Abstract:
A saddle square including a slot for aligning the square and marking a workpiece to ensure proper positioning of a stud.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/494,311 filed Aug. 11, 2003 entitled “Saddle Square For Marking Stud Locations,” which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to marking tools generally used and, in particular, to saddle squares used in carpentry woodworking.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     During construction of a typical wood frame stud wall, the locations of the studs must be marked on the top and bottom plates so that studs can be properly located. Typically, the studs are placed at a consistent center-to-center distance, usually sixteen or twenty-four inches. The builder generally will place marks along the top and bottom plates that mark the centers of the studs. However, to correctly align the studs, a mark half the thickness of the stud material away from the center mark is also desirable. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the saddle square of this invention positioned on a “2×4” lumber workpiece.  
         [0005]      FIG. 2  is an end view of the saddle square shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0006]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the saddle square shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     SUMMARY  
       [0007]     One embodiment of an improved saddle square of the invention includes a body having one longer arm that lies against an edge of a lumber workpiece and one shorter arm that lies against a face of the workpiece. The longer arm is penetrated by a slot, which is adapted to receive a marking instrument. The width of the saddle square is approximately equal to the width of standard 2× lumber, so that when the slot is positioned over a stud centering mark on the workpiece, the edges of the square fall on the workpiece at the appropriate locations for the edges of the stud. The stud edge locations may then be marked so that the stud may be easily correctly aligned.  
         [0008]     It is therefore a feature of this invention to provide a saddle square for easily and accurately aligning a stud.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0009]     As may be seen by reference to  FIG. 1 , the saddle square  10  of this invention includes generally a body  12  having a shorter arm  14  and a longer arm  16  that, during use, lie against one edge  19  and one face  20 , respectively of a “2×4” or other size lumber workpiece  22 . Arm  16  of saddle square  10  is penetrated by a narrow, centrally located slot  24 . The width of saddle square  10  is equal to the width of standard “2×” lumber, i.e., approximately 1½ inches. In use, slot  24  is positioned over a stud centering mark on the workpiece  22 . Since the width of the saddle square is equal to the thickness of typical stud material, the edges of the saddle square  10  fall on the workpiece  22  at the appropriate locations for the edges of the stud to be positioned on that workpiece  22 . These stud edge locations can be marked by scribing against the edges (e.g., edge  26 ) of saddle square  10  with a pencil  21  or other marking instrument such as a marking knife or awl. The length (l) of the saddle square  10 , is the thickness of typical stud material, so that the user is able quickly to create alignment marks on the stud  22  by marking on either side of the saddle square  10 . A typical stud thickness may be 1½ inches, so that length (l) is also 1½ inches. Edges  26  of saddle square  10  are precisely machined perpendicular to the reference faces (that are not visible since those faces lie against the workpiece  22 ) so that marks made by reference to the edges  26  are positioned square to adjacent faces of the workpiece  22  as well as at the appropriate separation from each other. As a result, the marks are ideally suited to align stud  22  correctly. In an alternative embodiment, one or both edges of the square may be aligned with at least one mark on the workpiece, and an additional mark added by sliding the marking instrument within the slot while contacting the workpiece.  
         [0010]     Saddle square  10  may be made from extruded aluminum having the cross sectional shape depicted in the figures or any other appropriate shape with two faces square to each other. The slot  24  and the entrance thereto having faces  30  and  32  forming a VEE-shaped throat leading to slot  24  can be conventionally machined in the saddle square body  12 . The hole  34  along the length of the saddle square  10  is used for hanging the square  10  during anodizing. A hard anodized finish is desirable for a square  10  manufactured of aluminum. Hole  36  is used for hanging during storage, and may also be sued for hanging the square during anodizing. Other suitable materials than aluminum can also be used, including metals such as brass or steel and a variety of molded or machined polymer molded materials such as glass filled nylon, or any other relatively hard, stable, wear-resistant material.  
         [0011]     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this invention can be practiced in numerous alternative embodiments in addition to those shown in the drawings and described above without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.