Well your reply to the rafter cutting is very interesting and I take my hat off to you!!, and may those looking in take heed of your comments.
The square is sure an interesting tool, and if well mastered one can do just about anything with it. I have in my possession an old text book that deals only with the "Steel square", may times I have read it.
Thanks for quoting on the cost of the school building, I am at a loss to know what the comparison between US and Canadian currency was at that time. I do know that British pounds were still floating around right up until confederation in 1867.
My dad who was a pretty good carpenter said that during his career he met one fellow that amazed him in his ability to produce any number of complicated cuts with his square, hardly ever making an error. My dad used to set me down as a young man and explain to me as much as he could what he knew about using properly the inscriptions on both sides of a good framing square. After he passed away some time ago I inherited his tools and I cherish especially his square, which by the way I never was allowed to use
Once in a while he would clean it thoroughly, and rub white paint into the markings to freshen it up and make its use easier.
Anyway thanks for the reply and information, I believe that every one aspiring to do carpentry, or timberframing should have a course in the use of the framing square, real early in their career.