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How long will it take to ship my square once I’ve placed my order?
All Chappell Universal Squares are final prepped, hand finished and inspected on an order-by-order basis. The normal lead time for orders to ship runs from 7-10 days. Transit time will be based on the shipping option and final destination. Processing time may be longer based on the current sales volume and items ordered. Due to the nature of the hand-work required to make each square—etching, milling and finishing processes— we have a limited production capacity. All orders are shipped in the order in which they are received, so be assured there will never be any preferential delays. We recommend choosing USPS Priority or USPS Ground Advantage.
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Why are the minor rulings on the Chappell Universal Square divided in a decimal inch (.05) as opposed to fractional units of 1/16 or 1/8?
The most significant reason for the decimal-inch-ruling is that the Chappell Universal Square is not just your average square, but rather, a powerful calculator. Just as your average scientific calculator provides readouts in decimal format, so does the Chappell Universal Square, allowing for direct and highly accurate application of the data in the patented tables to be applied directly to the square itself, with little-or-no thought process.
By using the decimal inch, no conversions are ever necessary—as the decimal units can be applied directly to the square. Secondly, the standard square consists of an odd ball arrangement of rulings. These consist of 10th, 12th, 16th and 8th rulings. The reasoning behind this has long ceased to be advantageous, but the annoying fact remains that no two rulings on any leg of the standard framing square are the same. Tenths and 12th’s can easily be mistaken for 8th’s or 16th’s, and many, many mistakes have been made by carpenters over the years due to confusion. After years of flipping the square over and over to find the correct ruling, I swore that if I ever designed a square it would have the same consistent rulings on all legs. No more confusion, and no more flipping the square to find the right scale.
In this new age of high-tech computer technology, the fractional-based system stands out as an archaic dinosaur that becomes apparent as soon as you pick up a pocket calculator and attempt to convert fractions to decimals, or vice versa. In order to refine a measure given in 16th’s to a greater degree of accuracy, one needs to cycle through 32nd’s, 64th’s, 128th’s, etc. Whereas, in a decimal system you simply have to add another zero. End of story.
The Chappell Universal Square really consist of a rather seamless merging of both imperial fractions and the decimal inch. The .05″ ruling falls directly on the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 inch marks. If one chooses to mark in intervals of 1/8, then it falls directly at the center point between the 1/4 increments and can be located with extreme accuracy without a second thought due to the mirrored .05″ rule marks that bookend the 1/8 inch point exactly at center. Indeed, there is something magical about this decimal scale. All one has to do is to use it for just a few hours to see the advantages. You will quickly wonder why it took so long for someone to incorporate it into a square. And once you understand the beauty of working with it, you will never go back.
To learn more about the Chappell Ruling, check out our YouTube Channel
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How accurate are the squares?
The Chappell Universal Square is guaranteed to be square to within .003 of an inch over the length of the tongue. This makes it the most precise framing square on the market today.
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What type of guarantee do you have for the square?
We offer a 90 day satisfaction guarantee. If you feel that the Chappell Universal Square does not hold up to your expectations, you can send it back for a complete refund, no questions asked.
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Many squares on the market sell for much less than the Chappell Universal Square, why is this?
With the emergence of China as the principal manufacturer for products sold in the USA, there is now a great void in the manufacturing capabilities in this country. As we began to seek avenue’s to manufacture this product, all avenues led to China. This was the easy path, but this path we resisted, as it was important to us that the square was made in the USA. This increased the time and cost that it took to carry out the R&D, and in the end we essentially had to reinvent how to manufacture a quality square in this country. We also chose to use only American made stainless steel. These factors all lead to increased production time and costs over the Chinese alternative, but we felt someone had to draw the line in the sand and stick up for the American manufacturing industry. Though this may make only a very small dent overall, it nonetheless is a dent, and a step toward bringing manufacturing prowess back to the USA. We believe that our products will provide long lasting value far beyond the memory of what they cost today, and that one day in the future they will be something that you will feel proud to hand down to the next generation, be it your children, grandchildren or students. The Chappell Universal Square is the only stainless steel framing square made in the USA.