I've literally watched thousands of woodworking videos in the last ten years, and this is the first time I learn about this. I look forward to more of your videos. Thank you
Thank you, Steve Maskery for producing and posting one of THE most informative and succinct videos on TH-cam! Bravo, sir!!! BRAVO!!! And thank you to TH-cam for feeding this video to me to watch and learn from!
I’m a new woodworker, and so it took me a few minutes of thinking to figure out how to make this. Since it is critical that the pivot point of the short piece be *exactly* in the center of the long piece, I was trying to figure out how to get that center point drilled to be exactly in the center, and I realize I was going at this backwards. Instead make the short piece and put a good point on it. Then drill a hole in the long piece such that the there is a bit of extra beyond the point of the short piece on both ends when the short is spun about the pivot point. Then put the bolt through the pivot holes in both pieces and use a nice marking knife to transfer the point of the short piece to each end of the long piece and cut the points on the end of the long piece. The pivot point then is in the exact center between the points on the long piece, and then Bob’s your uncle.
Until one of the wood points gets dented or such. Just buy a quality steel framing square. (Actually buy two. Never use one of them except to occasionally check the working one). I’ve never understood this provincial notion that hand-built reference tools are good.
This is what i appreciate, a piece of wood, everyone running about with gps lasers and bluetooth battery packs, everything high-tech. Me, i am going to make myself a square of Thales and a Tick-Stick, no corner in my house is safe anymore, tx Steve.
@@psidvicious The 3-4-5 right triangle is based on the Pythagorean Theorem, and is used in larger scale applications such as building foundations and sports fields. In small scale applications, the error that comes with measuring and marking makes this technique less than ideal, and more time-consuming.
Fabulous! A man who is not only a woodworker but a scholar! What a rare breed! I LOVED this video because it was about much more than just woodworking. It was about history, Thales, math and geometry. One other tiny observation: travel. A carpenters square is not a simple thing for travel. It takes up space, requires care not to bend it or drop it (dulling the corners), and such. This simple square of Thales is easy to transport and recreate if needed (particularly for different sizes, as noted). So, again, thank you! A wonderful addition! Please, do more! Your audience will probably never be large - because your audience needs to appreciate construction and academics simultaneously. However, those of us who follow you are likely to be devoted! Cheers.
How the hell have I only just found this channel? I'm a two-year retired carpenter/joiner and didn't know any of this stuff. Thanks, Steve. Looks like I;m going to be here for quit some time.....Genius.
@@andynicoll8566 Pythagorean Theorem is much easier and practical. Works on anything from mm to miles and requires no other tools than what you already have in your pocket - your phone calculator.
This is my first time seeing Steve and his square. I’m quick to close the vast majority of useless content these days. This content is practical, useful and entertaining. Very smart design and I’ll be building a couple today! So simple yet non-obvious.
Irony of it is, I was just thinking this morning, before heading to my garage to square corners of a large wooden box, how to do exactly this! Genius, simple, failproof and --- idiot proof. The pity is, I had to wait 70 years to hear about it. The most grateful thanks to you, Steve!!
That is brilliant, as you say especially useful for laying out large constructions. I have always made a large 3,4,5 triangle but I think this is superior in many ways, and a lot more compact.
I’m a long time watcher of TH-cam I can’t remember the last time I was so impressed. How the heck did I get to the age of fifty seven and never have come across this device. Got to go now I’m off to the workshop, I’m going to keep a couple of these on the van. Thanks so much
WoW! So many useless TH-cams on carpentry that are beginner level. This one is extremely useful and I have never heard of it. I will be making one for sure. I also like how you explained the mathematical reason that this stick works. The ancients were very clever yet we think that today we are the most clever in the use of technology.
Effin brilliant! It's like carpenter dad teaching you the clever tricks handed down from history. So many of these techniques to save you fussing about trying to align measurement numbers using some shoddy measuring tape or whatever Also learned you can trace a complex shaped hole in say plasterboard using nothing but a funny shaped pointy stick, a pencil and a piece of paper. So many of these techniques that just makes you slap your head thinking about all the overcomplicated and inaccurate ways you did it before
Great video. Minor point: The Greeks habitually attributed ideas to historical figures as a way of gaining credibility. Many ideas were speciously or dubiously attributed to pre-Socratic philosophers.
