Editing Try square

{{short description|Woodworking tool used for marking and checking 90° angles}}
{{Infobox tool|name=Try square|image=Trysquare.jpg|caption=A try square with a steel blade rivetted into a wooden stock faced with brass.|used_with=Pencil, pen, [[marking knife]]|classification={{unbulleted list|[[Square (tool)|Woodworking square]]|Woodworking hand tool}}|other_name={{unbulleted list|Gallows square|Joiners square}}}}
A '''try square''' or '''try-square''' is a [[woodworking]] tool used for marking and checking 90° angles on pieces of wood. Though woodworkers use many different [[Square (tool)|types of square]], the try square is considered one of the essential tools for woodworking.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Schwarz|first=Christopher|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/875304703|title=The Anarchist's Tool Chest|publisher=Lost Art Press LLC|year=2011|isbn=978-0-578-08413-8|location=Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, USA|pages=142–144, 464|oclc=875304703}}</ref>

The ''square'' in the name refers to the [[Right angle|90° angle]]. To ''try'' a piece of wood is to check if the edges and faces are straight, flat, and square to one another.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Thiel|first=David|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/76871452|title=Hand Tool Essentials: Refine Your Power Tool Projects With Hand Tool Techniques|publisher=Popular Woodworking Books|year=2007|isbn=978-1-55870-815-0|edition=1st|location=Cincinnati, Ohio, USA|pages=180–183|oclc=76871452}}</ref> A ''try square'' is so called because it is used to ''try'' how ''square'' the workpiece is.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Garrett|first1=Hack|url=https://archive.org/details/classichandtools0000hack/page/46|title=Classic Hand Tools|last2=Sheldon|first2=John S|date=1999|publisher=Taunt on Press|isbn=1561582735|location=Newton, CT|page=[https://archive.org/details/classichandtools0000hack/page/46 46]|ref=Garrett}}</ref>

== Description ==
A try square is made of two key parts, the ''blade'' (also known as a ''beam'' or ''tongue'') and the ''stock'', which are fixed together at 90° to form an 'L' shape.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2014-06-13|title=On Woodworking Squares and Working Wood|url=https://paulsellers.com/2014/06/on-woodworking-squares-and-working-wood/|access-date=2020-10-22|website=Paul Sellers' Blog|language=en-US}}</ref>

The blade is usually made of wood or steel and is fixed into the stock, which is usually thicker than the blade and made of wood, metal or plastic. Both the stock and the tongue are usually made with parallel edges. Typically the blade and the stock will be rectangular in profile, though on some wooden squares the ends of the blade and the stock might be cut to a decorative shape.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|date=2015-09-28|title=Make Wooden Try Squares|url=https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/make-wooden-try-squares/|access-date=2020-10-22|website=Popular Woodworking Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> Some steel blades also have ruler markings for making measurements.

Often the top of the stock will not cover the full width of the blade so the stock does not get in the way when making a mark.<ref name=":1" /> This gap also allows space should an inaccurate blade need to be planed, filed or sanded.

Try squares are typically {{Convert|3|to|24|inch|mm|abbr=}} long.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Salaman|first=R. A.|url=http://archive.org/details/dictionaryoftool0000sala|title=Dictionary of Tools Used in the Woodworking and Allied Trades, c. 1700-1970|publisher=Scribner|others=Internet Archive|year=1975|isbn=978-0-684-14535-8|location=New York, USA|pages=476–477}}</ref> {{Convert|3|inch|mm|||abbr=on}} squares are handier for small tasks that don't require a longer square, such as marking small joints. A typical general purpose square is {{Convert|6|to|8|inch|mm|abbr=}}. Larger squares are used for tasks such as cabinetry, and are more likely to be made by the woodworker themselves, but other methods are often preferred for such larger tasks.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=2014-08-21|title=All About Try Squares|url=https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-daily/try-squares/|access-date=2020-10-22|website=Popular Woodworking Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4" />

A common form of try square has a broad blade made of [[steel]] that is [[rivet]]ed into a stable, dense tropical hardwood stock, often [[ebony]] or [[rosewood]]. The inside of the wooden stock usually has a brass strip fixed to it to reduce wear.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" />

On some squares the top of the stock is angled at 45°, so the square can be used as a [[Miter square|mitre square]] for marking and checking [[Miter joint|45° angles]].

A similar type of square is the [[Machinist square|engineer's square]], used in metalworking and by some woodworkers. The blade is made with both a steel blade and a steel stock and is usually manufactured to a higher degree of accuracy.

