Question about why so many guys still use a speed square for rafter cuts on complex roofs

Saw a crew out near Austin spend 45 minutes trying to figure out a hip jack layout with a speed square last week, and it beat me why nobody thinks to grab a construction calculator for that stuff... has anyone else run into this on a job site?

3 comments

3 Comments

owens.laura5d ago

You think a calculator replaces knowing how to read your square?

jesse_smith105d ago

Right, let me just punch in the numbers and hope the tape measure was lying to me the whole time. Who needs a tape when you've got a TI-84, right?

paulnguyen5d ago

Read your square" - that phrase is actually a bit off my guy. A square is just a tool for checking 90 degree angles, not for reading measurements. You're probably thinking of a tape measure or a ruler. And yeah, a calculator wont replace knowing how to read those. But if you're doing something like figuring out stair stringers where you need rise and run, the calculator helps you check the math faster. The key is knowing WHAT numbers to put in, not just letting the machine guess.