Old man in XXXX (location removed for safety) chatting about an old man from Greece. Cheers for the video Steve, I made a nice metal one a few years ago after your explanation of it and it still gets used when I remember where I've put it. :)
A brilliant device, i will be making one tomorrow, another thing i noticed is if using this to square of an uneven wall ( pitched face stone for example) the three points of contact will not be thrown out by a stone that sticks out a bit further than the rest, i have a folding square triangle for squaring of walls but it sometimes gets a wobble on as it is full contact
Triangles are awesome mate, i once surprised my boss by discovering the diameter of a partially obscured well we uncovered whilst excavating, i used triangles to determine the size of the part that was still covered. This was using what my boss called taking a chord of the bit we could see, i had not heard this term before and he callenged me to find the well diameter using the chord measurements, i did it over the weekend, i still remind him of it 36 years later, it ranks amongst my finest hours
My goodness Steve, that's genius. I've always just said to myself "there's no such thing as square. Only an approximation" Well now I'm hoping that there may actually be such a thing.
Thank you for your videos. We take for granted all the tech we have, but it remains important to remember how it was done in the past and how it is still very useful and more importantly can save us a lot of money!
I never heard about this. It’s brilliant. And easy to make. Just fix two pieces together and cut both ends on a miter saw. You don’t even have to find the center of the long piece.
Brilliant. I love seeing how maths is explained in real life terms rather than just theoretical. If this was done more at school level, I believe more people would take an interest in it.
Interesting! I looked up Thales and it seems like he really could be considered the first philosopher in some circles, though that may be contested by some, he must be pretty cool! I never heard of him before, but looked him up and here's some stuff I found.... Thales' Theorem: This states that the diameter of a circle always subtends a right angle to any point on the circle. The Intercept Theorem: Also known as Thales' Theorem, it states that if a line is drawn parallel to one side of a triangle intersecting the other two sides, those sides are divided in the same ratio. He proved several fundamental geometric propositions: A circle is bisected by its diameter. The base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal. Opposite angles formed by intersecting straight lines are equal. The angle inscribed inside a semicircle is a right angle.
Very nice! 👍👍👍 “This is a special case of Proposition 20 in Book III of Euclid’s The Elements with the chord taken to be a diameter. “Not a lot of people know that.” -Michael Caine 😁
I know a few things about woodworking, physics and mathematics. But I have never seen this. Great explanation, totally clear. Will build a few of these.
I have a metal one of these hanging in my workshop - about a foot long. It looks commercially made though there's no maker's mark on it. Used to belong to my cabinet-maker father who passed away 30 years ago. I thought I was being quite clever using it to establish right angles. How marvellous to discover that was always its actual purpose in the first place. One of his best bits of advice - measure for the record, but gauge for the job. There are still a dozen sticks hanging on that wall - basically just pieces of old-fashioned plasterers' lattings (lathings?) with pencil marks and notches on them. Made for each job, but never discarded. He had a name for them - memory sticks or something like that. Anyone? I'm 80 myself now and can't remember. One has just a series of holes drilled along it - took me a while to guess it's almost certainly a makeshift compass. He never used other than feet and inches in woodwork, and I never have or will. Increasingly academic these days..
I've heard them called story sticks. The classic application here is for use in boat building, although story sticks for boats are a little more involved than for something like furniture or spindle turning.
Thats brilliant! Beats my 3,4,5 measuring, love it thank you! Been chippying, laying out etc. for over 35 years, never seen it before, might have to build me a workshop now, all squared up!
Cheers @Steve. As an aspiring handyman and woodworking enthusiast, I can think of a couple of things I can use apply this tool to. We recently bought our first home, a house from 1925 and although it is in pretty good shape, it does need a lot of work.
I’ve found an old friend in Steve, for years I subscribed to a woodworking magazine and Steves articles were magic. Some I built. Now I’ve subscribed. Great vids Steve thank you.
Hooray for Steve Maskery. Gratitude to Mr. Thales. Here is a demonstration of the marriage of complication with simplicity. Result? Happiness with the bonus of square angles. I have a suspicion that you are really a maths teacher disguised as a carpenter. Thank you Steve
Pretty cool divice! I just went to have a look at that first video on your channel, and it was 18 years ago! Amazing! And you've gotten grayer over the years (as have I)!
