PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION The steel square is the carpenters handbook, instructor, and tool without price. Without it he is just another hammer-and-saw man- a fellow who can hit a nail and saw to a line. The ability to make the lines is what constitutes the difference between a real craftsman and a hammer-and-saw man. It requires technical knowledge of a high order to make most of the lines, and without a steel square a carpenter would have to be an expert mathematician and understand the mysteries of geometry. The steel square brings him a knowledge of lines and angles in a simple and practical way. To watch an expert carpenter lay out the various cuts on the rafters and other members of a complicated roof structure is a joy. This book on the steel square tells the carpenter how to do it. It explains clearly, by means of illustrations and detailed instructions, the various markings which appear on the square, and the purposes for which they are used by the carpenter in the course of his daily work. Instruction is also given on the use of the square in the con- struction of the different parts of wood-framed buildings, including detailed information on the building of roofs.
The laying out of the various cuts is illustrated in a step-by-step fashion which makes some of the most difficult operations seem easy. We feel sure that the book will prove an invaluable aid to the young carpenter who may have to rely entirely on what knowledge he can pick up in working as a helper with a man who knows. The expert carpenter is not always a good teacher and therefore we are sure that, as a result of his study of this book, the young worker will be able to benefit to a greater degree froin his daily experience. We also feel sure that carpenters of many years experience will find new short-cuts and helps for doing jobs which are out of the usual run of their work. It is our hope that the book will prove to be another fine tool which can be added to the kit of everyone who is starting out with a brightinew steel square in his tool chest and ambition to become an expert in its use and a master of his craft. The constant companion of every skilled carpenter is the steel square. The new edition of Steel Square, which has been enlarged and improved by the addition of an Illustrative Problem, proves this fact. All carpenters have a general knowledge of the steel square.
Many, however, desire to be shown exactly and in detail how this tool may be applied to find the answer to questions which arise in the building of a house. With this in mind, the author has followed the construction of a typical house from start to finish. The many problems confronting the carpenter are explained. Then, step by step, the solution of these problems with the use of the steel square is given. The difficult work of cutting and fitting the timbers is dealt with, just as it is met and handled in the actual building of the frame of this particular house. In every phase of the construction, the way in which the steel square can and should be used is carefully explained. Application of this tool to the job of marking off the necessary cuts on the material is shown by many clear illustrations. The inexperienced carpenter, as well as the experienced carpenter, will find in this Illustrative Problem the answer to many puzzling questions. From the laying out of the wall lines to the construction of the dormer, the steel square is a valuable aid.
This second edition of Steel Square combines in a unique manner the fundamental knowledge of the use of the square and its actual use on the job. In no other book which we have seen has the use of the steel square been explained in just this way...