Traded my combo square for a speed square on a roof job last Tuesday

I was framing a shed roof in Portland and kept messing up my hip rafter cuts with the combo square. Swapped to a speed square on the fly and got the angles right on the first try after three screwed up pieces. The pivot point on the speed square just made more sense for those steep pitches, you know? Has anyone else found certain squares just click better for specific cuts?

2 comments

2 Comments

joelsanchez3d ago

and that's the thing, right? it's not even about one tool being better than the other, it's about how each one just fits a certain way of thinking when you're working. like, I've noticed that with a lot of stuff in my life, not just tools. sometimes you need a pencil to sketch out an idea, other times a pen makes more sense because you can't erase and you gotta commit. same with decisions. you gotta pick the tool that matches how your brain is working in that moment, not what some manual says.

loganhart3d ago

oh man, 100% this. i've been trying to explain this to my buddy who's always trying to get me on some new app or software and he just doesn't get it. like, sometimes i need a tool that lets me be messy and throw stuff around, other times i need something that forces me to be neat and final. the pencil vs pen thing is perfect. i've literally sat down to write something and switched from typing to handwriting halfway through because my brain just stopped working in that first mode. it's not about what's "best" its about what feels right for your headspace right then. sometimes you just gotta commit to the pen and move on, even if you're not sure.