Kinetic customs square review

[pressbrake1]

Just a square or a full combination set? I'd love a decent protractor, keep debating a Mitutoyo or Starrett set.

Square only
I’m going to make them just to annoy pathetic customs

 

[Mick Annick]

I have a Stanley, though rarely use it as a square - more as a depth / length gauge for repeat cuts. Have a set of five assorted squares for, well, square stuff.

Can you get a decent left-handed tape measure?

 

[Munkul]

No. Was a genuine question, I'm not being flippant! I'm a builder so my metal working requirements are pretty basic and definitely not precision. I use one occasionally for scribing and marking for cutting but even then it's the saw that determines how square the cut is. Also max box section I've used is probably 150mm with maybe a 6mm wall so radius never been a problem. I imagine the starret or m&w costs a lot more and isn't aimed at builders and joiners?

Sorry mate, yeah it's the quality that gives repeatable accuracy for scribing lines on steel, a precision combi square can mark stuff out to fractions of a mm if used properly.
The Stanley/other cheap ones these days are made of pot metal, accuracy isn't great and the locking screws are abysmal, they have no feel at all. My moore & Wright is all steel, and feels more like a solid engineers square than a carpenter's square. Even they have gone down in quality over the years, but still, when you need a proper setup for marking steel there's nothing better.

 

[Mick Annick]

Square only
I’m going to make them just to annoy pathetic customs

Glad I didn’t order the LaSquare one then.

 

[Brad93]

I’m going to use silicone bronze, strong and rust resistant
I’d copy a old school chesterman rule

Can they cast aluminium bronze? That stuff is super hard wearing. Maybe difficult to machine though.

 

[Brad93]

I have a Stanley, though rarely use it as a square - more as a depth / length gauge for repeat cuts. Have a set of five assorted squares for, well, square stuff.

Can you get a decent left-handed tape measure?

Yes. Either Lufkin or there's another brand, if you search Class 1 tape measure it will probably bring them up.

 

[grim_d]

Can they cast aluminium bronze? That stuff is super hard wearing. Maybe difficult to machine though.

It's not, it's lovely to machine. Like bronze that chips instead of firing bazillions of splinters at you.

 

[pressbrake1]

Can they cast aluminium bronze? That stuff is super hard wearing. Maybe difficult to machine though.

Don’t fancy cutting rule slot in anything fancy otherwise I’d go nickel bronze

 

[pedrobedro]

I own square that have cost a score that look better than the above.

Quite like the look of the woodpecker gear mind

I've got one that cost single figure and it works perfectly for anything I need to do and I don't need to worry about anyone else using it, it gets enough abuse from me.

 

[indy4x]

I have one

LaSquare Combination Square - Wide Faced

LaSquare Combination Square, Wide Based with 12″or 24'' Stainless Steel Blade, Order On-line for Next Day UK Delivery

www.r-techwelding.co.uk

I blame @doubleboost, he made me buy it but I like it

 

[northwest]

Yes. Either Lufkin or there's another brand, if you search Class 1 tape measure it will probably bring them up.

Lufkin used to be top quality but I feel they are letting things slip lately. My new Lufkin rule just doesn't have the same quality feel to it.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Lufkin used to be top quality but I feel they are letting things slip lately. My new Lufkin rule just doesn't have the same quality feel to it.

Lufkin ceased trading in 1967. Since then it has been a brand for Cooper hand tools who was split off and merged with Danaher into Apex tools in 2010. I don't think there is much left of the original Lufkin apart from the name.
In my opinion the quality of the old Lufkin stuff was equal to M&W and Starrett.

 

[northwest]

Lufkin ceased trading in 1967. Since then it has been a brand for Cooper hand tools who was split off and merged with Danaher into Apex tools in 2010. I don't think there is much left of the original Lufkin apart from the name.
In my opinion the quality of the old Lufkin stuff was equal to M&W and Starrett.

Thanks for clearing that up for me. It is about eight or nine years ago I saw the first signs of decline.