== Use ==
[[File:Illustration on using a try square.png|thumb|Using a try square to mark lines perpendicular to the edge.]]
[[File:Image from page 147 of "Teacher's handbook of Slöjd" (1900).jpg|thumb|Using a try square to check if the full length of a board is square.]]
The stock is usually held against the edge of the workpiece and either side of the tongue is then used as a [[Straightedge|straight edge]] for making a mark, or as a reference to check the accuracy of an angle.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

When checking if an angle is square, the woodworker will test the workpiece in multiple places or will run the square along the length of the workpiece. The woodworker might hold the workpiece up towards a light to help see any gaps between the workpiece and the square. Another method is to try sliding [[feeler gauge]]s between the square and the workpiece.

For making a mark a woodworker might use a pencil, a pen or, for greater accuracy, a [[marking knife]] or blade.

== History and symbolism ==
Wooden try squares have survived from [[Ancient Egyptian technology|Ancient Egypt]] and [[Roman technology|Ancient Rome]] and can be seen in art from the time.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-06-05|title=Melencolia Square, Part 6: From the Grave|url=https://blog.lostartpress.com/2014/06/04/melencolia-square-part-6-from-the-grave/|access-date=2020-10-22|website=Lost Art Press|language=en-US}}</ref> From the 18th century squares began to be manufactured in [[Factory|factories]], prior to that they were typically made from wood and made by the [[Tradesman|tradesmen]] themselves.<ref name=":1" /> Some woodworkers continue to make their own try squares.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />

The square is incorporated into the most common [[Freemasonry]] symbol, the [[Square and Compasses]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=SQUARE AND COMPASSES - Freemasonry's Logo|url=https://www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com/square-and-compasses.html|access-date=2020-10-17|website=www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com}}</ref> Historically squares have also been used by woodworkers, such as [[joiner]]s and [[Carpentry|carpenters]], as symbols in signs and [[heraldry]] to represent their trade.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schwarz|first=Christopher|date=29 May 2014|title=Melencolia Square, Part 4: Look for a Sign|url=https://blog.lostartpress.com/2014/05/29/melencolia-square-part-4-look-for-a-sign/|access-date=17 October 2020|website=Lost Art Press|language=en-US}}</ref> The square as a symbol is also seen in artistic representations of the Christian saints [[Thomas the Apostle]] and [[James the Less]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hardon |first=John A. |url=http://archive.org/details/na00john |title=Modern Catholic Dictionary |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |others=[[Internet Archive]] |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-385-12162-0 |edition=1st |location=Garden City, NY |pages=83 |language=en |chapter=Carpenter's square |author-link=John Hardon}}</ref>

== Accuracy ==
{{See also|Square (tool)#Accuracy}}
A square can become less accurate over time through both common use and abuse, such as the edges becoming worn over time or the square being dropped or mistreated. Wooden squares can also vary with changes in temperature and humidity. For this reason more dimensionally stable woods, such as mahogany, are preferred.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0" />

There are a number of methods for correcting an inaccurate square by hand. Wooden blades can be corrected using a [[Plane (tool)|hand plane]] and sandpaper, while metal blades can be corrected using a [[File (tool)|file]], [[emery cloth]], or [[sandpaper]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=How to correct an engineer's square that is not square?|url=https://www.wonkeedonkeetools.co.uk/engineers-squares/how-to-correct-an-engineer-s-square-that-is-not-square|access-date=2020-10-22|website=Wonkee Donkee Tools|language=en-GB}}</ref>
<gallery>
File:Cc&j-fig5--try and mitre square.png|Try square with a 45° mitred stock.
File:Carpenter's Square MET 20.3.90.jpeg|[[Ancient Egypt]]ian try square from the 20th century BC. Discovered in 1920 in the [[TT280|tomb of Meketre]] near Thebes.
File:Vinkelhake - Skoklosters slott - 99789.tif|Traditional wooden try square with a slightly curved profile on the blade, from the [[Skokloster Castle|Stokloster Castle]] collection.
File:Rubens apostel jakobus mindere grt.jpg|Painting by [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]] of [[James the Less|St James the Less]] clutching a try square, a symbol associated with several Christian saints.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dictionary : CARPENTER'S SQUARE|url=https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=32346|access-date=2020-10-19|website=www.catholicculture.org}}</ref>
File:Testing a try square for accuracy.png|[[Square (tool)#Accuracy|One method]] for testing a woodworker's try square for accuracy.
File:Fotothek df roe-neg 0002480 002 Jugendlicher Häftling und weitere Person bei der Holzbearbeitung.jpg| Young prisoner in 1950 using a try square for woodworking. 
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Commons}}
* [[Combination square]]
* [[Machinist square]]
* [[Set square]]
* [[Steel square]]
* [[Speed square]]
* [[Square (tool)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Measuring and alignment tools}}
{{Woodworking}}
[[Category:Dimensional instruments]]
[[Category:Woodworking measuring instruments]]
[[Category:Squares (tool)]]
{{Authority control}}