TIL a trick for keeping a long wall straight without a laser level

I was framing a 24 foot wall for a shed last weekend and my usual string line kept sagging in the middle, even when I pulled it tight. I tried using a regular level to check every few feet but it was taking forever and I kept getting small gaps. Then I remembered something a guy at the lumber yard said once about using a garden hose. I filled a clear vinyl tube with water, held both ends up against the studs at the height I wanted, and just marked where the water level was at each end. It sounds weird, but water finds its own level perfectly. I connected the marks with a chalk line and the whole thing was straight as an arrow. It cost me nothing and saved a ton of time. Has anyone else used this old school method on a bigger job?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_roberts223d ago

Yeah, the water level trick is solid. I used it to set the posts for a deck on really uneven ground. Lasers are great until the battery dies or the sun's too bright. That clear tube with some colored water doesn't lie. Just make sure there's no air bubbles in the line or your marks will be off. It's one of those things that seems too simple to work but it's dead accurate.

josephf102d ago

Adding a little dish soap to the water helps break the surface tension and gets rid of those tiny bubbles. It makes the water column move much easier when you're adjusting levels. That little tip saved me a ton of frustration on a fence line last summer.