How Level Headed Are You?

[Diggin It]

When you set a board, beam, block, post, pole or whatever else, how level is it when you check it the first time?

I've lost count of the times I've set something by eye and it turned out to be within a half a bubble. I have no idea how it happens. Definitely not every time, but enough that I've noticed and begun to wonder.


Today, I stood an old telephone pole into place to mount a flood light and possibly another camera someday. This is the one I had taken down and broken due to some rot. I cut another couple of feet off to get to better wood, but there was still 18 feet or so. Dug a hole, stood it up initially and tamped some dirt around the base to hold it in place so I could back the tractor out. Checked it by eye, gave it a couple of shoves, then tamped some more dirt. I had screwed a small hook into the top so I could hang a plumb line to check it before final tamping. Used a push pole to hang the plumb line to check and it was almost dead plumb. Not even out enough to correct.

I have no idea how that happened.

 

[Jstpssng]

How many times have you set poles,et.al.? Like anything you do, with practice you get good at it.
I remember my father telling about building a pad to put his garage on. When they came to prep it to pour the slab he was about 1/2 of an inch off. He'd been doing dirtwork and other projects all of his life, and it was just instinctive.

 

[bcp]

I find it much harder when all around you there are leaning trees and sloping ground.

Bruce

 

[/pine]

Generally the closer you are to something the harder it is to tell how plumb or level something is...stand back and take a look...it usually stands out if something is not right...

...There's an old builder's trick of "cross-sighting"...find something that is expected to be plumb like the corner of a building, door opening, column, flagpole etc...just about anything and cross sight it with whatever...say a post you are setting etc...cross sight the two objects to the vanishing point between them,,,it should be the same top and bottom...

 

[Diggin It]

How many times have you set poles,et.al.? Like anything you do, with practice you get good at it.

This is the second pole I've ever set and the first one I did alone. Maybe just beginner's luck?

I find it much harder when all around you there are leaning trees and sloping ground.

Virtually every foot of my property leans or slopes, even within a foot or two of the house.

 

[/pine]

Just for the record..."half a bubble" is not even close...LoL...touching the line on the inside is getting there...!

 

[Diggin It]

..There's an old builder's trick of "cross-sighting"...find something that is expected to be plumb like the corner of a building, door opening, column, flagpole etc...just about anything and cross sight it with whatever...

I've done that before too, but not always.

Just for the record..."half a bubble" is not even close...LoL...touching the line on the inside is getting there...!

It's prett durn close fer a first shot without checking anything prior.

And considering I'm usually at least a half a bubble off kilter ....

 

[i7win7]

I've lost count of the times I've set something by eye and it turned out to be within a half a bubble. I have no idea how it happens. Definitely not every time, but enough that I've noticed and begun to wonder.

Ever walk across a hill side or slope? Imagine a line from your nose to the ground. Not the correct reference - keepin' it family friendly. Align a post to the imaginary line and it's close to plumb. Think it's a sense of balance thing.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Ever see a tapering tower that someone put a level on one or more legs without making the correction?

Mentioned it before. I can't drill a hole plumb or level to save my life.

 

[Diggin It]

I watched a crew assemble a 160' free standing tower on the ground, then raise it into place dead bang on the first try.

 

[ultrarunner]

I’ve amazed a few by precision leveling pads for water tanks and sheds by eye.

Use the Deere 110 to rough excavate and the BX23 to finish.

Always looking for symmetry and plumb.

My current home is plumb but nothing is symmetrical for which I have no explanation...

 

[Rustyiron]

Yeah, I'm that guy who is leveling pictures on the wall no matter where I am.

 

[4570Man]

Just for the record..."half a bubble" is not even close...LoL...touching the line on the inside is getting there...!

Agreed. I just went and checked one of my levels. My 2’ level needs raised about 3/4”on the end to be half a bubble outside the line. 3/8” per foot is quite a bit of drip and I can eyeball a lot better than that.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yeah, I'm that guy who is leveling pictures on the wall no matter where I am.

Yep... me too.

 

[Thomas]

Use to be old saying 1/2 bubble close enough for government work.

 

[MoKelly]

Use to be old saying 1/2 bubble close enough for government work.

Wait. The government works?

MoKelly

 

[dodge man]

As a land surveyor I’ve learned not to trust my eyes, that’s why I have all that high dollar equipment.

 

[Wakey]

I’ve always needed a level. I’ve installed tens of thousands of things that needed to be straight and with me, it ain’t happening without a level. It’s a gift lol

 

[gsganzer]

I used to be pretty good until I had Lasik where they corrected one eye for distance and left the other for reading. They call it monovision.

Now I have a terrible time doing things like grading and lining things up.

 

[Rustyiron]

As a land surveyor I’ve learned not to trust my eyes, that’s why I have all that high dollar equipment.

You guys work to a whole different level of accuracy.