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265815 Bill Webber <ol2lrus@v...> 2018‑05‑14 How big is your try square?
GGs

What is the biggest try square you have ever seen?  The Hilton tool 
chest has place for a try square that could have a blade up to 32-inches 
long.  The handle would look like the top one in this picture:

http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/1805-013.JPG

Any ideas as to how long the blades were on these things?  The blade on 
the big one in the picture is nearly 18-inches.

Bill W.
Nottingham, PA
Woodworkers visit me at http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/
265819 Anthony Seo 2018‑05‑14 Re: How big is your try square?
On 5/14/2018 12:10 PM, Bill Webber wrote:
> GGs
>
> What is the biggest try square you have ever seen?  The Hilton tool 
> chest has place for a try square that could have a blade up to 
> 32-inches long.  The handle would look like the top one in this picture:
>
> http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/1805-013.JPG
>
> Any ideas as to how long the blades were on these things?  The blade 
> on the big one in the picture is nearly 18-inches.

I've had a Disston & Morss that had a 20" blade, and a Johnson & Conaway 
(pre Civil War Philadelphia makers) also with a 20" blade.  I'm sure 
that they could make them in longer sizes but I haven't seen any (and I 
have seem some that were in the 15 to 16" range that had been cut 
down).  I also have a couple here in that size range that need some 
serious restoration work.

Tony (rain ya say?  Oh joy oh boy, NOT!)

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265822 Erik Levin 2018‑05‑14 Re: How big is your try square?
On 5/14/2018 12:10 PM, Bill Webber wrote:

> What is the biggest try square you have ever seen? 


 That is quite the interesting question, and I would guess the answer depends on
the definition of a try square.


From Wikip****A:

> A try square is a woodworking or a metalworking tool used for marking and
measuring a piece
> of wood. The square refers to the tool's primary use of measuring the accuracy
of a right angle
> (90 degrees); to try a surface is to check its straightness or correspondence
to an adjoining surface.


This in itself is a bit odd, in that it refers to woodworking and metalworking,
then restricts use to wood. Other definitions are simpler, such as google
dictionary:


> an implement used to check and mark right angles in construction work


 Looking at several other sources does not clarify things, so I will give three
answers, restricting to hand tools.


I have seen framing (rafter) squares as large as 48", with a 36" leg. This
roughly meets the above definitions, but is likely not in the spirit of the
question, as these squares are more general purpose and are not restricted to
right angles.


The largest square I have seen/used that is solely for square is a 36" blade and
30" leg. It is a Brown and Sharpe (IIRC) machinist's style try square. Quite the
heavy tool. Roughly 15Kg.


In a more historical, intended for woodworking vein, the largest I have seen or
used is (IIRC) an 18" blade with a brass bound leg. I do not recall the maker.
Used a few times in doing heavy timbers for historical reconstruction.


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265824 Bill Webber <ol2lrus@v...> 2018‑05‑14 Re: How big is your try square?
GGs,

Adding a little more info for your help in my pursuit.  Quoting me, I 
said, " The Hilton tool chest has place for a try square that could have 
a blade up to 32-inches long.  The handle would look like the top one in 
this picture:"

What I didn't mention is the slot, in the tool box, for the blade of 
this square, is 1/4 inch wide. It was likely made of wood, methinks.  It 
might be a wooden try square with a handle 1 1/4 x 7/8 x up 10 inches 
long and a blade  that is 1/4 inch thick, up to 30-inches long and 2 1/2 
to 3-inches wide.  So, anyone seen anything like that?  Perhaps user 
made for something associated with pattern making?

Thanks for the responses so far.

