Essential Guide to the Steel Square: How to Figure Everything Out with One Simple Tool, No Batteries Required (Fox Chapel Publishing) Unlock the Secrets of This Invaluable, Time-Honored Hand Tool

Over the years, when I have looked at a "framing square", I have been put in mind of going to the beach and seeing a guy wearing a tiny, lime green Speedo. The connection may not seem apparent at first, but as to the inadequately clothed male, I shake my head and think, "There are 11 men in America who might qualify to look right in that miniscule patch of lycra or spandex . . . . unfortunately, he is not one of them."When I have looked at a framing square with all the numbers, hash marks, dots, and seemingly inscrutable sets of fractions, I shake my head and think, "There are only 11 craftsmen in America who qualify to actually make total sense and proper use of that instrument . . . unfortunately, I'll never be one of them."I'm sure I will never be qualified to wear a Speedo. I am even more certain I will never be qualified to fully understand or use a framing square. Further, I anticpate the company of folk ever to have been so qualified in terms of the framing square has never been large in number. Sadly, that number is growing ever smaller as digital tools, hand-held computers, and software capable of near-instant-calculations continue to crop up in the construction trades and woodworkers' shops.Before the framing square slips into antique and woodworking memorabilia emporia, take the time to read and enjoy Ken Horner's Essential Guide to the Steel Square. An intention to use a square (whether it be a try square, combination square, speed square, or otherwise) for anything other than marking lines or simply checking your woodcuts for "square", is not a necessary prerequisite for reading and enjoying this book.This book is part history lesson, part instruction manual, part puzzle solver, and all terrific. It's value is to be measured by much more than the sum of its parts. Whether you want to know how to estimate board feet, lay out stairs, compute complex compound angles for roofing rafters, draw a circle, find the radius of an arc, compute the dimensions of an elliptical hole through a pitched roof necessary to accept a round pipe, or even measure the height of that big red oak in the backyard, you will learn how to do it all in simple step-by-step instructions.Not interested or in need of such eye-opening information for actual application? Then just read, or at least thoroughly browse, the book for pure joy, entertainment, and appreciation. If you need the information, you will be hard pressed to find a better, clearer, more easily applicable resource. If you don't need the information (that's me) read the book and you will find yourself sharing the secrets of the square with friends just for kicks.Nope, don't know Ken Horner; don't get anything else out of this review than the excitement of passing along good news.

I bought this for myself and another copy for a friend of similar nerdiness. I'm not so much a proponent of the steel square as I am interested in the historical aspects of tools, especially old (meaning invented a long time ago) tools, the bodies of knowledge that went with them, and the minds of the people who figured out how to do amazing things with simple tools like the square. I'd read little bits of information about the special capabilities of the steel square, but this compendium brings them all(?) together and has historical information to boot. I really like and identify with the author, visiting the place where the first modern steel square was developed and produced. His obvious delight in road trips to obscure places, in looking around corners and behind walls in small towns to find bits of obscure history hiding in our collective past, makes me grin ear to ear, and makes him a man to my heart. I wish I could meet him, and I wish him as many adventures of discovery as he can fit in between now and our inevitable end. I'm so glad he took the time to write this book, and pack so much knowledge and interesting history into one place. Thanks!

Incredibly useful book. It provides a thorough examination of the workings of most of the commonly-encountered squares, and focuses most of the how-to on the rafter square and speed square. The rafter square in particular is an essential tool for any line of work, and is usually very affordable. I am a professional draftsman at a metalworking shop, and I use one for measuring and laying out everything from cones to stairs. At home, I do woodworking and several other hobby/trade activities, and it serves just as well there. With each how-to section, the book briefly covers the math behind the same task. In most cases, if you can read a rafter square, the square does the math for you, but it is important to know why. Armed with a rafter square and some trigonometry, there isn't much you can't do. There isn't much to complain about with this book. The history was interesting, though perhaps a bit more detailed than it needed to be. The book does cover some metalworking uses of the rafter square, but as the text indicates, a book to cover everything that can be done with the tool would be a daunting undertaking to say the least. Perhaps it is a good thing that the author held some back. If you really belong in your field, you should be able to fill in the gaps. If you're going to own a square or two (you should), you should get this book, even if you already know a lot about squares. Every tradesman/professional/hobbyist needs their own library, and this should be on one of the shelves.

You might be asking yourself "how in the world can you write a whole book on something as simple as a framing square?" Well guess what, not only did Ken do just that, but did so with little to no filler. Everything from the history of the square to its uses is presented effectively and in a manner that anyone with a public education can understand and duplicate. On a more philosophical level, his encompassing presentation beckons a time where everything was not just a google search away and people had to rely on gained knowledge and skill sets. If you value your education and take pride in your work, this book is for you. Sure, technology has allowed us to work "smarter" and not harder, but this book proves that sometimes a little know-how and a simple tool is all you need to produce a masterpiece. DIYers and YouTube warriors are a dime a dozen, true craftsmen are a rare find. Be a craftsman, buy this book!