wood has brass edges).

If so, there are tow ways to fix these.

The first is best but only works if you can loosen the blade and then tighten it in a new position. Some squares allow this because they hold the blade in the handle with nuts like those used in a hand saw. If that is the case, loosen the blade, square it up to the handle using a really accurate engineer's square, clamp the negineer's square to the blade and the handle to keep it from drifting while you tighten the scres then tighten them up.

The more common position is where the blade can't be moved. In this case you need to joint the square using a file - I use the veritas jointer device:



I put marking blue on the blade , clamp a good square to the back of the handle and using that to keep the handle vertical to my marking plate, scribe a line using a marking scribe held stationary just above my marking plate (a piece of dead flat granite). Then with the blade held in the vice, file down to the line, finishing off with the file/jointer to get it perfectly flat.

I read recently somewhere that you can adjust a metal square by hammering a heavy metal object, like a centre punch, close to the edge of the angle.

Bit difficult without pics but imagine the square laid flat on a raised work surface with the handle tucked out of the way - if the square is before you like a large capital L, then placing the punch close to the inside corner of the L will move the long upright slightly to the left, placing the punch close to the outside angle will move the long upright slightly to the right.

Seemed intuitively correct to me but I haven't tried it. Apparently it only works for very minor misalignments.

Cheers,
Adam

Originally Posted by Chumley

I read recently somewhere that you can adjust a metal square by hammering a heavy metal object, like a centre punch, close to the edge of the angle.

Bit difficult without pics but imagine the square laid flat on a raised work surface with the handle tucked out of the way - if the square is before you like a large capital L, then placing the punch close to the inside corner of the L will move the long upright slightly to the left, placing the punch close to the outside angle will move the long upright slightly to the right.

Seemed intuitively correct to me but I haven't tried it. Apparently it only works for very minor misalignments.

Cheers,
Adam

Adam

This is quite right, but only for an all-metal square (like a framing square). Don't try it with a wood-handled one, which is what Andrew said he has.

Good thread. I've some nice looking squares - too nice to throw away but need treatment. This thread could be the salvation.
Jim