1. I think this run long enough

The tool is an automatic roofing square, giving all the cuts and lengths per Ft / run traditional roofs.

The cuts (bevels) although 45 deg in plan need to be worked out geometrically to find the actual angle to mark on the timber.

Below shows the face of the square and it’s slightly more modern version IF you know ho to use it.

a month later

Here’s another one, it’s not a tool though.

I’m pretty sure that I have a box of them in the garage, with the tool needed to deploy. I won’t say what I think it is to let other people guess

The tool needed is something to hoik it down with 👍

Not seen one of them in a while! Used to hate getting my trousers caught on the damn things!

DavecUK , Elcarajillo ‘fraid not.

It’s used to hold something in place when repairing . A bit of a cheats method but very functional 👍

Oh , and I’d bet most of us have the things they hold in place.

      Holding a line of some sort for something?

      I think “ one of Beyoncé’s earrings “ deserves a consolation 👏

      But, the real answer is that it’s used to keep a slate on the roof - stop sniggering at the back - in place when replacing a solitary slate without having to resort to destroying half your roof to nail the new one in place using the nail hole in the slate.

      I bet it was invented by the Victorians… they had something for everything.

      I made a hook thing I slip under a tile…used an old coat hanger…mine works differently though, not the same shape at all. It hooks onto the tile above and under the lip of the loose one. I have used 2 before.

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        DavecUK

        I often wondered how slaters did it and I probably broke more tiles/slates than I replaced, until I discovered these 👍

            Waitforme They look a really good idea… With mine I have a hook each end…so I can lay it flat, slide it under the tile, twist it and lock it in place.

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              I had thought of posting this as a '‘what is it’' but following the above , here it is

              It is a slaters rip, for sliding under states and cutting / pulling out the nails, cutting only works with copper or aluminium nails.

              The other is a slaters hammer for holing and fixing slates.

              I have never seen the '‘fixing springs/ clips’' before= great idea.