I finally stopped using my speed square wrong after 8 years

Talked to an old timer at the supplier Tuesday, and he pointed out I was holding my speed square backwards for marking 45s on stair stringers. He said 'you're making it harder than it needs to be' and showed me a trick using the pivot point against the board edge. I've been doing it the hard way since I started in 2016, and his way saved me like 20 minutes per set of stairs. Made me wonder how many other basic tools I'm using wrong without knowing. Anyone else pick up a simple tip that made a big difference way later than it should have?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunag3021d ago

Wait, eight years? That hurts my soul a little bit. I've definitely had moments where I realized I was fighting a tool instead of letting it work for me. Makes you wonder what other obvious stuff we're all missing.

the_viola21d ago

Eight years is actually pretty common for the older concrete guys I know. I spent my first five on a crew fighting a bull float before someone showed me the right angle. It's wild how much time we waste just because nobody bothers to ask the simple questions.

taylorellis21d ago

All boils down to keeping your leading edge down and letting the concrete do the work.