Day 54, A Trio of Combination Squares
Finishing off (most) of my collection of squares are a trio of combination squares, that in addition to the small Stanley No. 21 I talked about on Day 23 and the five squares that I wrote about yesterday form the bulk of my small collection.
Here is the little rack I constructed for all the 6" and 12" squares. In addition to the ones mentioned is a modern
Empire square, which does little to fuel my imagination, but which does get its own fair share of use.
The first of the combination squares that I have doesn't bear any kind of maker's mark, so I don't know who manufactured it. It is nonetheless of good quality, has a working bubble level inside, and smoothly adjusts. I use it a fair amount, perhaps moreso than the other combination squares I have. It still has the scribe inside the handle, which was used to scratch marks on work.
The next example is stamped MF CO.
MF CO apparently refers to Millers Falls, a company that is well known to tool collectors for the wide variety of tools that they made over decades in business. I'm not sure when this particular example was made, but you can find an identical looking one in their 1949 catalog. It's bubble level and size make me identify it as a the more premium model (it cost $1.70 instead of $1.60). Most of the original black enamel paint has been stripped from the body and it is missing the scribe, which appears to have been lost. I've considered repainting it, but it works well as is.
The last is a Stanley. It's bubble level has broken over the years, and it no longer contains any liquid, but the scribe is still in place, and it works well and smoothly adjusts. Not sure what year it was made, but it includes markings in both inches and metric, which I understand Stanley started doing in 1902. The font and style of the logo suggest to me that it's of modern manufacture though.
Anyway, that's enough for squares. I'll try to dig up something different tomorrow.
Happy Father's Day to all!