This square may look conventional, but it is far from ordinary. Well-known for building the world’s first titanium-handled hammer, and then re-imagining that hammer into the Martinez M-1, former framer Mark Martinez says he’s been asked for years to develop a titanium layout square. What started out as a concept drawing back in mid June of this year journeyed to prototype in just six weeks. Martinez’s Instagram followers helped shape the square by providing feedback on his posts as he shared the tool’s development on social media – making this the first crowd-sourced construction tool in the construction industry.
The square has pencil notches every 1/8 inch from 3/8 inch all the way up to 5-1/2 inches. It also features purposefully aligned punch outs that offer more layout options for framers than other squares on the market (for example, 22.5 degrees). In addition to knockouts at 3/4 inch, 1 inch, and 1-3/4 inches, there are also marks for 3.5, 5, and 5.5 inches. Also, there is a knockout that fits metric and imperial circular saw arbor nuts so it doubles as a blade wrench as well.
Martinez says that it’s the most accurate layout square on the market, comparing its precision to that of high-end woodworking squares used by furniture makers. The square itself is made of military-grade titanium while the housing that holds one bubble vial is made of aluminum. Because it’s made of titanium, it is lightweight and also virtually impossible to break (users on social media have tried and can only bend it under extreme stress, but because it’s titanium there is no metal fatigue so it can be bent flat again).
As you probably expect, all of these features, precision, and durability come at a hefty price: $250. Martinez understands that this square is not for everyone and admits that he’s not looking to mass-produce these or try and compete with less-expensive models that are widely available. He also recognizes that they may be stolen on jobsites and is planning to offer customizable laser etchings on them in the near future. Production runs will be limited and pre-orders are now being accepted via martineztools.com. Orders are limited to one per customer.
This article originally appeared in Tools of the Trade.
