Craftsman  16 x 24 in. Aluminum Framing Square

I purchased the Craftsman aluminum framing square needed for putting up deck railing.  This is marked very well and visible.  The 1/8 in. graduated scale seemed to be accurate; I did not notice any deviation.  Using this tool took all the guess work out of marking straight lines for the circular saw.  This is a good framing square and I would recommend this for anyone who likes to do their own projects. 

I have owned many large framing squares over the years and have found the lightweight aluminum to be superior in durability and weight.

I never did much framing but have built many outdoor decks where I used the large framing square to set lines parallel to the house. Lay the square againt the exterior wall and move a string line until it lines up with the square length coming away from the wall. Do this on either side to create a square block to start.......then.....

Mostly I have used the large square to cut risers for stairs. The material cut was 2 by 12 for the sides of the riser. Find the overall height from ground to deck top. Most stair risers are ideally 7.5 inches high. Devide your overall height by 7.5 and find answer. You want your answer to devide equally. Deviate from 7.5 either less or more until you get a remainder of zero in your math and this is your riser height. Remember it is better to have a lot of shorter rises than to get near 9 inches and feel like you are climbing a pyramid.

Treads for stairs are usually 2 by 12 or (2 each, 2 by 6) so that your tread measure is 11.5 inches.

Set the square flat on your 2 by 12 with the 90 degree point away from you. At the edge of the wood nearest you, line up the square at your riser height on one side and tread width on the other side ( 7.5 and 11.5 ? ) and mark with a pencil. Reset again moving right or left as desired but so that next mark butts to last. I prefer to use the edge of the square away from me but the inner can be used also. Just remember you mark your riser where your square sits on your measurements.

Two quick examples of how a large square is irreplacable for bigger jobs. Uses are many and this is a must have as you begin your tool collection.

You can't start to build anything of significance unless you're using one of these framing squares.  The number one thing that will screw you up when you're building is not having one of these around to ensure that your corners are square as you move onto to later phases of construction.  You want to have to do it again later on, don't use one of these.

This is a cheap, affordable tool that is extremely necessary if you're serious about building and doing it right the first time.

Craftsman has made a wonderful framing square that's easy to read, light weight, and extremely affordable.

If your like me, you've purchased several lightweight framing squares from those big box stores.  Before you know it, you leave it laying on the floor, step on it, and it's bent - it's ruined.  Or you leave it in the back of your truck, it rains and it rusts - it's ruined.

Now I don't normally abuse my tools - but these things happen.

Now I've purchased this new Craftsman aluminum square.  It is a full 3/16 inch thick piece of solid aluminum.  It's heavy enough to be stepped on with out bending and it simply can't rust.  The markings are deeply etched into the square making it very easy to read.  Buy one - you'll love it too!