I've heard of Thales; but in a different context in High School's Plane Geometry. A Triangle was used to estimate how far a ship was offshore, by proportions. The notion of 'proportions' is a big deal as it directly led to the invention by the Greeks of graph paper which was endlessly useful in their civil engineering projects.
this also illustrates the fact that all points on a circle are equidistant from the center of the circle. Any two intersecting straight lines that touch the circle at only 3 points (one of which must be the point of intersection of the lines) must be at a right angle.
It's wonderous how simple and accurate this is! Geometry is so neat :) I'll be making one to use for setting my straight edge for rough cutting sheet goods. No track saw, but same purpose.
@2:45 not to mention Demis Roussos. Anyway, fantastic video, I think I just found out what the most incredible and practical piece of tooling is that I must have in my workshop.
Woodworking tips AND maths. This could be my favourite video ever!
Lol! Now if it involved woodworking, maths and food it would be my favourite video too!
@@SteveMaskery ... and cycling!
Fishing?
Tell me about it! I was rapt!
I've literally watched thousands of woodworking videos in the last ten years, and this is the first time I learn about this. I look forward to more of your videos. Thank you
Thank you, Steve Maskery for producing and posting one of THE most informative and succinct videos on TH-cam!
Bravo, sir!!!
BRAVO!!!
And thank you to TH-cam for feeding this video to me to watch and learn from!
As a physicist, I love this. Bonus points for the Schrödinger comment
If you're not watching, can you be sure he said it?
I’m a new woodworker, and so it took me a few minutes of thinking to figure out how to make this. Since it is critical that the pivot point of the short piece be *exactly* in the center of the long piece, I was trying to figure out how to get that center point drilled to be exactly in the center, and I realize I was going at this backwards. Instead make the short piece and put a good point on it. Then drill a hole in the long piece such that the there is a bit of extra beyond the point of the short piece on both ends when the short is spun about the pivot point. Then put the bolt through the pivot holes in both pieces and use a nice marking knife to transfer the point of the short piece to each end of the long piece and cut the points on the end of the long piece. The pivot point then is in the exact center between the points on the long piece, and then Bob’s your uncle.
Exactly, my friend, exactly.
Until one of the wood points gets dented or such. Just buy a quality steel framing square. (Actually buy two. Never use one of them except to occasionally check the working one). I’ve never understood this provincial notion that hand-built reference tools are good.
Why have I never seen this before, off the the play room to make one now!
This is what i appreciate, a piece of wood, everyone running about with gps lasers and bluetooth battery packs, everything high-tech. Me, i am going to make myself a square of Thales and a Tick-Stick, no corner in my house is safe anymore, tx Steve.
Tick Sticks are amazing. I know them as a joggle.
Just use the Pythagorean Theorem, a²+b²=c². Works perfectly every time no matter what size you’re dealing with, from mm to miles.
@@psidvicious The 3-4-5 right triangle is based on the Pythagorean Theorem, and is used in larger scale applications such as building foundations and sports fields. In small scale applications, the error that comes with measuring and marking makes this technique less than ideal, and more time-consuming.
@@boonecountygenerators3052 You are correct. The 3-4-5 triangle works because of Pythagorean Theorem.
I quite literally laughed out loud at the "square of Schrodinger"
Me too
The delivery was very good
I’m not certain about that.
Twas a fine joke and no mistake
That little comment showed both a clever sense of humor and that Steve is very intelligent!!
😊
Fabulous! A man who is not only a woodworker but a scholar! What a rare breed! I LOVED this video because it was about much more than just woodworking. It was about history, Thales, math and geometry. One other tiny observation: travel. A carpenters square is not a simple thing for travel. It takes up space, requires care not to bend it or drop it (dulling the corners), and such. This simple square of Thales is easy to transport and recreate if needed (particularly for different sizes, as noted). So, again, thank you! A wonderful addition! Please, do more! Your audience will probably never be large - because your audience needs to appreciate construction and academics simultaneously. However, those of us who follow you are likely to be devoted! Cheers.
