🔧 Swanson S0107 12-Inch Square Tool Review

Perfectly square and finally something that matches real wood size. The small plastic ones are fine if you're just framing a 2x4, but this one can make much larger panels and has handy marker slots for drawing a line through the wood. Feels solid in hand and doesn't get damaged by being tossed around in my garage unlike plastic that chip. The markers are easy to read and the little book included is a nice bonus for marking steps.

What's yet to be said about venerable Swanson Square. I liked this square until a co-worker ate it with a beansaw. It will be replaced with the same model. Setting up to cut cheeks isn't as easy as it might seem, but once you get the hang of it, stairs become a breeze. To be honest, I still prefer the L-angle with screw guides for laying out the stair stringers. I bought a 12" aluminum square at a local hardware store, black with white numbering for contrast and legibility, but I still prefer…

Doing some long braids helped me. As mentioned, the tool is thick and not the most accurate. Mark only to 1/8 inch. I had three problems with this for the stair layout. 1.) The corner has a small rounded edge, 2.) You have to adjust the nuts on the bottom which makes it difficult to get them. 3.) The marks don't matter in the design of the stairs, you just have to adjust them, draw lines and measure until you have the lines where you need them as the nuts are on the inside of the stairs. Don't…