Was skeptical about using a digital angle finder until a framing job went sideways

I always used a standard speed square and a level for laying out rafters, figured that was good enough. Then last month I was doing a porch roof in Denver where the plans called for a 7.25 pitch on one side and a 9.5 on the other. My layout kept coming out about a quarter inch off after I cut the birds mouths. A buddy lent me his digital angle finder and I checked my speed square setup against it. Turns out my old square had a tiny burr on the edge that was throwing everything off by about 0.8 degrees. I ended up buying my own digital one for 40 bucks and now I check every critical angle with it before I cut. Has anyone else run into issues with worn squares messing up their layout?

2 comments

2 Comments

ward.mason1mo ago

Is your speed square actually straight or have you just been trusting it for years and never checked?

max_jones1mo ago

Aw man I GOTTA push back on this. A digital angle finder is just another battery powered gadget that will die on you right when you need it most. Youve been using that speed square for years and ONE bad cut means the tool is junk? Maybe that burr showed up because you dropped it on the jobsite last week. I still use a 20 year old Stanley square that has a little wobble in it and I just compensate by checking my layout against a framing square on the other side. Throw a digital display at a problem and you still need to know how to read the actual geometry. Quarter inch off on a birdsmouth is user error buddy not the tool's fault. Learn to sharpen your square with a fine file instead of buying more plastic crap.