Adjustable Squares By Colen Clenton

All a square really has to do is be square, but Colen Clenton is not the kind of craftsman who is ever satisfied with sufficient quality. The problem with some traditional English squares is that over time they may fall out of square due to use. Colen Clenton designed these lovely squares to be adjustable, so that they can be maintained at dead-on 90 degrees.

To square the blade, should it come out of alignment, simply adjust the two set screws concealed in the base of the handle. Slacken one and tighten the other to move the blade to where it should be. Colen's ingenious mechanism is built to last a lifetime; the set screws thread through brass pins, not wood, and each pushes a brass bearing-rod that contacts the blade, to eliminate the possibility that the set screw might wear against the blade.

The blades on all the squares are satin-finished, hardened brass. Brass is a bearing metal and the layout tools will just glide smoothly when running against them. With a traditional awl, there is no danger of cutting into the brass, and with a regular layout knife or disposable knife, the cutting edge isn't next to the blade anyway.

Of course the thing that draws your eyes to the square and makes you want to pick it up is the wonderful wood of the handle. The tools are available in rose she-oak, lace she-oak or blackwood. All of three varieties are native Australian timbers known for their hardness, heft, and most important of all, stability. As Charlie, who worked with us when we got the squares in, said, "They look so elegant, they force you to do better work - just to keep up." Made in Australia.