Bill W.
Nottingham, PA
Woodworkers visit me at http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/
265825 Peter McBride <peter_mcbride@b...> 2018‑05‑14 Re: How big is your try square?
Hi Bill,
Here are some I have...
This is the largest with a commercial maker's name .. all these are by 
Mathieson. 21inch
http://www.petermcbride.com/mathieson/img/math_15.jpg

 From an Organ Maker .. user made 24 1/2 inch
http://www.petermcbride.com/fincham/images/finch_square.jpg

Wooden blade, user made
http://www.petermcbride.com/chest/square.jpg

Wooden blade, user made. I don't have the length. will need to dig it out...
http://www.petermcbride.com/chest4/images/squares.jpg
Nice work on the join!
http://www.petermcbride.com/chest4/images/squares1.jpg
Here is the location for the last one, inside the front face of the chest
http://www.petermcbride.com/chest4/images/chest003.jpg

Cheers,
Peter
265826 Bill Webber <ol2lrus@v...> 2018‑05‑14 Re: How big is your try square?
Hi Peter,

Thanks for the reply.  In your first picture, fifth try square down, 
looks a lot like the ones in my post:

http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/1805-013.JPG

Two of those four are marked:

I.V. Hill
Grays Inn Rd.
N. Kings Cross

I guess that pattern wasn't unique to anyone?

I like the user made wooden try square you posted.  Easy enough to build 
if the local grown wood is stable enough to plane flat and stay that way.

best regards,

Bill W.
Nottingham, PA
Woodworkers visit me at http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/
265827 Kirk Eppler <eppler.kirk@g...> 2018‑05‑15 Re: How big is your try square?
Just like the spiders, the Try Squares are huge also? Hope they aren't
poisonous too!

Kirk from the Droid

On Mon, May 14, 2018, 3:53 PM Peter McBride 
wrote:
265830 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2018‑05‑15 Re: How big is your try square?
On 2018-05-14 8:36 PM, Ed Minch wrote:
> Perhaps 10 years ago, Roy Underhill demonstrated how those spikey recesses
were made.  He clamped on a metal plate with a cutout shaped like that in it,
then he had a tool with cutters at the two ends of what looked like a flexible
tuning fork and it was spun with a bow drill and raced all around within the
metal plate and cut the recess.  It is called a Parser Drill:
>
> https://makezine.com/2015/08/05/old-tech-drills-any-shaped-hole/
>
> Mesmerizing to watch

It's the same process which was used to inlay 'shields' into the scales 
of pocket knives.

Interesting that it should be referred to as a drill. Clearly it's 
operating more like a modern pattern router. Of course, in the distant 
past they didn't have 20,000+ rpm tailed demons. Their only rotary tools 
were drills and braces.

Don

-- 

“It is easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled.”

“The events of the world do not form an orderly queue like the English, they
crowd around chaotically like the Italians.” Carlo Rovelli
265832 Peter McBride <peter_mcbride@b...> 2018‑05‑15 Re: How big is your try square?
Correction, made the passer in 2010...just read the page again.
Peter
265856 Ken Shepard <waruba@c...> 2018‑05‑17 Re: How big is your try square?
Here is a photo of my largest try squares, both 20", with a metal framing
square for comparison.  These are the largest factory-made woodworking
squares I have seen.  One was found in Clinton, TN and the other in Bethel,
ME.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vv3ct6f5nqjrmo/Big%20try%20squares.jpg?dl=0

Ken
265860 Anthony Seo 2018‑05‑17 Re: How big is your try square?
While we are still kicking around this subject, I remembered that I 
still have this guy.

http://oldetoolshop.com/jointer/miscpics/bigbevelsquare.jpg

The blade is 36 1/8" long , 1 3/8" wide, the body is 46 3/8" long, and 1 
1/2" wide.  The handle is slotted not piece and the blade tapers down in 
thickness to the end.  Around these here parts, we call these bridge 
builder's squares.  I have a couple of other ones over the decades but 
they aren't very common and I think this is the biggest one I've had.

I also had a glaser's try square, wooden body with close to a 4ft wood 
blade.  That must have gotten sold cause I don't see it out in the 
debris field (I've had a few folks come through on heavy buying raids 
the past year).

Tony (where the rain has briefly stopped but it's going to mess up this 
weekend big time..sigh)


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