Got told my "speed square method" was wrong after 8 years - still not sure who's right

An old timer on a job site in Toledo last month watched me mark a 45 degree cut and said I was doing it backwards. He showed me his way which seemed to take longer but he swore it was more accurate. I've been using my method for almost a decade with no complaints. I went home and tried his way on a test board and it came out the same. Which one of us is wasting time here? Any other carpenters ever get told their tried and true method is wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura_wilson18d ago

Old timer probably thought your speed square was running for office backwards or something. I mean, if both cuts came out the same then his method just had an extra step to make him feel important. Eight years of clean cuts means your method works, his just takes the scenic route. Maybe he was just bored and wanted to feel useful that day.

faith2717d ago

Nah, I'm gonna push back on this one. That old timer probably saved that kid from a bad habit he'd be fighting later. Eight years of clean cuts doesn't mean squat if you're using a method that only works on certain lumber or in certain situations. Speed squares are great for 90% of jobs but they're not magic. I've seen guys rely on them so hard they can't figure out a rafter cut when the square slips. The old guy's extra step probably taught him the actual geometry behind what he's doing. Maybe he'll never need that knowledge, but if he ever does he'll be glad he learned it.

margaretc4217d ago

My dad taught me to use a framing square back in '92 when I was helping him build a deck. He made me mark every single rafter by hand with a pencil and a square, no speed square allowed, until I could do it in my sleep. Took me a few years to realize he was teaching me the why behind the cut, not just the how. Now I can walk onto any job site and figure out a weird angle without reaching for any tool, just a pencil and a level. That old guy might have been doing the same thing, passing on the kind of knowledge you don't get from a store-bought tool.