The Mighty Speed Square

If you are a DIYer you should buy this inexpensive gadget. The speed square consists of a triangle that has a lip (also called a fence) on one of its edges. It is a tool that allows you to create a straight line on a board that you can use as a guide. In addition, you can use it directly with a circular saw to make a straight cut in the field. However a speed square can do so much more. See the pictures below for more details.

In this photo I’m using the speed square as a physical guide to cut a 2×4 at 90 degrees.
You can use the other side of the speed square to easily draw a line for a 45 degree cut. Here I’m using it to create a cutout for a piece of flooring.
Now I can use a jigsaw to make the cut.
Using the speed square made simple work out of cutting a board to fit around a corner on this angled floor.
You can use the speed square like a protractor to cut at any angle. You need to align the square’s pivot point (orange arrow) and then carefully rotate the square. Here I’m about the draw a line at 15 degrees (yellow arrow).
There is also an inner opening called a scribe guide that allows you to make parallel lines for a rip cut. The indentations are every 1/2 inch on one side and every 1/4 inch on the other. There is another guide on the square called the Hip-Val scale that is used for roof rafters, but that is beyond the scope of this post.