Bridge City Graduated Try Square, Imperial

Founded in 1983 by designer and craftsman John Economaki, Bridge City Tools has long been known for its often unique and always aspirational tools.

These try squares are unlike any others we’ve seen. While they are certainly lightweight, nicely balanced, and machined to exacting standards (accurate to ±0.002″ over the full length of the blade, inside and out.), it is the innovative stock design that really sets them apart.

Their stocks are formed from two L-shaped sections of anodized aluminum that overlap to fasten the blade securely, helping maintain squareness through long use.

As a further benefit of this design, if the square is ever dropped or its accuracy is otherwise compromised, the two sections can be loosened, recalibrated against another known 90° reference surface, then retightened.

A triangular cut-out in the stock aids grip, and all edges on the blade and stock are slightly chamfered, so they won’t readily mar your work or get nicked if the tool gets dropped.

The 5″ model is a compact size to keep on hand in an apron pocket, while the 6 1/2″, 8″ and 200mm squares provide larger registration surfaces for accurate bench work.

The stainless-steel blades are hardened to resist scoring from a marking knife and have a matte finish that can be marked with a pencil for direct-reference applications, as well as a tapered cutout to serve as a 1:8 dovetail marker.

The two graduated models have deeply etched and black-filled markings in Imperial (to 8″ in 32nds) and metric (to 200mm in 1mm increments).