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For a long time I've wanted one of those small steel squares to use in my hand cut dovetail class but alas "I could make that". That seems to be the killer of any free time or results in yet another unfinished project. But not this time. :D

I found some scraps in the trash from the guitar class. Some Rosewood. I also had saved a nicely figured stick of White Oak for such a project as this. I wanted something to show off the rays in the Oak. This seemed to be the perfect project to do just that.

I began by ripping all pieces so they were perfectly parallel. I followed that by cutting slots in the Oak for the blades to rest.


This was followed by a little sanding to ease the corners so they weren't quite so sharp. Spring clamps sufficed for the glue-up.


Followed up by sanding the overhang on the back side using the belt sander.




Showing the ray flecks


Checking the accuracy


Finish was a simple application of WDO (Watco Danish Oil). It really darkened up the Rosewood more than I would have liked but what is done is done. Any and all comments or suggestions are welcome.

Gallery

Comments

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YES!

That is really COOL!

How did you cut the Slot in the Oak so as it could be pretty square across the inside?
 

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Thanks guys. Joe, I don't quite recall. I took these pics of the project, then promptly misplaced my camera. I just found it. :)

I may have put a wooden block on the miter gauge and placed the blank next to the block. I've used the fence in the past on cuts like this too with a backer block.
 

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Nice. Always good to have a few more.
And knowing you, I bet they are pretty darn square.

Steve
 

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Very nice project for material laying in the scrap bin and mine is getting full with alll kinds of good stuff .
I will have to get busy and make some of these squares .They look great and it would be very handy to have a set of them.
Thanks for your project post!

KIEFER
 

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I note that in one of the pictures, you used another square to check the squareness of your new squares (they're nice). That may or may not give you the accurate results, depending on how square your steel square is. You were also using the inside square of the square to check…a square that's square on the outside may not necessarily have a square inside-I have one steel square that is exactly like that.

I've found several steel squares at my shop and at work that don't square up against each other and that tells us clearly not all squares are made the same-even if they are from the same brand/manufacturer. E.g. this square http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=44279&cat=1,42936,42945,44279 seems to be better than this one http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=44279&cat=1,42936,42945,44279 based on the several I have used and checked (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=57065&cat=1,42936 - the 6" model is also great).

An alternative way to check squares is this: http://zo-d.com/stuff/how-do-i/how-to-check-and-adjust-a-framing-square.html
 

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Chuck, you used the word "square" or "squares" 16 times in your post. I agree, I doubt that my squares are that square. :) They may be three-square though. :D

Seriously, these are close enough for the smaller work I do. Keep in mind also that these are only 1.75" and 2.5" long. If they are off, it's not enough to be a problem.

Thank you all for the compliments.
 

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Very cool idea, I have been making a list of "tools"I want to make and now I have one more to add to the list, nicely done.
 

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Nice squares. I haven't decided whether I want to buy some older wooden squares or build some like you did. Yours look really cool, but I also like to restore old stuff.

To check the square, use the 2-3-4 rule.
 

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It just occurred to me, if a square is not 'square', then you can't call it a square. It is a Fixed Miter Gauge.

There's a rule about watches: "A man with one watch always knows what time it is. A man with two is never quite sure.". A similar rule about squares might be in order.
 

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Rance,

The outside edges were sanded after the glueup for square…

Were the inside edges sanded after glueup for square? If so, how?

Are both edges square to the other piece of wood?

They sure "Look" good!

Thank you.
 

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Nice, fun project for a useful item.
 
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