How the hell have I only just found this channel? I'm a two-year retired carpenter/joiner and didn't know any of this stuff. Thanks, Steve. Looks like I;m going to be here for quit some time.....Genius.
How on Earth I've never heard about this before?! It's brilliant! Thank You so much for sharing!
It's basic Pythagoras. which carpenters call 3,4,5. or A squared + B squared = C squared.
@@andynicoll8566 Pythagorean Theorem is much easier and practical. Works on anything from mm to miles and requires no other tools than what you already have in your pocket - your phone calculator.
This is my first time seeing Steve and his square. I’m quick to close the vast majority of useless content these days. This content is practical, useful and entertaining. Very smart design and I’ll be building a couple today!
So simple yet non-obvious.
Irony of it is, I was just thinking this morning, before heading to my garage to square corners of a large wooden box, how to do exactly this! Genius, simple, failproof and --- idiot proof. The pity is, I had to wait 70 years to hear about it. The most grateful thanks to you, Steve!!
That is brilliant, as you say especially useful for laying out large constructions. I have always made a large 3,4,5 triangle but I think this is superior in many ways, and a lot more compact.
I'm 66 and this is new to me. Many thanks. I will be making one tomorrow
I’m a long time watcher of TH-cam I can’t remember the last time I was so impressed.
How the heck did I get to the age of fifty seven and never have come across this device.
Got to go now I’m off to the workshop, I’m going to keep a couple of these on the van.
Thanks so much
WoW! So many useless TH-cams on carpentry that are beginner level. This one is extremely useful and I have never heard of it. I will be making one for sure. I also like how you explained the mathematical reason that this stick works. The ancients were very clever yet we think that today we are the most clever in the use of technology.
I am so happy that TH-cam pointed me to your channel. There is a such a wealth of information that you have shared. Thank you!
It doesn't even matter what size it is, as long as it's even. I love this kind of real low tech precision that works universally.
Effin brilliant!
It's like carpenter dad teaching you the clever tricks handed down from history.
So many of these techniques to save you fussing about trying to align measurement numbers using some shoddy measuring tape or whatever
Also learned you can trace a complex shaped hole in say plasterboard using nothing but a funny shaped pointy stick, a pencil and a piece of paper.
So many of these techniques that just makes you slap your head thinking about all the overcomplicated and inaccurate ways you did it before
Thank you. Tell all your mates :)
Cheap, precise, and compact. Well done.
Mind blown. By math! Just hoping someday Steve Maskery will also invent the Square of Schroedinger.
Great video.
Minor point: The Greeks habitually attributed ideas to historical figures as a way of gaining credibility. Many ideas were speciously or dubiously attributed to pre-Socratic philosophers.
I didn't know that, thank you.
Christalmighty where was this video when I was in Junior High School.
BTW the throwaway Shrodinger gag was very clutch.
Can’t believe I’ve never came across one of these as I love old wood working tools. Every days a school day. Thank you.
Old man in XXXX (location removed for safety) chatting about an old man from Greece. Cheers for the video Steve, I made a nice metal one a few years ago after your explanation of it and it still gets used when I remember where I've put it. :)
A brilliant device, i will be making one tomorrow, another thing i noticed is if using this to square of an uneven wall ( pitched face stone for example) the three points of contact will not be thrown out by a stone that sticks out a bit further than the rest, i have a folding square triangle for squaring of walls but it sometimes gets a wobble on as it is full contact
I've never seen any of your videos, but I can tell I'll love your channel by your intro alone! Cheers
I'm glad you like what you see. Tell all your friends!
Triangles are awesome mate, i once surprised my boss by discovering the diameter of a partially obscured well we uncovered whilst excavating, i used triangles to determine the size of the part that was still covered. This was using what my boss called taking a chord of the bit we could see, i had not heard this term before and he callenged me to find the well diameter using the chord measurements, i did it over the weekend, i still remind him of it 36 years later, it ranks amongst my finest hours
My goodness Steve, that's genius. I've always just said to myself "there's no such thing as square. Only an approximation"
Well now I'm hoping that there may actually be such a thing.
Thank you for your videos. We take for granted all the tech we have, but it remains important to remember how it was done in the past and how it is still very useful and more importantly can save us a lot of money!
