Comments on: Squares in the shop

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 07:43:23 +0000

I find the 64th grades are too tiny to mark from but they can evaluate an already existing cut or line, using a good light.
To mark a 32nd grade, I like the Incra ruler that has tiny holes and slots in exact locations. They take a .5mm pencil exactly.
If I really have to judge a space though, I go to the shim stock (discussed a few posts back), or sometimes the metal collection of strips.

By: Joe Leonetti

Joe Leonetti — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 01:45:24 +0000

I have a 24”, 12”, and 6” Starrett and they all get a lot of use. My only pet peeve is I wish I could get a blade from Starrett that only showed 1/8” markings on one side and 1/16” on the other. I have some older squares from others that do this and I like it for woodworking. After the first few defining measurements, most things are measured by marking to fit with a knife. It is rare that I would ever need a 32nd mark on a square.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:08:49 +0000

Thanks for some ideas. I think the 1/10,000 is not always necessary but we agree that it sure is worth having in the shop.

By: J.D

J.D — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 01:49:29 +0000

> Do we need the 1/10,000 accuracy for everything?

Yes, we do. Because the actual accuracy we’re getting is exactly an order of magnitude worse than what a tool is certified for. And thus we’re getting into half a pencil line range which is the range we should care about. Remember that squares (and calipers for the most part) are considered rough marking tools for machinists — they attain their precision with micrometers.

Speaking of machinists: a really great dovetail square is an inexpensive depth gauge, somewhere around 6-9$ at the time of writing. Because it’s inexpensive it’s not exactly square, but this is an advantage: it allows gauging a minute taper and the blade can be set to exactly the right angle with a square. And it’s not for just dovetails, it’s 6” long so it can gauge mortises too (although one might argue there are better ways).

Another tip: a sliding square body is milled precisely square, so the bottom can be used for checking squareness of, say, a rabbet, or used as a small setup block. On a good one (PEC tools, Starret, perhaps iGaging) both ends of the blade are also square and they can be used where a regular square doesn’t fit. For example when making blind dovetails or marking a haunch on a tenon.