All the right moves: Mike Morehouse's right-angle combination square a step toward quicker, more precise measuring

All the right moves: Mike Morehouse's right-angle combination square a step toward quicker, more precise measuring
                        

Just because something is around for more than a century doesn’t mean it is perfect. Take for example the combination square, a hand tool that has been around in the same form for more than a century.

A combination square is a tool used for multiple purposes in woodworking, stonemasonry and metalworking, allowing the user to scribe and center holes for drilling of pieces that are not flat. It is tried and true, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way.

Mike Morehouse of Holmesville believes he has found that better way.

Close to 17 years ago, Morehouse found himself in a situation many people who work with wood and metal find themselves in. He was drilling holes on a longer piece of curved material. He had to create matching holes and had to set his right-angle square up twice, due to the fact that, like all right-angle squares, it was not adjustable.

The two-step setup was one that has been done for years, but Morehouse began wondering, "Does that have to be the case?"

“This piece of equipment hasn’t changed for 127 years,” Morehouse said. “But why? I felt like there had to be a way to simplify the process, and I eventually came up with this new design.”

Thus was born the right-angle combination square, a newly designed hand tool that cuts measuring time down significantly while allowing for more accurate measurements because it is a one-step process now rather than a two-step process.

The new hand tool is revolutionary and works on any square-sided piece of metal, wood or plastic. It also is perfect for round pieces because of the tool’s ability to adjust from a one-step setup.

Morehouse’s tool works on a hinge and allows the slide rule to adjust at preset angles of 180, 90, 67, 45 and 22-1/2 degrees. The castings are made in Mt. Hope while the machining part of the tool is made in Ashland. The tool is made 100 percent in the USA, and Morehouse believes this tool will help revolutionize the way people use combination squares.

“What it is all about is taking and making your layout quicker, more efficient and more professional,” Morehouse’s son Michael said. “It’s a time-saver for anyone who uses it, and it is incredibly precise.”

Morehouse’s new tool also works well with kerf, the edge of a piece of steel that plasma cutting oftentimes cuts uneven, leaving a high side and a low side. Regardless of which side of the kerf is measured with the new tool, it will always measure to the high side, again providing greater accuracy.

After years of tinkering with the idea, Morehouse said he is thrilled to finally patent and perfect the hand tool. And to see it packaged and in the marketing process is a dream come true.

“It was exciting to say the least,” Morehouse said. “I really feel like I have been blessed by God with this idea, and I am looking forward to promoting it.”

Morehouse said the idea for the right-angle combination square came to him almost 17 years ago. When he finally had the idea patented, the patent brought a number of suitors who were willing to help him create the tool, but at every turn they wanted a large percentage of the product’s sales.

He said he received some sage advice in his first meeting with the patent lawyer who helped him patent the tool. The lawyer told him to describe the idea to him first, and he would tell him immediately if it was a good idea or not.

“He said if it was a good idea, we would get it patented and run with it,” Morehouse said. "If it was a bad idea, he suggested I drop it immediately because patenting something is expensive.”

The lawyer immediately liked what he heard and then forged ahead with the patent. “He said there was nothing out there like it,” Morehouse said. “That was an exciting moment.”

That was Nov. 4, 2007. Since then Morehouse has been working hard in creating the tool that began seven years prior to that moment, and now he has finally perfected it and is ready to introduce it to the world.

Once the patent kicked in, investors came knocking, and with their investment came the requirement of large percentages of the products’ sales.

“Everybody and their brother wanted in on this when I patented it, but they all wanted 30, 50 or 60 percent,” Morehouse said.

Morehouse said he didn’t want to go that route, so he began the process himself. He initially wanted to use metal, but he kept coming up empty as doors were closed. He then found a heavy-duty plastic that could withstand intense temperatures, but he liked the idea of making it out of metal. He eventually settled on zinc, but he said he still has options.

"I now have the option of going with the plastic or with steel,” Morehouse said. “I am going to leave my options open at this point, and hopefully we can start promoting it more heavily.”

Morehouse is now doing a tour to show off his new invention, and he said that perhaps one day he'll visit a show like Shark Tank, the ABC television show that helps inventors launch their products with the aid of backing from a panel of entrepreneurs.

Morehouse said the early returns from those who have purchased the new right-angle combination tool with the hinges have been incredible.

“They love it,” Morehouse said. “They have told me that this is the exact tool they need to improve their quality of work.”

For more than a century people have done their measuring with a tried and true method. Morehouse has simply created a faster, simpler and more accurate way of doing something workers have done for decades.

For more information visit YouTube and search for Mike Morehouse right-angle combination square.


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