The $17 laser level that solved my rebar layout problem
Last month on a job in Columbus, I had to lay out anchor bolts for a 40 by 60 foot slab, and my crew kept arguing about chalk lines being off by half an inch. I was about to rent a total station for the fourth time that year, which runs about $250 a day, when one of the older guys pulled out this cheap green laser level he bought at a big box store. He set it on a tripod, shot the grid from one corner, and we just marked everything off with a tape measure from the projected lines. It took us maybe 45 minutes instead of the usual 3 hours, and everything came out within a quarter inch. I still don't fully trust it for the really tight stuff, but for rough layout it's been a game changer. Has anyone else used a basic laser level for anchor bolt patterns, or do you all stick with the survey equipment?