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Why are the minor rulings on the Chappell Universal Square divided in a decimal inch (.05) as opposed to the more common fractional units of 1/16 or 1/8?
There are multiple reasons for this. The first and most significant being that the tables on the square are based on the decimal system, which are fundamental units based on 1 and 10. Having rulings every .05 “allows for direct and highly accurate application of the numbers on the tables to the square itself. 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 right 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. Another point to be made is that the rulings on the Chappell 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 minutes to see the advantages. You will quickly wonder why it took so long for someone to incorporate it into a square.
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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.