I never heard about this. It’s brilliant. And easy to make. Just fix two pieces together and cut both ends on a miter saw. You don’t even have to find the center of the long piece.
Brilliant. I love seeing how maths is explained in real life terms rather than just theoretical. If this was done more at school level, I believe more people would take an interest in it.
I'm 68 and still learning things I didn't know. Pretty neat.
Blimey...and after 5 years & throw back from the UK Woodworking Forums. Welcome, and great to have you back Steve.
Ian, Birmingham, UK
very interesting. it also packs down to a useful size, unlike a normal square.
Interesting! I looked up Thales and it seems like he really could be considered the first philosopher in some circles, though that may be contested by some, he must be pretty cool! I never heard of him before, but looked him up and here's some stuff I found....
Thales' Theorem: This states that the diameter of a circle always subtends a right angle to any point on the circle.
The Intercept Theorem: Also known as Thales' Theorem, it states that if a line is drawn parallel to one side of a triangle intersecting the other two sides, those sides are divided in the same ratio.
He proved several fundamental geometric propositions:
A circle is bisected by its diameter.
The base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal.
Opposite angles formed by intersecting straight lines are equal.
The angle inscribed inside a semicircle is a right angle.
Very nice! 👍👍👍
“This is a special case of Proposition 20 in Book III of Euclid’s The Elements with the chord taken to be a diameter.
“Not a lot of people know that.”
-Michael Caine 😁
Only just been notified of this, Welcome back Steve, Still got loads of your dvds, its good to have you back
Lol i have been a fine carpenter for 40 years now and this is so easy and brilliant. I wish i was your neighbor so i could buy you a pint or two mate.
I know a few things about woodworking, physics and mathematics. But I have never seen this. Great explanation, totally clear. Will build a few of these.
I am utterly awe-struck! What an elegant and beautiful solution. Better yet, it's simple enough that even I can reproduce it. Many, many thanks sir!
This is such a clever idea, bit of thought and would be so easy to make with no measuring required.
I have a metal one of these hanging in my workshop - about a foot long. It looks commercially made though there's no maker's mark on it. Used to belong to my cabinet-maker father who passed away 30 years ago.
I thought I was being quite clever using it to establish right angles. How marvellous to discover that was always its actual purpose in the first place. One of his best bits of advice - measure for the record, but gauge for the job.
There are still a dozen sticks hanging on that wall - basically just pieces of old-fashioned plasterers' lattings (lathings?) with pencil marks and notches on them. Made for each job, but never discarded. He had a name for them - memory sticks or something like that. Anyone? I'm 80 myself now and can't remember. One has just a series of holes drilled along it - took me a while to guess it's almost certainly a makeshift compass.
He never used other than feet and inches in woodwork, and I never have or will. Increasingly academic these days..
I've heard them called story sticks. The classic application here is for use in boat building, although story sticks for boats are a little more involved than for something like furniture or spindle turning.
Glad to have you back on here Steve to share your knowledge
This is the second video I have seen. I am a retired fabricator /welder. This video could have saved me many headaches.
I've been a cabinetmaker for 50 yers and have never heard of the square of Thales. But now I'm going to make two or three of these. Thanks.
That's one I hadn't come across... but I have now! So simple.
Thank you for making this video. Finding square quickly through registration points is invaluable in the workshop.
The Square of Thales is brilliant! Thank you
Thanks that was great. I've used 3,4,5, triangle to do 90's with string but this is much, better. 😊❤
Excellent!
Very slick tool and very easy to make. Thales would be proud although he probably never made one.
Thats brilliant! Beats my 3,4,5 measuring, love it thank you!
Been chippying, laying out etc. for over 35 years, never seen it before, might have to build me a workshop now, all squared up!
I thought I knew all of these sort of tricks, but this is brilliant. I wish I had known it before.
I love people who can think and produce!
I never knew about this. Incredibly useful and simple. Thank you for a very interesting video.
Cheers @Steve. As an aspiring handyman and woodworking enthusiast, I can think of a couple of things I can use apply this tool to.
We recently bought our first home, a house from 1925 and although it is in pretty good shape, it does need a lot of work.