 

[Munkul]

best tape measures I've used and bought recently over the last few years have been Milwaukee, the big 5m and 8m tapes with the magnets in the ends etc, they're nicer to use than the stanley fatmax alternatives. The yellow tape gets dirty easily, it's not a gloss finish, but it soon cleans up with hand wipes.

I don't want to hear any of this class 1/2 bulls**t cos that's all it is, absolute claptrap. A quality tape measure is accurate to 1mm regardless of class, and that's my experience, bear in mind i often work for a company who expect everything i fabricate to be dead-on.

 

[pressbrake1]

Lufkin ceased trading in 1967. Since then it has been a brand for Cooper hand tools who was split off and merged with Danaher into Apex tools in 2010. I don't think there is much left of the original Lufkin apart from the name.
In my opinion the quality of the old Lufkin stuff was equal to M&W and Starrett.

Exactly what I mean by brand over manufacturer

 

[grim_d]

best tape measures I've used and bought recently over the last few years have been Milwaukee, the big 5m and 8m tapes with the magnets in the ends etc, they're nicer to use than the stanley fatmax alternatives. The yellow tape gets dirty easily, it's not a gloss finish, but it soon cleans up with hand wipes.

I don't want to hear any of this class 1/2 bulls**t cos that's all it is, absolute claptrap. A quality tape measure is accurate to 1mm regardless of class, and that's my experience, bear in mind i often work for a company who expect everything i fabricate to be dead-on.

Absolutely not, the class I and II system is over 10m and definitely makes a difference if you are working on things over a couple of metres

In this picture we have 3x class II, then 2x class I then 2 class I steel rules,

Note how all the class I agree with each other but the class II are a bit all over the place, at 2.2m we have a 1.5mm difference.

Now genuinely this as much about the quality of the hook as it is the markings. If I line up the markings we still have a disagreement of 1mm over 2.2m but all the class II agree with each other right up to 3m (I can't say any more as they are only 3m long)

 

[Munkul]

Sorry mate, that's your experience but certainly not mine. Class 1 and 2 means absolutely nothing to me, in fact it means nothing to anyone I've worked with.

A bad tape measure is a bad tape measure. A good one is a good one. Milwaukee tapes are all class 2 and they are superb. Same with stanley fatmax.

If you need sub-1mm accuracy over 10 metres, a tape measure is the wrong tool.

Sometimes folk on this forum over-analyse things.

 

[grim_d]

Sorry mate, that's your experience but certainly not mine. Class 1 and 2 means absolutely nothing to me, in fact it means nothing to anyone I've worked with.

A bad tape measure is a bad tape measure. A good one is a good one. Milwaukee tapes are all class 2 and they are superb. Same with stanley fatmax.

If you need sub-1mm accuracy over 10 metres, a tape measure is the wrong tool.

Sometimes folk on this forum over-analyse things.

It's not my experience but rather plain fact as evidence in the photos, two of those class II tapes are Stanley.

It's about consistency and repeatability, I know that what I'm measuring with a class I will be the same regardless of which of my tapes come first to hand, I can't have that same assurance with the class II.

Much of the time it doesn't matter because your tolerance will swallow any error, but that big tolerance doesn't always exist.

If it doesn't matter to you and your work then great, that's brilliant, it genuinely affects the quality and fit of some of the items I'm producing. (I am in no way criticising your work)

My point is that although it might not affect you in your industry it's certianly not claptrap, it's not as if class I tapes are disgustingly expensive and it's all a big scam.

 

[pressbrake1]

Hense you should use the same tape for measuring and making!

 

[brightspark]

Sorry mate, that's your experience but certainly not mine. Class 1 and 2 means absolutely nothing to me, in fact it means nothing to anyone I've worked with.

A bad tape measure is a bad tape measure. A good one is a good one. Milwaukee tapes are all class 2 and they are superb. Same with stanley fatmax.

If you need sub-1mm accuracy over 10 metres, a tape measure is the wrong tool.

Sometimes folk on this forum over-analyse things.

you can say that again