That midnight I started using a speed square for everything

For years I just used a tape measure and a pencil. Guessed at angles. Cut twice more than I needed. Then at 1 AM last Tuesday I was framing a shed in my backyard. Couldn't get the rafters to line up. Grabbed this cheap speed square from my dad's old toolbox. It has these little notches and numbers for common rafter cuts. I just set it on the board and drew a line. Perfect fit first try. Now I use it for marking lumber, checking 90 degree corners, even as a guide for my circular saw. Anybody else find a simple tool that changed your whole process? I want to hear about it.

2 comments

2 Comments

sageburns11d ago

Wait, have you tried using a cat's paw for pulling nails? I was framing a little playhouse for my kid this summer and kept bending nails trying to pry them out with a regular hammer claw. This old cat's paw I found in a junk drawer (seriously, it was rusty and bent) just slides under the nail head and pops it right out with no damage to the wood. It's one of those tools you don't think you need until you need it, you know? I use it for everything now, even prying off trim or lifting stubborn tile pieces. It's like a secret weapon that makes you feel unstoppable.

the_miles11d ago

Actually a cat's paw is for pulling nails, not a cat's actual paw (though that would be wild).