Tweet
For some time, I've been wanting some small assembly squares like these 6" aluminum models sold by Lee Valley, Woodcraft, and probably others:
I have some larger assembly squares, cut out of 3/4" MDF, that work well on big assemblies using bar clamps or Quick-Grips; but I wanted some little ones, for smaller workpieces, with flanges thin enough to use with spring clamps. The problem with the LV/Woodcraft squares was and is the price. They get $30-33 for a pair of them, and to me that just seems absurdly expensive for something so simple.
Of course I could have built some small squares, maybe using Baltic birch plywood with strips of aluminum plate screwed to the edges (or something like that), but that struck me as a fussy little job; and it was one of those secondary projects that never seemed to migrate to the top of the To-Do list.
About a week ago, I happened to be in a local liquidator's store that is sort of like a cross between Big Lots and Harbor Freight. Browsing the tool department, my eyes landed on some heavy-duty 4" galvanized steel corner braces from Stanley:
Price: $2.75 per pair. I was idly musing that that might not be too bad a price to pay for some strong brackets to build some new wall-mounted clamp racks ... when suddenly, the light went on.
At home, in the shop, I tore open the blister pack, positioned the corner braces at the edges of two scraps of plywood each about 12" long, clamped everything together, and checked the result with my 12" Starrett combination square.
The verdict? Absolutely dead solid perfect. I couldn't see even a glimmer of daylight beneath either leg of the square.
These braces are 4" long versus 6" for the nice alumimum jobs from LV, but hey ... at less than one-tenth the price, I can live with that. The Stanley part number is 755565. They're probably available at the big box stores, although I'd expect the price to be somewhat higher than the $2.75 I paid. Still should be a ton cheaper than thirty-odd bucks, though.
I have some larger assembly squares, cut out of 3/4" MDF, that work well on big assemblies using bar clamps or Quick-Grips; but I wanted some little ones, for smaller workpieces, with flanges thin enough to use with spring clamps. The problem with the LV/Woodcraft squares was and is the price. They get $30-33 for a pair of them, and to me that just seems absurdly expensive for something so simple.
Of course I could have built some small squares, maybe using Baltic birch plywood with strips of aluminum plate screwed to the edges (or something like that), but that struck me as a fussy little job; and it was one of those secondary projects that never seemed to migrate to the top of the To-Do list.
About a week ago, I happened to be in a local liquidator's store that is sort of like a cross between Big Lots and Harbor Freight. Browsing the tool department, my eyes landed on some heavy-duty 4" galvanized steel corner braces from Stanley:
Price: $2.75 per pair. I was idly musing that that might not be too bad a price to pay for some strong brackets to build some new wall-mounted clamp racks ... when suddenly, the light went on.
At home, in the shop, I tore open the blister pack, positioned the corner braces at the edges of two scraps of plywood each about 12" long, clamped everything together, and checked the result with my 12" Starrett combination square.
The verdict? Absolutely dead solid perfect. I couldn't see even a glimmer of daylight beneath either leg of the square.
These braces are 4" long versus 6" for the nice alumimum jobs from LV, but hey ... at less than one-tenth the price, I can live with that. The Stanley part number is 755565. They're probably available at the big box stores, although I'd expect the price to be somewhat higher than the $2.75 I paid. Still should be a ton cheaper than thirty-odd bucks, though.
Comment