One of our most popular recent posts is a brief tutorial I wrote on how to use a speed square. If you read that and now wield your trusty square like a wild west gunslinger, maybe it’s time to holster that bad boy.
Here is a very simple and effective design for a speed square holster that has been floating around for years. It was apparently first brought to widespread attention by Tom Silva on an episode of Ask This Old House. Inspired by Silva’s design, back in 2007, Tom Haukap, a member of the Sawmill Creek woodworking community, decided to make one of his own.
The parts needed are minimal. The main body of the holster is made from a piece of 1-1/4″ square PVC baluster material. This is commonly available, but the real drawback is that you have to buy a pack of 5 (at 33-1/3″ lengths) for around $15. So, if you end up making one for yourself, maybe make some additional holsters and give them away to your maker friends as gifts.
Besides the PVC stock, you need a piece of 3/4″ wood inside to snugly fit the square, a belt clip or loop of some kind, and some hardware. A slot is cut in the front to accept the square and a wooden bottom stop is added. That’s it.
For his attachment hardware, Haukap decided to keep things simple. He used a piece of 1/8″ thick aluminum stock with two pieces epoxied (JB Weld) to each end to create a belt loop. Other versions I’ve seen incorporate commercial belt clips, but this approach seems the easiest and the least prone to removing the holster when you’re trying to remove the tool.
On the Sawmill Creek forum page, Tom Haukap posted a CAD drawing of the design, links to the original Ask This Old House clip, and many more pictures of his build.
Do you have a holster or a sheath for your speed square? How do you carry yours?
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