TIL a $4 chalk line beats a $60 laser for long walls

I was setting up a 30 foot partition last week and my laser kept drifting in the sunlight, so I grabbed the old chalk box and it was dead on. Watched a video from a trim crew in Nashville that tested both side by side, and the chalk line was off by 1/16 over 25 feet while the laser was off by 3/8. Anyone else find laser tools overrated for long rough framing?

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1 Comment

hannahj4911h ago

Laser leveling is handy for small stuff, but yeah, chalk lines got the job done for decades for a reason. That drift in bright light is brutal on a long run, nobody wants to re-snap a line because the beam moved on you. For rough framing I still pop chalk first, then use the laser to check my work after. Saves a lot of headaches when you're covered in dust and squinting at a little red dot.