Swanson Tool S0107 12-Inch Speed Square Layout Tool with Blue Book

I've been a carpenter in UK for over 40 years and didn't know that 'speed squares' existed until seeing one being explained on a YouTube video last year. Just goes to show how long I've had my head in the sand believing that combination and try squares were the answer to everything.Firstly, I want to point out that these things are designed for speed and the markings are big to be visible with ease, which I suppose could render them 'good enough' rather than pinpoint accurate (though they are accurate).If anything, I would describe them as being the Swiss Army Knife of carpentry - especially when you get the 7" and 12" twin set, which even comes with a little book of tables for calculating roof and stair angles.The metal is thick and solid. There are loads of markings and scales for measuring lengths and angles. They can be used as horizontal and vertical levels. You can use them as guides for a circular saw. There are pencil notches to drag out parallel lines. I mean, they do it all, apart from cut the wood for you.As you may have guessed, they have become integral - indispensable - tools in my kit. They save so much time that it would be inefficient not to use them.I still use a combi square for the occasional instances that they are required (measuring and marking accurate depths and so on) but it is no longer my primary 'go to' square.All in all, an excellent product at a great price.

No Woodworker should be without one. This is solid yet light, well constructed & accurate. Use it nearly every day when in the workshop as it is so versatile.Highly recommended...

This is not a replacement for an adjustable combination square and is not suitable for fine work, but for its intended use in framing work it is brilliant. The pencil notches for marking lines parallel to the edge of a board are very useful when ripping wood and the protractor feature is surprisingly usable (though again, not really for marking off 3.25 degrees!)The wide base makes this convenient for checking joints for plumb as it will stand on its own quite securely; this base also makes a really solid rest for when you want to mark a cutting line at 90 degrees - it hooks over the edge of a standard CLS 2x X timber perfectly and gives a far more positive result than a standard combination square (the full length of the side of the square being in contact with the timber really helps here too.)I have not yet used the square for the purpose for which I bought it (laying out rafters for my current project) but hope to do so soon - the accompanying "blue book" seems fairly comprehensive and I'm confident this square will make my life a lot easier when the time comes.Overall the square is well made from nice thick metal and very nicely finished. My only criticism would be that the black paint applied to the markings wasn't particularly thorough; as the markings themselves are deeply recessed into the metal there is no issue in practice.Edit: I have since used it to make rafters and very much more and it was excellent. Once you've figured out the desired roof pitch it's so simple to get every cut at the right angle - not just for rafters but things like barge boards, sheathing, lining, interior trim etc. Worth every penny.

You can do all the things they say with it in the youtube videos. I'm not disappointed having one. I've used the layout bar once, it worked well but there's quicker ways of getting the same result, and it gets in the way a bit for the 1000 other times you'll be using the square. The book is an interesting thing to look at over a cup of tea.A speed square or similar item is a great tool. If you look for tips and tricks videos, this tool will slice time off your working day. But, is the Swanson worth the surprisingly high price or the seemingly endless wait for delivery? Well, no, not really.It's made of metal. That's good. It's pretty lightweight. Good too. The embossing and lettering are ok in places, but, really not ok in others. I don't know if Swanson are going for an antique/this used to belong to Gran-paw look, or their tooling is worn out, or, they just don't care, but I expected something a little crisper, shall we say, for the money (I'm guessing they sorted through an awful lot of them before they found the one for the picture). I've got a Stanley - Dual Colour Quick Square 300mm (12in) too (you see what Stanley did there...). It's bright, well printed, crisp! Will it outlast the Swanson? No certainly not, but when it wears out or breaks, as the prices stand at the time of writing this review, I could get 2 more bright, well printed, crisp Stanleys and still be ahead a good few quid.So, as I mentioned earlier, I'm really not unhappy having the Swanson, but I'd advise a friend to buy a Stanley

Very light , seems quite robust, well marked so quick and easy to use. Have only used it a few times, but very quick and handy, should make my future projects easier for me, the amount of grief this would have saved me if I had known about these 50 years ago.