My old boss laughed at me for spending $80 on a decent speed square, then borrowed it every single day for 3 weeks

Blair Coleman · 2026-10-02T13:55:04.972099+00:00

Back when I was framing houses in my early 20s a guy named Rick who ran the crew told me to stop wasting money on the cheap squares from the bargain bin and just buy one good one. I thought he was messing with me since I was broke and $80 felt like a fortune back then. I finally caved and picked up a Swanson after my third plastic one cracked in the cold, and man that thing sat dead flat from day one and never warped in my pouch. The funny part is Rick ragged on me for two weeks about spending that kind of money, then he kept asking to borrow it because his old square was so far out of true it wasn't even funny. After about 3 weeks of him grabbing it off my bags every morning I just handed it to him and bought myself another one. Lesson stuck with me though, cheap tools cost you twice, once at the register and again every time you have to redo a cut. What's the one tool you guys finally spent real money on after fighting the cheap version for way too long?

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My old boss laughed at me for spending $80 on a decent speed square, then borrowed it every single day for 3 weeks | Carpenters - Free To Speak