Good luck with it. I remeber my first house. The morgage was 50% of my paycheck and that was considered normal!
I’ve never come across this before. Brilliantly simple, well explained. Thank you for the video!
I’ve found an old friend in Steve, for years I subscribed to a woodworking magazine and Steves articles were magic. Some I built. Now I’ve subscribed. Great vids Steve thank you.
What a very gratifying comment. Thank you very much.
Triangles etc are fascinating, thanks for the titbit. Oh & good to see you back on youtube, hope it's not another 5 years before we see you again.
I like it. I’m sure I’ll be making one or more
Thank you for generously sharing your time and talent. I hope the algorithm is kind to you.
Yes a blast from the past. Good to see you Steve. Great video. Thanks. (wizer)
Learned something new today! Awesomely simple!
Very cool! I remember briefly learning about Thales loooong ago. Thanks for reminding me of him, and presenting such a useful tool.
Steve, that's brilliant. Gonna mash up 2 or 3 of these this week. Thanks for posting.
Love it. rushed into the shop and bashed out the square of Thales. Brilliant easy build and so cool. Thank you for sharing. More please.
Handy gadget to have, I've always used 3 4 5. Measure these 3 measurements with all three points and you have a right angle.
Indeed. Or 5,12,13. But this is quicker and measuring is not always easy, depending on the geometry.
Absolutely brilliant. I will be making one, or two, first thing. Thank you very much. Subscribed
Hooray for Steve Maskery. Gratitude to Mr. Thales. Here is a demonstration of the marriage of complication with simplicity. Result? Happiness with the bonus of square angles. I have a suspicion that you are really a maths teacher disguised as a carpenter. Thank you Steve
Steve! So very pleased to see you. Never heard of that before. Hope we see you again soon,
Jim
Pretty cool divice! I just went to have a look at that first video on your channel, and it was 18 years ago! Amazing! And you've gotten grayer over the years (as have I)!
Quelle surprise!
I've heard of Thales; but in a different context in High School's Plane Geometry. A Triangle was used to estimate how far a ship was offshore, by proportions. The notion of 'proportions' is a big deal as it directly led to the invention by the Greeks of graph paper which was endlessly useful in their civil engineering projects.
Brilliant. Solves a lot of problems!!
That is BRILLIANT!. I'm going to have to make me one (or more!) of those!!!
Those old fellers were pretty bright!
this also illustrates the fact that all points on a circle are equidistant from the center of the circle. Any two intersecting straight lines that touch the circle at only 3 points (one of which must be the point of intersection of the lines) must be at a right angle.
This is easily the most brilliant way I've seen to achieve precision from the ground up in a home shop. I'll make one immediately.
I will be making a couple of these for sure, thank you.
Finally learned something useful on TH-cam
Welcome back! Cheers from Brazil.
It's wonderous how simple and accurate this is! Geometry is so neat :) I'll be making one to use for setting my straight edge for rough cutting sheet goods. No track saw, but same purpose.
Wait. WHAT?
What sorcery is this! Wow! I have to remember this!!!
The best solutions in life are the ones that are the simplest. Great video.
This is probably the most useful YT video I have seen in years.
Thank you!
Art from Ohio
Gosh. So simple. 👍
Philosophy: a love of wisdom.
The triangle line is down the centre of the short wood.
Wow, wish I had seen this 30 years ago. Thanks.
Excellent application of basic geometry.
Great video. Gonna make one over Christmas break.
The philosopher carpenter. Bravo.
@2:45 not to mention Demis Roussos. Anyway, fantastic video, I think I just found out what the most incredible and practical piece of tooling is that I must have in my workshop.
Superb ! How at age 57 I’ve never heard of this type of square ? So well explained too !
Fantastic video. Such a clever tool based on first principles of geometry.
I am doing some repairs on a "country" style gate in a Essex village . Now , I will be able to get it right. Thank you
That was well-explained, and I love the quips in the commentary. I'm already thinking of a use for it in preference to a try-square.
Very nice! VERY NICE!! You are an excellent teacher sir. Thank you for sharing.
The Schrödinger reference was sublime.
Very interesting - thanks, I learned something today!
Fabulous and very educational. I'll head out into the shop and make one or two. Thanks Steve and welcome back.