July 22, 2007
Construction 3-4-5 Square Layout
One of the tricks in carpentry is to determine how square a layout is or to check an existing layout for square . The custom is to use a 3-4-5 triangle or multiples thereof such as 6,8,10 forming a 90-degree angle opposite the hypotenuse.
The 3-4-5 method is easy to remember but is not the only option to determine square on a construction job. You can use any triangle that conforms to the formula a
² + b² = c², where "a" and "b" are the two sides that meet at the right angle and "c" is the hypotenuse.
In other words you can use a 5-12-13 triangle, a 8-15-17 or a 7-24-25 triangle for checking square. This is a timesaver when working around obstacles you’ll need to dodge in the course of project such as a wall or other object. While the 3-4-5 is easy to remember, it is not the only set of numbers you can use.
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