Had a chat with a framer that made me ditch my speed square routine

Been using a speed square for rafter cuts for 15 years without question. Then a framer on a job in Austin showed me how he uses a construction calculator and a string line instead, said I was wasting time measuring twice. Took me two tries to trust it, but I cut my layout time by half on one roof last Friday. Anyone else switch up their go-to tool after seeing someone else's method?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordancoleman23d ago

Wait did he really ditch the square completely or just use the calculator for the initial math? Ive been framing for 6 years on and off and I still pull out my speed square for birdsmouth cuts because my brain just trusts that physical reference point. The string line method sounds good for long spans but I wonder how it holds up on complex hips and valleys where the math gets messy. Did he show you what he does when the roof pitch changes mid rafter or does he just run everything through the calculator fresh each time?

wood.john23d ago

Hang on, he ditched the square completely? That blows my mind. I mean I get using the calculator for the numbers but having that piece of metal in your hand just feels like a safety net, you know? If the math gets fuzzy your square never lies.